Florida News
Published Aug. 20, 2026, 1:57 p.m. ET | Updated Aug. 20, 2026
BONIFAY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is doubling down on property tax relief as a key part of his effort to ease the cost of living for Florida homeowners, saying the state has the financial capacity to provide more relief without undermining local services.
DeSantis made the comments Thursday during a news conference in Bonifay, where he announced more than $8.8 million in grants for infrastructure and community development projects in 12 small and rural Florida communities.
DeSantis said property taxes are one area where state government can directly give Floridians more breathing room as families deal with higher costs.
“You can’t necessarily control the price of groceries or auto insurance,” DeSantis said. “So it’s like, how do you give people relief so that they have some breathing room, and the best way to do that is with the property tax.”
DeSantis said he supports a proposed constitutional amendment to expand Florida’s homestead exemption, even though the Legislature approved a version that differs from the proposal he originally wanted.
He also renewed his call for additional relief for homeowners in Florida’s 32 fiscally constrained counties, most of them rural. DeSantis said eliminating homestead property taxes in those counties would cost about $200 million a year, a relatively small amount compared with the state’s roughly $117 billion budget and $18 billion surplus.
DeSantis said the state could provide additional financial support to rural counties if voters approve the constitutional amendment. “Are you telling me we can’t spare a couple hundred million to make sure that these rural counties are going to be able to provide basic services?” he said.
He said additional state support could be provided to rural counties if voters approve the constitutional amendment.
The grants announced Thursday will support water and wastewater improvements, stormwater projects, roads and workforce housing, with the governor saying the investments will help rural communities grow and remain economically competitive.
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DeSantis doubles down on property tax relief, says Florida can afford to give homeowners more – Florida’s Voice
