Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has made abolishing property taxes for homeowners a centerpiece of his second-term agenda. This idea may sound appealing, but it would be unjust, unsustainable, set back Florida’s economic ascendance, and make the state an electorally inefficient “vote sink.” Instead of following Britain’s Tories in taking the easy route of pandering to rentier gerontocracy, DeSantis should return to making Florida a beacon of smart conservative policy.
The property tax reliably polls as America’s most unpopular major tax, primarily because it must be paid in large lump sums and does not fluctuate with family income. Nevertheless, DeSantis’s plan to eliminate property taxes on Florida residents’ primary residences, presumably funded by a sales tax hike, would be a serious mistake.
First, it would be simply unjust: eliminating homeowners’ property taxes while retaining the property taxes indirectly paid by renters (and raising their sales taxes) does not accord with the principle of levying taxes in proportion to the benefits received from good governance. Instead, it would simply give Floridians who are wealthy (and old) enough to own property an arbitrary privilege. The risks of such a policy are illustrated by Zohran Mamdani’s New York City mayoral bid, which has in part been fueled by youthful resentment against the privileges of incumbent property owners, even if his proposed solutions would be highly counterproductive.
Second, it would be unsustainable. DeSantis’s proposal would strongly tilt Florida’s real estate market in favor of homeowners over renters, who would now have to pay more to compete with higher homebuyer demand. The predictable consequence would be more tax-exempt homeowners moving to the state and overtaxed renters leaving, destabilizing state and local budgets and threatening Florida’s no-income-tax status.
Third, it would undermine local governments. Even if they are compensated for lost property taxes by sales-tax-funded state grants, DeSantis’s scheme would sharply restrict their autonomy, especially to finance capital investment, since property taxes are by far the most stable form of local revenue. This would limit Florida cities’ ability to follow Carmel, Indiana’s model of conservative urbanism based on ambitious investments and high-quality local services, which has transformed the exurb into a regional hub.
Fourth, by shifting Florida’s tax burden onto the working-age population, DeSantis’s plan would set back Florida’s ambition of becoming not only a retirement haven but also a competitive alternative business hub for young conservative professionals and families.
Finally, DeSantis’s proposal could make Florida into a GOP vote sink. By encouraging homeowners to move to the state and renters to leave, this plan would make Florida even more Republican-leaning, while the rest of the country would become more Democratic-leaning (nearby Georgia and North Carolina would probably be most affected). This in turn would make it more difficult for Republicans to win nationwide elections.
Other red and purple states could compete for Republican-leaning demographics by also abolishing homeowners’ property taxes, but this negative-sum contest would simply lead to nationwide replication of an unjust and divisive policy. If DeSantis’s proposal were to be adopted by the GOP at large, it could fatally solidify the GOP as the party of gerontocratic entitlements akin to Britain’s Tories, crowding out the orientation toward dynamism necessary to revitalize our civilization.
DeSantis can still salvage his impressive legacy—and Florida’s future—by proposing a better tax relief plan for homeowners grappling with rising insurance costs. One idea might be to fund more of Florida schools’ minimum operating costs at the state level rather than partly relying on county property taxes, possibly financed by extending the sales tax to more consumer services. To ensure that this tax swap maximally benefits renters and workers as well as property owners by stimulating construction, it could be paired with an expansion of DeSantis’s YIMBY agenda. More modestly, DeSantis could simply use Florida’s budget surplus to boost taxpayers’ homestead exemptions.
However, if DeSantis insists on seeking to end property taxes for homeowners alone, conservatives should rally to hold his proposed constitutional amendment below the 60% threshold necessary for ratification.