Florida property tax 2026: the amendment headed to the November ballot

Florida property tax changed course on June 2, 2026, when the Legislature passed Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes and sent it to the November ballot. The measure raises the homestead exemption to 150,000 dollars in 2027 and 250,000 dollars in 2028, and the increase does not apply to school district taxes. Nothing changes on your bill unless 60 percent of Florida voters approve it in November 2026.

Updated June 4, 2026. On June 2 the Legislature passed CS/HJR 1-F. The Senate companion, CS/SJR 2-F, was laid on the table and substituted. The House vote was 75 to 26 and the Senate vote was 30 to 9. The amendment now needs 60 percent of Florida voters in November 2026 to take effect, and the larger exemption does not apply to school district taxes.

By Darek Homel, Broker-Owner, Landmark Signature Realty LLC | Updated June 4, 2026 · 8 min read

What the June 2 vote actually means
What is in the Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes amendment
Current status: do Florida homeowners still pay property taxes in 2026?
Which tri-county areas pay the most: Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
Who would be exempt, and the trade-offs worth weighing
What this means if you are thinking about selling
Frequently Asked Questions

What the June 2 vote actually means

The special session that ran June 1 to 3, 2026 produced a real result. On June 2 the Legislature passed Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes, the constitutional amendment Governor DeSantis announced on May 27. The House approved it 75 to 26 and the Senate 30 to 9.

The vehicle that advanced is CS/HJR 1-F. The Senate version, CS/SJR 2-F, was laid on the table on June 2 and substituted by the House resolution. Lawmakers amended the original plan during the session, most notably to keep school district taxes out of the larger exemption.

For homeowners the practical reading is simple. Nothing about your tax bill changes between now and the November vote. If 60 percent of voters approve, the larger exemption applies starting with the 2027 tax year.

For the official bill text and vote history, the Florida Senate bill tracker posts CS/SJR 2-F and CS/HJR 1-F under the 2026-F special session.

What is in the Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes amendment

The headline change is the homestead exemption rising to 150,000 dollars in 2027 and 250,000 dollars in 2028, indexed for inflation thereafter. The current standard homestead exemption is about 50,000 dollars, or 51,411 dollars in 2026 with the Amendment 5 inflation adjustment. The new exemption phases in across two years rather than arriving all at once.

One detail matters for every homeowner. The larger exemption does not apply to school district taxes, which lawmakers protected during the session. School levies are a meaningful share of a typical Florida tax bill, so the relief is real but partial.

The amendment also changes non-homestead property. The annual cap on assessed-value increases for second homes, rentals, and commercial property drops from 10 percent to 5 percent. The measure further limits how counties and municipalities may use ad valorem tax revenue.

Tier	Homestead exemption	Notes
Current (2026)	51,411 dollars	Standard exemption with the Amendment 5 inflation adjustment; you still owe tax on value above the exempt amount
2027 (if approved)	150,000 dollars	Does not apply to school district taxes
2028 (if approved)	250,000 dollars	Does not apply to school district taxes; indexed for inflation thereafter

Current status: do Florida homeowners still pay property taxes in 2026?

Yes. Florida homeowners pay property taxes at current rates in 2026, and the June 2 vote does not change that in real time. The state homestead exemption stands at 51,411 dollars under the Amendment 5 inflation adjustment voters approved in November 2024, up from 50,722 dollars in 2025.

The other long-standing protections are also still in force. Save Our Homes still caps the annual increase in assessed value at 3 percent or the change in CPI, whichever is lower. Portability still allows a homesteaded owner to carry up to 500,000 dollars of accumulated benefit to a new Florida homestead.

If the November ballot clears, the new exemption applies to the 2027 tax year and shows up on bills mailed in late 2027. For anyone budgeting a closing in 2026 or modeling a 2026 tax bill, use current rates. None of the new numbers are operative yet.

Which tri-county areas pay the most: Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade carries the heaviest total property tax levies of the three counties and is widely cited as Florida's highest property tax county overall. The county is large, the property base is heavily weighted toward higher-value coastal stock, and the cumulative local rates run higher than the rest of the region.

Broward sits in the middle by median dollar bill. SmartAsset puts the Broward median annual property tax bill at 4,423 dollars. Broward cut its FY2026 county millage to 5.6658 mills, the first reduction since 2018, which slightly reduces the county portion of the bill for everyone who owns there.

Palm Beach has the lowest median dollar bill of the three. SmartAsset puts the Palm Beach median at 4,240 dollars. Palm Beach County held its rate at 4.5000 mills for FY2026, the third consecutive year at that rate, with more than 30 distinct municipal millages stacked on top of the county rate.

County	Median annual property tax bill (SmartAsset)	Effective rate range	FY2026 county millage
Miami-Dade	Highest total levies in tri-county; SmartAsset median not isolated here	1.02 percent (TurboTenant) to 1.94 percent (JVM Lending)	Held; see Miami-Dade County FY2026 budget
Broward	4,423 dollars (SmartAsset)	0.94 percent (SmartAsset) to 1.0 to 1.4 percent (JVM Lending)	5.6658 mills, first cut since 2018
Palm Beach	4,240 dollars (SmartAsset)	0.83 percent (SmartAsset) to 1.02 percent (JVM Lending)	4.5000 mills, held

Effective rate methodologies differ across sources. Treat the ranges as honest disagreement rather than as one number being correct, and validate any specific home's actual tax bill against the county property appraiser before you write or accept an offer. For a deeper read on the Wellington corridor inside Palm Beach County, the Wellington real estate market page tracks pricing and inventory at the municipal level.

Who would be exempt, and the trade-offs worth weighing

The larger exemption applies to homesteaded primary residences only, reaching 250,000 dollars in 2028, and it does not apply to school district taxes. Second homes, vacation rentals, and commercial property stay on the current rolls, as do snowbirds whose Florida home is not their primary residence. Those non-homestead properties do get one change: their annual assessed-value increase cap drops from 10 percent to 5 percent.

New Florida residents do not get the full exemption right away. Property owners who are not permanent Florida residents as of December 31, 2026 receive a homestead exemption on only the first 50,000 dollars of assessed value (25,000 dollars for school levies and 50,000 dollars for non-school levies) for their first five years, and qualify for the full exemption only after five years of Florida residency. For an out-of-state buyer weighing a 2027 or later purchase, that delay is a real cost to factor into the decision.

The first trade-off is local revenue. A Florida House staff analysis estimated the enacted amendment would reduce local government revenue by 4.6 billion dollars in the first year, growing to 8.4 billion dollars in the second year. County governments warned the loss would force higher fees, service cuts, or state backfill.

The second trade-off is home-value capitalization. Realtor.com senior economist Joel Berner estimated that fully eliminating property taxes would push Florida home values up roughly 7 to 9 percent. This amendment is a partial exemption increase rather than full elimination, so the price effect would be smaller, but it points the same direction: a lower carrying cost tends to raise what buyers will pay.

The third trade-off is the funding question. Replacing local property tax revenue at scale usually requires higher state sales tax, fees, or service cuts. A Florida Policy Institute poll found nearly 7 in 10 Florida voters would keep property taxes rather than accept a 12 percent state sales tax, so the political path for any deeper cut is far from settled.

What this means if you are thinking about selling

If the November amendment passes, the cost of staying in your current Florida home drops. Long-tenure homestead owners with significant Save Our Homes savings already pay below-market property tax. A homestead exemption rising to 250,000 dollars by 2028 improves the math for staying, which tends to thin out resale inventory.

Tighter inventory plus any capitalization effect means a seller who lists before the vote competes against fewer comparable homes than a seller who lists after. If the amendment fails, the market continues at current 2026 fundamentals. Either scenario rewards sellers who already have a clear price floor and a written market plan, and penalizes sellers who try to wait the news out.

The mortgage rate environment still matters more than the amendment for a single transaction. A 50 basis point swing on the 30-year fixed moves buyer purchasing power by roughly 5 percent, comparable in magnitude to the projected capitalization effect. If you want to model what your home actually nets under the current and prospective regimes, the net proceeds calculator is built to do that, and a free strategy consultation is the fastest way to get a read on your specific timing.

Want a 30-minute read on your specific home in this market?

If you own in Palm Beach, Broward, or Miami-Dade, the next six months are going to be unusually decisive. The right move depends on your equity, your next-home plan, and the rate environment when you list. Two next steps that take five minutes each:

For a same-week conversation, schedule a 30-minute strategy call and bring your address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DeSantis eliminating property taxes?

Not directly. On June 2, 2026 the Legislature passed Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes (CS/HJR 1-F), which raises the homestead exemption to 150,000 dollars in 2027 and 250,000 dollars in 2028. It is an exemption increase, not full elimination, and it still needs 60 percent voter approval on the November 2026 ballot.

Are there property taxes in Florida in 2026?

Yes. Florida homeowners pay property taxes at current rates in 2026. The standard homestead exemption is 51,411 dollars in 2026 under the Amendment 5 inflation adjustment approved by voters in November 2024, up from 50,722 dollars in 2025. Save Our Homes still caps annual assessed-value increases at 3 percent or CPI, whichever is lower.

Which county in FL has the highest property taxes?

Miami-Dade County is widely cited as Florida's highest property tax county by total levies. Effective rate estimates vary by methodology, ranging from about 1.02 percent of market value per TurboTenant to about 1.94 percent per JVM Lending. The 2026 homestead exemption of 51,411 dollars applies the same statewide regardless of county.

What is the downside of cutting property taxes in Florida?

Local governments lose their main revenue source for schools, public safety, parks, and infrastructure. A Florida House staff analysis estimated the enacted amendment would reduce local government revenue by 4.6 billion dollars in the first year, growing to 8.4 billion dollars in the second year. Replacement revenue typically requires higher sales taxes, state backfill, or service cuts.

Who would be exempt under the new measure?

The larger homestead exemption applies to primary residences only, reaching 250,000 dollars in 2028, and it does not apply to school district taxes. Second homes, rentals, and commercial property are not included, though their annual assessed-value increase cap drops from 10 percent to 5 percent.

Is Florida eliminating property taxes?

Not under this measure. The amendment increases the homestead exemption to 150,000 dollars in 2027 and 250,000 dollars in 2028 and does not schedule full elimination. Any further step would require its own constitutional amendment approved by 60 percent of voters.

How close is Florida to getting rid of property taxes?

The Legislature passed a major homestead exemption increase on June 2, 2026, by votes of 75 to 26 in the House and 30 to 9 in the Senate, and it now goes to the November 2026 ballot. Full elimination is not part of this measure. If 60 percent of voters approve, the larger exemption phases in for the 2027 and 2028 tax years.

Do new Florida residents get the larger homestead exemption right away?

New residents who establish Florida residency after December 31, 2026 receive only the existing 50,000 dollar exemption for their first five years, then qualify for the full expanded exemption, 150,000 dollars in 2027 and 250,000 dollars in 2028, after five years of Florida residency.