Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a sweeping new property tax law that could make it significantly harder for local governments to raise taxes without overwhelming support from elected officials — or voters themselves.
The measure, known as SB 4-F, was approved during a special legislative session on property taxes and took effect immediately after the governor signed it into law on Wednesday.
Supporters say it delivers greater protection for homeowners already struggling with rising costs. Critics warn it could make it more difficult for cities and counties to fund essential services as Florida continues to grow.
At the heart of the legislation is a major change in how local governments calculate property tax rates.
Until now, local officials could increase revenues above the so-called “rolled-back rate” — the tax rate needed to generate the same revenue as the previous year from existing properties — by using growth in Florida’s per-capita income as a factor.
That provision has now been eliminated.
In practical terms, local governments will face tougher hurdles if they want to collect more property tax revenue.
Under the new rules:
• Tax rates up to 110% of the rolled-back rate will require a two-thirds vote of the governing board.
• Rates above 110% will require either a unanimous vote, a three-fourths vote by larger governing boards, or direct approval from voters through a referendum.
State officials say the changes are designed to lower baseline tax rates and prevent local governments from increasing property tax collections without broad public support.
The law serves as an implementation measure for a separate constitutional amendment that Florida voters will consider in November.
That amendment proposes additional property tax relief for homeowners and must secure at least 60% statewide approval to become part of Florida’s constitution.
DeSantis also signed a second measure aimed at increasing transparency in local government spending.
HB 1329 requires counties and municipalities to publish detailed budget information online, including revenue and expenditure reports, staffing levels, debt obligations, capital projects, reserve funds, and departmental spending.
The information must be downloadable and available to the public.
The legislation also introduces a new requirement for local governments to conduct a budget-cutting exercise before adopting their final budgets, forcing officials to identify potential spending reductions while maintaining essential services.
For homeowners, the changes could provide additional safeguards against future tax increases.
For local governments, however, the message is clear: raising property taxes in Florida just became considerably more difficult.