JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Property tax elimination proposals have become one of the most closely watched debates of the 2026 legislative session, as lawmakers advance several constitutional amendment measures that could dramatically reshape how homeowners are taxed — and how cities fund essential services.
The proposals under consideration in Tallahassee could significantly reduce or even eliminate property taxes, a major source of revenue for local governments across Florida.
“This is the number one source of revenue for municipalities around the state, and the number one revenue for counties — all 67 counties,” Rick Mullaney, News4JAX political analyst, said.
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In Duval County alone, property taxes account for at least $1 billion of the county’s roughly $2 billion budget. That revenue funds core services such as schools, police and fire protection.
Lawmakers are currently considering at least eight proposals that would reduce or potentially eliminate property taxes, but Mullaney cautioned that any change would require a clear plan to replace that funding.
“There has to be an equal discussion on how to replace that revenue,” Mullaney said. “There is no free lunch. You have to pay for those services. In Florida, you don’t have an income tax, so you have to ask the question: How do you pay for fundamental services?”
As the debate continues, several Jacksonville City Council members have gone on the record with their positions.
Councilmembers’ Responses to Proposal:
- Tyrona Clark-Murray/Council Member District 9
“The elimination of property taxes would be detrimental to local governments, not just in Jacksonville, but all throughout the state of Florida. Property taxes pay for several City services. Mainly in the form of fire and police, and roads. The elimination of property taxes seems like a win individually, saving the average household hundreds, but if Floridians look at the total collectively, which would amount to millions of dollars, it will be extremely detrimental to our city. Most homeowners rather pay their “fair share” than cut services. State legislators need to explore a different avenue if they want to reduce household costs, not property taxes. The elimination of property taxes is the wrong road to travel in order to find cost savings for individual property taxpayers.”
- Nick Howland /At Large District 3
“Housing costs continue to rise. Young couples are struggling to buy their first home, and some families are struggling to stay in their current homes. I support the state’s efforts to explore meaningful property tax relief or Florida families and will be monitoring the discussion closely during the legislative session.”
- Raul Arias/District 11
“I think with inflation, cost of goods increasing, the cost of necessary items for everyday life is becoming attainable. Any tax relief would be a blessing. We still have real life expenses, but we need to know how we will fund municipal funds. I’m for it, but I don’t want to do a disservice to this community because there’s not enough tax revenue. Highly support it, but we need a strategic plan of action to fund our critical needs.”
- Rahman Johnson/District 14
“A tax cut that guts schools and raises your grocery bills is not a tax cut. It is an illusion. Property taxes are the engine of local government in Florida. They fund more than half of all school district budgets, nearly one fifty of county operations, and a similar share. If someone promises you a tax cut that they say will cost nothing, check your pockets. They are probably already in them. Floridians deserve tax relief grounded in math, not messaging.”
- Terrence Freeman/At Large Group 1
“When I served as Council President, I championed Jacksonville’s first property tax cut in more than a decade. With government spending growing too fast, taxpayers deserve meaningful relief. I support continuing to cut property taxes and working toward eliminating them entirely for homeowners in the years ahead.”
- Mike Gay/District 2
“I always support lowering taxes and reducing wasteful government spending. I am interested in seeing the full plan for eliminating property taxes and the new funding sources for our essential services.”
- Ju ’Coby Pittman/District 10
“If we eliminate property taxes, we eliminate the ability to take care of the city. Concerned about parks and security. Districts 7,8,9,10, unfortunately, there are already a lot of disparities. Property taxes are helping to fix some of those issues. I think it would be a tragedy if property taxes are eliminated.”
- Nick Howland/Vice President
“Housing costs continue to rise. Young couples are struggling to buy their first homes and families are struggling to stay in their current homes. I support the State’s efforts to explore meaningful property tax relief for Florida families and will be monitoring the discussion closely during this legislative session.”
- Randy White/District 12
“I want to study it more. It’s an issue that’s definitely on the radar. It has to be proven to me that public safety will not be affected and fully funded.”
- Michael Boylan/District 6
“The ramifications of Tallahassee dictating how we spend our money is concerning. I’d love to see what lawmakers see as a recourse to maintain services, fire and safety, police. They are all necessary services and impacting the amount of revenue is problematic unless they give us an alternative/directly impact our ability.”
- Kevin Carrico/Council President
“I applaud Gov. DeSantis for his leadership and for putting forward bold ideas that give property owners the relief they deserve. Here in Jacksonville, I led the effort to provide meaningful property tax relief in this year’s budget, but there’s more work to do. We must continue eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and identifying responsible ways to cut taxes so families can afford to live and thrive in our city.”
- Jimmy Peluso/District 7
“I’m honestly in favor of a homestead exemption that benefits our working families. This would likely mean an additional $50-100k exemption, and reform how much property value can be increased per year. So let’s do that. However, to eliminate the property tax entirely is far too harmful to any local government. The longterm effects this will have on supporting our neighbors and communities is just too great. Furthermore, cutting the tax entirely is a giveaway to the wealthiest homeowners who live on the river or ocean, and under this proposal, they wouldn’t have to pay anything. That isn’t fair to those working-class and middle-class residents who now would have to shoulder the cost of paying for police, hospitals, fire stations, and amenities people expect. As elected leaders, we have a responsibility to our voters to ensure public safety is funded, but so are our parks, roads, and services for children.”
- Councilman Matt Carlucci/At Large
“Tallahassee can chant ‘tax cuts’ because they don’t have to cut public safety, close the libraries, delay the road repairs, or reduce neighborhood services. We do. If you cut property taxes, you either raise fees or cut services would make them there’s no magic money. Show the plan, or stop pretending there’s no consequence.”