ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis was in St. Augustine on Wednesday, unveiling a statue and plaque to honor abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass.
The statue is part of America’s 250th birthday this year, which has included statues of the nation’s founding fathers being placed around the state.
WATCH: Press play above to see the entire news conference and Q&A
During the question-and-answer portion of the news conference, News4JAX was able to ask the governor about how he plans to improve affordability for Floridians.
“The one thing government controls is tax, right? And so if we could do the tax, then that’s gonna be the best thing we can do most assuredly,” DeSantis said, referring to his push to eliminate property taxes across the state.
This week, the Florida House passed a proposal to let voters make that decision on the 2026 general election ballot in November.
“I think the fact that the House has done something is a good sign,” DeSantis said.
The Senate hasn’t advanced any sort of similar tax cut plan yet, but the governor said he never expected the issue to be resolved in the Legislature’s regular session.
“I’m also working with the Senate, and I have been this whole time, so we will get something done where you’re going to have something on the ballot,” DeSantis said. “It’s going to get done, and you guys are going to be able to go to the polls and be able to vote on something that’s really, really meaningful.”
The other way the governor says he’s tackling affordability in Florida is by helping bring down rates for auto and homeowners insurance.
“So last month, they were able to announce the first ever reduction for Citizens Property Insurance,” DeSantis said. “Then you have auto insurance. You have reductions from Progressive, USAA, State Farm, all of that. That’s all because of the reforms that we did several years ago, and those have now really impacted the market.”
The governor says they’re going to have some more news very soon on other homeowners’ insurance companies that will be filing for reductions.
And the governor says when it’s time to renew your auto insurance, shop around first, because your renewal might not include the reduction you could find elsewhere.
“If you take the positive movement in insurance and if you get this property tax (cut done), I would say those would be the two biggest things that can really make a difference in the lives of Floridians,” DeSantis said.