TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Republican Rep. Toby Overdorf says he needs to assist owners really feel much less trapped by their property taxes by way of a Home Joint Decision.
The lawmaker from Palm Metropolis is sponsoring Home Joint Decision 211, a measure that will get rid of the cap on property tax portability below the state’s “Save Our Properties“ assesment.
The proposal would permit Floridians to switch the total worth of their amassed tax advantages when shifting to a brand new major residence, whatever the new residence’s worth.
“Persons are actually afraid of shifting proper now,” Overdorf advised Florida’s Voice. “They know what they’ve presently… and by them going forward and shifting, they will be unable to afford their taxes anymore. Because of this, they’re caught of their houses.”
The way it works
Beneath the present system, when owners transfer, they will solely switch as much as $500,000 of their Save Our Properties profit. Overdorf argues that cap penalizes individuals for relocating, even when they downsize or transfer for household or work causes.
“We need to have that mobility if individuals select to do it,” Overdorf mentioned. “We need to acknowledge their funding and acknowledge that these persons are homesteaded right here within the state of Florida.”
If HJR 211 is permitted by the Legislature it will go to voters on the 2026 poll as a constitutional modification. If handed by voters, owners would have the ability to take their full tax financial savings with them, irrespective of the worth of their new residence.
Overdorf identified that the joint decision doesn’t require the governor to say sure or no to a sure proposal.
“The one approval that the governor will get to have related to the home joint decision is as a daily voter related to the state of Florida,” Overdorf mentioned, “So he would vote on it, identical to everyone else.”
Funding issues
One concern typically raised about property tax reform is whether or not it will minimize into funding for native governments or public providers.
Overdorf dismissed that fear.
“Over the past three years, we’ve seen native authorities earnings enhance by over nearly $18 billion,” he mentioned. “We’re approaching now $60 billion because the advert valorem earnings is coming into these municipalities throughout our state.”
The proposal additionally contains two built-in safeguards: it does not permit any discount in class tax funding, and it prohibits native governments from utilizing tax aid as a purpose to defund regulation enforcement.
If HJR 211 makes it to the poll and is permitted by voters in 2026, it might mark a major shift in how property tax advantages transfer with owners throughout the state.
Legislative momentum
The decision is a component of a bigger bundle of property tax aid proposals being championed by Florida Home Speaker Daniel Perez, who has mentioned it’s time to offer voters extra management over their tax future.
Perez has backed a number of Home Joint Resolutions, together with HJR 211, and emphasised that voters, not politicians, ought to make the ultimate determination on what sort of aid will get enacted.
