Governor Ron DeSantis has been actively championing a bold proposal: the elimination or dramatic reduction of property taxes in Florida. For homeowners across Florida’s 14th Congressional District, this is one of the most consequential state-level policy debates in years — and it sits on top of a federal tax issue, the SALT deduction cap, that has been hurting Hillsborough County homeowners since 2018.
This guide walks through what the elimination proposal actually does, where Florida’s homestead exemption and Save Our Homes protection stand today, what the SALT cap costs FL-14 households, and where John Peters lands on each piece.
What Is Florida’s Property Tax Elimination Proposal?
The proposal under discussion in Tallahassee would repeal or sharply reduce Florida’s property taxes — the local levies that fund county services, public schools, fire and police protection, libraries, and parks across Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, Valrico, and Sun City Center.
The headline numbers:
- Total cost: Eliminating Florida property taxes statewide would replace approximately $40 billion annually in local revenue.
- Statewide average effective rate: Roughly 0.89% of taxable value — meaning a $400,000 Hillsborough County home pays around $3,500 per year in combined county, school, and special district taxes today.
- Hillsborough County share: Property tax is the single largest source of local revenue. Replacing it would require a state-level alternative — typically a higher state sales tax, a new state income tax (which Florida’s constitution prohibits), expanded service taxes, or some combination.
The proposal is genuinely transformative, and it is also genuinely complex. The political appeal is real: a typical Hillsborough County homeowner saves thousands of dollars per year. The fiscal challenge is also real: $40 billion of replacement revenue has to come from somewhere.
Florida Homestead Exemption: What Every Homeowner Should Know Right Now
Whether or not the elimination proposal advances, Florida’s existing homeowner protections are some of the strongest in the country. Every primary-residence homeowner in FL-14 should make sure they are taking full advantage of them.
The Florida homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 from the taxable value of a primary residence. The first $25,000 applies to all property tax authorities (county, school, special districts). The second $25,000 applies to non-school taxes only. For a Hillsborough County homeowner with a $400,000 home, that means roughly $50,000 of taxable value is removed before any rate is applied — saving several hundred dollars per year.
To claim the homestead exemption:
- Be the legal owner of the property as of January 1 of the tax year.
- Use the property as your permanent primary residence.
- File the homestead application with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser by March 1.
Once granted, the exemption renews automatically each year — but if you change residences, you must refile. This is one of the most under-claimed protections in Hillsborough County. If your home is your primary residence and you have not filed for homestead, you are leaving real money on the table.
Save Our Homes: The Cap That Protects Long-Term Hillsborough Homeowners
The Save Our Homes (SOH) constitutional amendment limits how much the assessed value of a homesteaded property can rise in a single year — to 3% or the Consumer Price Index increase, whichever is lower.
Why this matters for FL-14: Hillsborough County home values have surged over the last five years. Without SOH, a homeowner’s tax bill would have followed the market price — a doubling or near-doubling for many properties since 2019. SOH means the assessed value most homeowners are taxed on grows at most 3% per year, even when the underlying market value is rising 10–15% annually.
Save Our Homes portability is the part most homeowners miss. If you sell a homesteaded property and buy a new primary residence in Florida within three tax years, you can transfer up to $500,000 of the SOH benefit to the new home. For long-term Hillsborough County homeowners moving from a smaller home to a larger one — or even downsizing — portability is one of the most valuable provisions in Florida property tax law.
The SALT Deduction Cap and What It Costs Florida Homeowners
The federal piece of this story is the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction cap, which limits the total amount of state and local taxes — including property taxes — that any household can deduct on their federal return to $10,000 per household, regardless of filing status.
The SALT cap has hit Florida homeowners harder than people often realize. Even though Florida has no state income tax, Hillsborough County homeowners with property taxes that exceed $10,000 — increasingly common as home values rise — are losing the federal deduction on every dollar above the cap.
For a $700,000 Hillsborough County home, the property tax bill can easily exceed $7,000 per year. Add in vehicle registration fees and other deductible state and local taxes and many FL-14 households are bumping up against or exceeding the $10,000 cap.
This is the piece Congress can fix. Property tax policy is set in Tallahassee. The SALT cap is set in Washington. Eliminating or substantially raising the SALT cap would deliver immediate federal tax relief to Hillsborough County homeowners — without requiring any change to state law.
What Property Tax Elimination Would Mean for Hillsborough County
If the elimination proposal advances, Hillsborough County would face a transformative shift in how local services are funded.
The most likely revenue replacement scenarios:
- Higher state sales tax. Florida’s current 6% state sales tax could rise meaningfully. For a working-class FL-14 family that spends most of its income on taxable goods, this is a regressive shift compared to property taxes — which homeowners pay but renters do not pay directly.
- Expanded service taxes. Florida currently exempts most services from sales tax. Bringing services into the tax base — legal, accounting, repair, professional services — would broaden the base without raising the headline rate as much.
- New excise or transaction taxes. Tourism-heavy Florida already collects substantial revenue from rental car surcharges, hotel taxes, and tourism development levies. Expansion is on the menu.
- Reduced local government services. Without a full revenue replacement, Hillsborough County would have to cut public-school funding, fire and police staffing, library hours, and parks budgets.
Each of those shifts has real winners and real losers in FL-14. A homeowner saving $4,000 in property tax wins. A renter who now pays a higher sales tax on every grocery and household purchase loses. The honest debate is whether the trade is worth it — and that is the conversation Florida voters are about to have.
What Congress Can Do — and John Peters’ Position
Property taxes themselves are state and local. But the federal interactions — SALT, mortgage interest deduction, capital gains on home sales, and disaster-related tax provisions for hurricane-affected Hillsborough County properties — are squarely in Congress’s lane.
John Peters’ positions:
- Repeal or substantially raise the SALT deduction cap. A $10,000 cap that has not been adjusted for inflation since 2018 is a hidden tax increase on Hillsborough County homeowners. The federal government should not punish states for funding their own local services.
- Defend the mortgage interest deduction for primary residences against repeal proposals that would destabilize Hillsborough County’s housing market.
- Preserve casualty-loss deductions for hurricane and storm damage. Hillsborough County homeowners face real exposure; the tax code should reflect that. Pair this with our hurricane preparedness analysis and the insurance crisis analysis.
- Respect Florida’s authority to set its own property tax policy. Whether Florida eliminates property taxes or keeps the existing system, that is a state and local decision. Washington’s role is to fix the federal tax interactions that hurt Florida homeowners — not to preempt state policy.
After nine terms — eighteen years — Kathy Castor has not delivered on the SALT cap fix that would put real money back in Hillsborough County homeowners’ pockets. FL-14 deserves a representative whose fight in Washington matches the priorities of homeowners back home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Florida eliminate property taxes?
Florida is actively debating elimination, championed by Governor DeSantis. As of 2026 it remains a proposal, not enacted law. Eliminating property taxes statewide would replace approximately $40 billion of annual local revenue, which would require a constitutional amendment and a replacement revenue plan — typically a higher state sales tax, expanded service taxes, or some combination. The debate is real and FL-14 homeowners should engage with it.
What is the Florida homestead exemption?
The Florida homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 from the taxable value of a primary residence. The first $25,000 applies to all property tax authorities. The second $25,000 applies to non-school taxes only. To claim it, you must be the legal owner of the home as of January 1 of the tax year, use the property as your permanent primary residence, and file the application with the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser by March 1.
What is the SALT deduction and how does it affect Florida homeowners?
The State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction allows households to deduct state and local taxes — including property taxes — on their federal return. Since 2018, that deduction has been capped at $10,000 per household. Hillsborough County homeowners with higher-value homes are increasingly hitting or exceeding the cap, losing federal deductibility on every dollar of property tax above $10,000. Repealing or substantially raising the SALT cap is the single biggest federal property-tax fix Congress can deliver to FL-14 homeowners.
How much are property taxes in Hillsborough County?
Florida’s statewide average effective property tax rate is approximately 0.89% of taxable value. For a $400,000 Hillsborough County home with the homestead exemption applied, the annual property tax bill is roughly $3,500 in combined county, school, and special-district taxes. Actual bills vary based on jurisdiction, special-assessment districts, and improvements to the property.
What is Save Our Homes and how does it protect Florida homeowners?
Save Our Homes (SOH) is a Florida constitutional amendment that limits annual increases in the assessed value of a homesteaded primary residence to 3% or the Consumer Price Index increase, whichever is lower. SOH is the reason long-term Hillsborough County homeowners have been protected from the full force of recent home-price increases on their tax bills. SOH portability also lets homeowners transfer up to $500,000 of accumulated SOH benefit to a new primary residence in Florida if they move within three tax years.
Stand for FL-14 homeowners
Property tax policy is layered. Tallahassee debates elimination. Washington sets the SALT cap. Hillsborough County administers the homestead exemption and the local rates. FL-14 homeowners deserve a representative who understands all three layers — and who will fight the federal piece, because the federal piece is the one Congress controls.
Donate to John Peters’ campaign or contact the campaign. See John’s full positions on economic growth and the issues that matter most to FL-14.