{"id":1226,"date":"2026-06-01T16:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1226"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:01:16","slug":"south-florida-schools-would-lose-1b-under-desantis-tax-plan-analysis-finds-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1226","title":{"rendered":"South Florida schools would lose $1b under DeSantis\u2019 tax plan, analysis finds"},"content":{"rendered":"
Tallahassee<\/span><\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 sweeping property tax relief proposal could leave public school districts facing billions in lost local revenue with no guaranteed replacement funding.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018He is Columbus\u2019: The Shark is retiring \u2014 and students say he made them leaders<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While the Republican governor has pitched his plan as a path toward giving property tax relief to 92% of homesteaded Floridians, lawmakers and Senate staff say the constitutional amendment language released last week does not exempt public schools from financial impact.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way I\u2019ve read the governor\u2019s proposal \u2026 there are no carveouts for education,\u201d said State Sen. Don Gaetz, a Panhandle Republican and former Senate president. \u201cWe can\u2019t find them.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to Gaetz, the Senate Committee on Finance and Tax confirmed that school districts will be treated the same as municipalities and counties under the governor\u2019s property tax proposal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That interpretation could have enormous implications for Florida\u2019s public schools, which rely heavily on local property taxes to fund day-to-day operations and are already facing competition from charter school operators. In South Florida, declining enrollment and revenues have already led to school closures and staffing cuts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

READ MORE: Contradictions and confusion: Questions surround DeSantis\u2019 property tax plan<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DeSantis\u2019 proposal \u2014 which the Legislature is taking up this week during a three-day special session \u2014 would eventually raise Florida\u2019s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000, dramatically shrinking the taxable value of owner-occupied homes across the state. If approved by voters this November, the amendment would also authorize local governments and school districts to exempt even more property value from taxation in future years.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DeSantis has said 92% of homesteaded Floridians would eventually pay no property taxes under his proposal.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What the administration has not explained is how school districts would replace the lost revenue.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Big losses projected<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

A new analysis by the non-partisan Florida Policy Institute estimates that raising the homestead exemption to $250,000 would reduce annual school district property tax revenue by roughly $5 billion statewide. If lawmakers ultimately move toward the broader goal of eliminating property taxes on homesteaded properties altogether, annual school district losses could reach nearly $8.6 billion, according to the organization, which describes itself as non-partisan.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The analysis found that every school district in Florida would experience revenue reductions, though the impact would vary significantly by county depending on property values and the share of homes receiving homestead exemptions.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The losses would impact South Florida particularly hard. According to the analysis, Miami-Dade County Public Schools would lose over $500 million in annual revenue under a $250,000 homestead exemption, and $1 billion per year if property taxes are fully eliminated. Broward County Public Schools would lose $473.8 million annually under a $250,000 exemption, and $875 million per year under a full property tax elimination.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for Broward County Public Schools, John J. Sullivan, projected lower revenue losses for the district; roughly $293.1 annually under the $250,000 exemption and $803 million per year under a full elimination. But he still signaled concern that the governor\u2019s proposal would undercut Broward schools\u2019 services, and noted that the district made a $100 million budget cut for the upcoming school year to address financial issues.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are critical funds that support teachers, school safety, academic programs and essential student services,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWe remain hopeful the Legislature will exclude public schools from any expanded homestead exemption proposal, as it has consistently demonstrated support for public education, most recently through funding for districts experiencing declining enrollment.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In a statement on Monday, the Miami-Dade school district said it was still reviewing the governor\u2019s proposal, and that it \u201cappreciated\u201d a proposal approved by the Florida House in February that exempted education funding from property tax eliminations.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

READ MORE: There\u2019s a way to see what DeSantis\u2019 tax plan might save you. Here\u2019s what to know<\/b><\/p>\n

Read more Sunday\u2019s major lottery winners came from a Miami Publix and big-box store<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2018This mess will be in somebody else\u2019s hands\u2019<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

State Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat, voiced concerns about the governor\u2019s proposal, arguing that voters could focus on the prospect of lower tax bills without fully understanding the consequences for local services.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think my colleagues are in a position to vote for something that we know, when it reaches the voters, could be misinterpreted,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to see it as being a cost saver, but not realizing that there are greater implications on the other end.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jones added that local governments have warned that losing billions of dollars in property tax revenue could ultimately affect schools, fire rescue services, parks and other local programs. He also noted that many of the practical consequences of the proposal would likely fall to future governors and legislatures to manage.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen and if this goes into place, Governor DeSantis will no longer be the governor,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThis mess will be in somebody else\u2019s hands, and the Legislature\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office did not respond to questions on Thursday about the fiscal impact on school districts, whether the state would guarantee replacement funding and how much local education revenue could evaporate across the state\u2019s 67 counties.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The constitutional amendment does not establish a dedicated mechanism to offset potential school district losses.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t speak for the governor, but one of the things that has been said is that if there are school districts that can\u2019t make it, there\u2019s a possibility of backfilling with some state funding, but that\u2019s an entirely separate matter,\u201d Gaetz said. \u201cThat\u2019s not included in the constitutional amendment as I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Instead, lawmakers would be left to sort out the consequences later.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the constitutional amendment passes, then there will have to be implementing legislation that will be taken up in the 2027 and 2028 legislative sessions,\u201d Gaetz said. \u201cI think that\u2019s when you would work out: Are there shortfalls? Where are the shortfalls? And what are we going to do as a state, if anything, about the shortfalls?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The comments underscore the unusual structure of the proposal: voters could approve a massive constitutional overhaul before the state fully determines how to pay for its effects.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

School districts are especially exposed because property taxes are one of the few major local revenue sources available to them. Districts use those dollars to fund teacher salaries, transportation, maintenance, security, utilities and other operating expenses.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If the tax base shrinks significantly, districts could eventually face pressure to cut spending, seek higher millage rates in other areas or rely more heavily on annual appropriations from Tallahassee.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That could fundamentally shift power over school funding from local communities to the state Legislature.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The uncertainty also creates difficult planning questions for districts preparing future budgets. Because the amendment would not take effect immediately, lawmakers would spend the next several years determining how aggressively to implement the tax reductions and whether to replace lost local revenue with state dollars.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Gaetz said many of those details are unlikely to be resolved during next week\u2019s special session.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the fine-tuning of that will be discussed on the floor on Monday and Tuesday,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I can be wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Meet Austin Horn, the Miami Herald\u2019s new education reporter<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 11:28 AM.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Raising Florida\u2019s homestead exemption to $250,000 may reduce local school revenue by billions, hitting Miami-Dade and Broward hard and shifting funding decisions to Tallahassee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Florida schools would lose $1b under DeSantis\u2019 tax plan, analysis finds - Florida Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1226\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Florida schools would lose $1b under DeSantis\u2019 tax plan, analysis finds - 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