Daniel Perez names members of property tax relief committee

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/4/25-Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, during the opening day of the 2025 Legislative Session, Tuesday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

House Speaker Daniel Perez has named the 37 lawmakers — 27 Republicans and 10 Democrats — who will serve on a committee to help lead the charge on property tax relief ahead of the 2026 Session.

Perez launched the committee this week, criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis for not proposing specifics on how to provide property tax relief.

“It’s my intention to pass our House property tax plan during the first week of the 2026 Session,” Perez said.

Leading the committee will be Republican Reps. Vicki Lopez and Toby Overdorf.

Other Republicans on the committee are Reps. Shane Abbott, Jon Albert, Doug Bankson, Yvette Benarroch, Dean Black, Robert Brackett, Hillary Cassel, Ryan Chamberlin, Bill Conerly, Richard Gentry, Karen Gonzalez Pittman, Griff Griffitts, Jeff Holcomb, Berny Jacques, Patt Maney, Monique Miller, Jim Mooney, Danny Nix, Michael Owen, Juan Porras, Mike Redondo, Judson Sapp, Paula Stark, Chase Tramont and Meg Weinberger.

The Democrats on the committee will be Reps. Jervonte Edmonds, Anna Eskamani, Gallop Franklin, Mike Gottlieb, Dianne Hart, Christine Hunschofsky, Michele Rayner, Allison Tant, Debra Tendrich and Marie Woodson.

Perez said the committee will meet through the Spring, Summer and Fall and will look at five proposals the House Speaker said will be a “springboard” for the discussion.

The proposals are:

— Requiring every city, county and special district to hold a referendum on the elimination of property taxes, to drive an “honest conversation” about services.

— A $500,000 homestead property exemption for non-school property taxes, with an increase to $1 million for senior citizens and those with a Florida homestead for at least three decades.

— Allowing the Legislature to raise homestead exemption by statute as a workaround for referendums.

— Changing the homestead exemption cap from 3% a year to 3% every three years, and reducing the non-homestead level from 10% annually to 15% every three years could, Perez said, provide stability in tax payments and slow local governmental growth.

— Banning government from foreclosing for unpaid taxes.

___

A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics contributed to this report.