Florida lawmakers are set to return to Tallahassee as the legislative session gets underway. On Tuesday, lawmakers will hear Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address before they begin debating 1,000 bills filed and voting on next year’s budget. One of the items that is on the minds of many voters and their state representative: property taxes. These taxes fund local government programs and public schools. DeSantis has been pushing lawmakers to address Floridians’ property taxes on their primary or homestead properties. Under this proposal, vacation homes or properties used as Airbnb would not qualify. “I would love not to have to pay property taxes ever again. I don’t see that necessarily as one of the realistic options that we’re going to be considering this year,” said Florida State Rep. Tom Fabricio. We had a lot of discussions and had a lot of questions about the implications of various property tax reform proposals. I’m looking forward to hopefully addressing affordability issues,” said Florida State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky. One of the proposals being discussed would boost the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $200,000, but would not affect school budgets and would limit impacts on police and fire departments. Homeowners would be required to carry insurance. “So that would basically reduce property taxes for those homeowners, which would be a good portion of the folks who live in their homes,” said Fabricio. “I know it’s important to provide relief for our property owners, but it also has to be in a way that is fair for everybody,” said Hunschofsky. But no matter which path lawmakers decide to take, the issue will ultimately be in voters’ hands. “Statewide for taxpayers, it is a home run. My guess is that it would pass with more than 70-72 percent on the ballot because it is much, much needed,” said State Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. However, the Florida League of Cities said the change could cost local governments around $8 billion a year. They say that money lost goes for services like local transportation, water and sewer, parks, and libraries. Immigration is also likely to continue to dominate the agenda. Ingoglia is advocating for new rules to ban undocumented migrants from benefits such as workers’ compensation and to push the costs onto employers. Democrats, meanwhile, want to limit the governor’s ongoing immigration state of emergency, which they say is based on old information. They also want to create a database of those migrants incarcerated in state sites such as “Alligator Alcatraz.” “If we have a problem with immigration in Florida, it should be done on a policy basis, and that’s where it should be happening. Not through emergency orders where there are no checks and balances, there’s nothing,” said Florida State Sen. Lori Berman. Expect also to see lawmakers moving on bills to regulate artificial intelligence, boost funding for rural areas, further restrict abortion access, repeal a law prohibiting those under 21 from buying rifles and long guns, and remove the registration decal (yellow sticker) on a license plate. “I like to say that this isn’t red tape, this is yellow tape, and we’re looking to cut it,” said Fabricio. DeSantis is also calling on lawmakers to return for a special session in the spring after the legislative session to tackle redistricting. “Our population has changed so much in the last four or five years. We need to get apportioned properly,” he said. But democrats say the redrawing of the lines is a way for Republicans to consolidate power. “People should pick their politicians. Politicians should not pick their people. Florida’s government should not be rigging elections,” said Leader Fentrice Driskell. But overall, one big theme that will play out over the next 60 days of the session: affordability. “Affordability issues and issues that protect our people and our community. Every time we say we know what’s going to happen, things change, and it’s always expect the unexpected,” said Hunschofsky. The legislative session kicks off Tuesday morning. ...read more read less