Rep. Ryan Chamberlin reaffirmed his push to phase out property taxes in Florida on Wednesday, outlining a slate of legislative proposals aimed at curbing ad valorem taxation while laying the groundwork for a broader restructuring of state and local revenue systems.
Speaking at the Florida State Capitol, Chamberlin detailed the provisions of House Joint Resolution 357, which seeks to amend the state constitution to establish a $100,000 exemption applicable to all real property, extending beyond existing homestead exemptions. If approved by the Legislature, the measure would require voter ratification and take effect in 2027. House Bill 359, a companion bill, would implement the exemption contingent upon the amendment’s passage.
“Under the current system of property taxation, no one ever owns their own property,” Chamberlin compelled. “They just lease it from government. Think about it. If you can’t pay the property taxes on your home, family farm, or small business warehouse, your property will be seized by the state and given to someone else. This isn’t a tax. It’s slavery.”
In a parallel effort to constrain local tax collections, Chamberlin also highlighted House Bill 787, which he filed last month. The measure would cap annual property tax revenue growth at 2% and stipulates that revenue collected beyond that threshold would be redistributed to taxpayers in the form of rebates or allocated toward debt reduction.
Chamberlin framed the initiative as a response to what he described as a system that precludes full property ownership by enabling government seizure in cases of nonpayment. He further criticized the practice of assessing taxes based on projected market values rather than realized sales, arguing that it results in taxation on unrealized gains.
“Our property tax system is unfair. Property taxes are collected on unrealized gains. These taxes aren’t collected on the actual value of a property when it is sold but on what some local government bureaucrat thinks it might be worth if you sold it right now. It’s time that we stop this nonsense,” he said.
The legislative effort builds upon a measure Chamberlin introduced in 2024 seeking funding for a feasibility study on eliminating property taxes. The latest proposals are backed by Republican lawmakers, including Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, who is collaborating with Chamberlin on the exemption plan, and Sen. Jay Collins, who is co-sponsoring the revenue cap legislation.
Chamberlin acknowledged that a complete phaseout of property taxes would take several years and said discussions are ongoing regarding alternative revenue mechanisms, including a combination of government spending reductions, consumption-based taxes, and transaction-based fees. He also noted that any transition plan would account for the fiscal needs of local governments, particularly in rural counties and school districts.