Property Tax Relief Unlikely to Pass, Northwest Florida Lawmaker Says

Tallahassee, FL -- A Northwest Florida state representative says he's not optimistic about property tax relief passing this year, despite personally supporting it.

State Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, says he wants to put a property tax proposal on the November ballot but doubts it will get the 60 percent supermajority required to pass a constitutional amendment in Florida.

"I don't like that we have to rent our property from the government, but I think it's really tough right now in this climate, especially if we're not unified between the legislature and the governor's office, to see anything getting 60 percent on the ballot in November this year," Andrade said.

Andrade, who chairs the House Healthcare Budget Committee, says he's sensing a shift in public sentiment around the issue.

"More and more folks are kind of not souring on the idea of a property tax proposal, but they're either realizing the revenue has to come from somewhere else, or they're realizing that anything that gets on the ballot is likely to fail," he said.

Property tax relief has been a major topic of discussion in Tallahassee, with local governments watching closely. Counties and cities rely heavily on property tax revenue to fund services, and any reduction would require cuts or alternative funding sources.

Despite his doubts, Andrade says he still wants voters to have their say.

"I'm a little bit bearish on the idea that we're going to actually have property tax relief, even though I want it," he said. "I think we're going to put something on the ballot. I just don't think anything's going to pass."