Senate's pitch on tax reform melds elements of House, DeSantis plans
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The Florida Senate unveiled its tax relief package — an attempt to broker peace in the escalating war between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state House.
Why it matters: The compromise offers plenty — but little of what made the governor's or the state House's plans so appealing: no $1,000 tax rebate and no permanent, across-the-board cut to the sales tax.
Catch up quick: House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami) proposed a sales tax trim from 6% to 5.25% — a move that could save taxpayers $5 billion a year and even garnered support from Democrats.
- DeSantis would rather end property taxes via a 2026 ballot measure and, meanwhile, pitches a $1,000 tax rebate to provide immediate relief for homeowners.
Zoom in: The state Senate wants to eliminate sales tax on clothing and shoes priced at $75 or less, which is intended to help parents with "growing kids and teenagers," as well as seniors.
- It'd also extend the freeze on local communication service taxes for cell phones and television through 2031 while renewing sales tax holidays for back-to-school supplies, disaster preparedness and more.
- The relief package offers tax credits to Florida businesses that support charities housing families of critically ill children during travel for medical care, according to a memo.
- The state Senate would also commission a study on eliminating property taxes to inform a potential constitutional amendment for the 2026 ballot, with findings due November 2025.
What they're saying: The package "encompasses an 'all of the above' approach to broad-based tax relief, balancing key priorities announced by DeSantis and the Florida House in a targeted manner," the memo says.
- "Our constitution delegates matters of property tax to the voters for a reason," it adds. "I believe the best course of action is to present the voters with a comprehensive amendment."
- "For that reason, I believe we should seriously think about pausing other Joint Resolutions on property taxes for the remainder of the 2025 Regular Session."
What we're watching: Whether the Senate plan can break through the House vs. DeSantis standoff.
- "If you're going to do sales tax, I think I agree with the president of the Senate, [Ben] Albritton," DeSantis said at a press conference Thursday. "If you're going to do sales tax, target it to things that are going to benefit Floridians."
- Perez has not yet publicly commented on the proposal.