2026 Legislative Updates

Florida is moving closer to reshaping how property taxes impact homeowners, with proposals aimed at reducing the burden on residents. During Legislative Committee weeks in October and November, the House Select Committee on Property Taxes approved seven constitutional amendments and one bill as part of its agenda for the 2026 legislative session, setting the stage for a debate on the future of personal property taxes for all Florida residents. On Jan. 13, House Speaker Danny Perez made the announcement that the House would send only one constitutional amendment to the Senate. Senate Pres. Ben Albritton has not declared his preferred path to Senate consideration, while DeSantis has indicated he may call a special session in the spring dedicated solely to hammering out a constitutional amendment for the November ballot.

These measures are under consideration and could be included on the November ballot:

• HJR 201: Proposes full elimination of non-school property taxes for homestead properties while preserving funding for school districts. Prevents municipalities from reducing law enforcement budgets.
• HJR 203: Similar to HJR 201 but implements a gradual phase-out, increasing the exemption by $100,000 annually over 10 years.
• HJR 205: Exempts homeowners age 65 and up from non-school property taxes. Preserves law enforcement funding.
• HJR 207: Introduces a homestead exemption for non-school levies equal to 25% of the assessed value after existing exemptions. Protects police budgets.
• HJR 209: Focuses on homesteads with property insurance, increasing existing exemptions by $100,000. Safeguards school levies and law enforcement funding.
• HJR 211: Expands portability of Save Our Homes benefit, allowing homeowners to transfer increased exemptions to new homesteads, excluding school taxes but maintaining police funding.
• HJR 213: Caps all property assessment increases at 3% per year or based on the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower, including school levies but excluding law enforcement funding.
• HB 215: Revises Save Our Homes portability benefits for newly married couples and requires a two-thirds vote by local governments to approve millage rate increases. Unlike the constitutional amendments, HB 215 would not need voter approval.

All these proposals would exclude taxes that fund K-12 schools and would ban local governments from cutting funding to law enforcement.

Why this matters: Personal property taxes have risen dramatically in recent years, creating a public backlash and calls for their reduction or elimination. A report from the Florida Association of Counties outlines potential revenue shortfalls for Florida’s 67 counties should homesteaded property taxes be reduced or eliminated. For the business community, however, a reduction of personal property taxes could lead to an increase in commercial property taxes to cover the shortfall; the Chamber will continue to advocate for legislation that provides the most favorable outcome for the business community.

What you can do: Learn about the potential effects of personal property tax reductions on your business and services from the county that might be reduced or eliminated. Review the St. Johns County 2026 budget to see what this means locally.

The proposed 2026 property insurance reforms focus on affordability and aim to stabilize costs. These are some of the key bills to watch:

• SB 30 – Rate caps
• SB 78 – Tax breaks for resilient doors/windows
• HB 815 – Roofing protections
• SB 234 – Increased scrutiny of insurer affiliate profits

Additionally, Citizens Property Insurance reduced rates for the first time since 2015 as reforms begin showing results, though challenges remain.

Why this matters: Continuing reform of the state’s insurance laws could result in lower premiums for individuals and businesses. High insurance premiums for businesses divert resources from hiring workers and making upgrades, and can reduce profitability. Recent changes in Florida’s insurance laws have benefited small and medium-sized businesses by stabilizing and in some cases lowering rates.

What you can do: Contact the county’s legislative delegation and let them know why your business will benefit from lower insurance premiums and how this will have a positive effect on the county’s economy.

Current Florida law requires anyone owning tangible personal property (such as furniture, tools, machinery, and office supplies) for business or income-producing purposes to file an annual tax return by April 1. TPP tax rates are overseen and enforced by county governments; the tax is calculated using the assessed value placed on the property by the property appraiser and the appropriate millage rate. Several TPP-related bills have been introduced for consideration in the current legislative session:

• HB 1277 – Amends state law to prohibit counties, school districts, and municipalities from levying ad valorem taxes on tangible personal property. Removes statutory procedures related to TPP tax returns, assessments, exemptions, and related administrative provisions. Acts as enabling statutory law that aligns with a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban such taxes. Takes effect when the companion constitutional amendment (HJR 1275/SJR 550) becomes effective.
• SB 552  – This Senate legislation has the same core goal as HB 1277: to conform Florida statutes to a constitutional ban on ad valorem taxation of tangible personal property. Repeals various statutory sections tied to TPP assessment, returns, exemptions, and enforcement.
• SJR 550 – Constitutional amendment that would prohibit counties, school districts, and municipalities from levying ad valorem taxes on tangible personal property. Proposed effective date for the amendment if approved by voters would be Jan. 1, 2027. If passed by the Legislature and approved by 60% of voters in the 2026 general election, this would permanently remove local property tax authority over TPP.

Why this matters: Lower taxes result in more financial resources available for businesses to pay for new hiring, upgrades, inventory and business expansion.

What you can do: Contact the county’s legislative delegation and let them know why your business will benefit from lower TPP taxes and how this will have a positive effect on the county’s economy.

Visit Florida is the state’s tourism promotion agency and over the last eight years has seen numerous efforts to cut its budget and is only authorized to operate through 2028. Last year, Visit Florida was fully funded at $80 million, with the same level of funding proposed for 2026. Full funding for Visit Florida is a key priority of the Chamber’s legislative agenda, as well as authorization for the agency to operate permanently. The Chamber also strongly opposes any effort to divert local tourist tax revenue or to fund non-tourism related initiatives.

Why this matters: Tourism and hospitality is St. Johns County’s largest segment of employment and revenue and is vital to the economic well-being of the region. Maintaining a strong tourism promotion program at the state level supports local economies like St. Johns County by bringing out-of-area tourist dollars into the county.

What you can do: Contact the county’s legislative delegation to voice your support for Visit Florida and encourage them to approve for full funding and permanent authorization. You can also contact Visit Florida to share your support for their mission and learn about other ways to support the agency. Longtime Chamber member Philip McDaniel of St. Augustine Distillery serves on Visit Florida’s board of directors, ensuring local interests are represented at the state level.

In 2025, $1 million was appropriated for the Black History Museum to be located in St. Augustine. For 2026, Sen. Tom Leek filed a new bill to establish the official framework for the Florida Museum of Black History in St. Johns County, create a board of directors and outline governance. The bill seeks to solidify the museum's location on the former Florida Memorial University site and move forward with its construction and operation, a key step after a task force recommended the St. Augustine area.

Why this matters: St. Augustine plays a key role in Black history in Florida and offers easy access to many meaningful historic sites like Fort Mose, Butler Beach, the Lincolnville neighborhood and more. The museum highlights St. Augustine’s diversity and rich history as the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental U.S., and will provide an additional source of tourism revenue for the county.

What you can do: Contact Sen. Leek and the other members of the legislative delegation urging their strong support for this legislation.