False Premises and Reporting on Florida’s Proposed Property Tax Relief – Top 3 Takeaways – June 17th, 2026

Takeaway #1: How can you lose something you never had?

Day after day we’re subjected to the GSS Newsers efforts to attempt to misinform, confuse and at times outright lie to you about what Florida’s proposed property tax amendment would and wouldn’t do. I had people come to me with three examples of this alone yesterday – and it’s also a topic I’ll also be addressing once again in today’s Q&A. Stories like this flowed from the News Service of Florida (distributed to news organizations across the state) - headline: $5 billion first-year hit: Florida economists detail local revenue losses under proposed tax cuts. The first line of the story reads like this... If voters approve the property tax cut on the November ballot, cities, counties and special taxing districts will lose nearly $5 billion the first year, and nearly $12 billion in the fifth year, according to projections developed by state economists Friday. The only thing the story was missing was the Don Don Don... sound effect. Now I’m sure that you get up and go to work every day hoping to ensure that cities, counties and special taxing districts get every possible dollar they can possibility tax out of you. If that doesn’t motivate you, what will? More than that though...my question is this? Who’s money is it? In typical GSS News style – the “reporting” of the news automatically assumes that the money you earn belongs to governments as opposed to you. To be clear, governments can’t “lose” something that they never had in the first place. This statewide reported story is the perfect example of the false premise that’s automatically assumed by those who align themselves with the interests of local governments as opposed to what’s in the best interest of you. As I’ve shared with you ...

Takeaway #2: there’s zero justification for the level of local taxation that’s taken place...

and there’s no reason why local taxing authorities can’t live within their means the same as you and me. As a quick refresher, since 2000, the population statewide has increased by 116%, while local tax collections have increased by 370%. In Palm Beach County, over the past decade, local tax collections have increased by 77% more than population growth, and the county, and the typical taxing authority within it, could operate on a fully population and inflation adjusted basis the way it did in 2019 – if we completely eliminated homesteaded property taxes which isn’t currently planned even if the amendment passes. As Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia said while in Boca yesterday: Palm Beach County is just drowning in excessive and wasteful spending. The only reason why they got that extra money is because property values started spiking. Government took all of that extra money and just spent it. Specifically, Ingoglia outlined how PBC’s population growth over the past six years was 5.11%, inflation was 25.4% and yet the county’s budget grew by 65.26%. In case you’re not good at math, that means PBC’s budget has grown at double the rate of population plus inflation and an additional 14% beyond that... Then you have misleading stories like WPTV’s recent piece: Florida homestead exemption expansion could shift tax burden to renters, critics warn. Similar to the approach from the News Service of Florida story – it’s positioned as though governments are set to lose money; they’re not entitled to and that you’ve not earned yet. It reads like this: A recent analysis from the Florida Policy Institute estimates Martin County alone could lose more than $67 million if the proposed homestead expansion passes. Statewide, that same study estimates local governments could lose nearly $4.8 billion if voters approve the amendment in November. It then continues with this: At Habitat for Humanity of Martin County, Executive Director Mike Readling says he's seeing an uptick in people seeking help with rent and bills, 95% of whom he says are renters. Readling says the proposed tax cut would do little for the people his organization serves. "The demographic that we're working with and Habitat for Humanity tries to help — it's not going to help them at all," Readling said. There’s only one problem with that statement... It’s demonstrably untrue. While we don’t know what the future of property tax assessments will show in Florida, and in Martin County specifically, we do know what they’ve been. Since 2020 – over the prior five years, the average non-homesteaded property tax assessment has increased by a whopping 88% in Martin County – for an annual increase of over 13% per year. As a result, the average property tax bill for landlords has increased by the state’s current limit of 10% per year. Positioned within the proposed amendment is an annualized cap of 5% per year for landlords of non-homesteaded properties. Let’s say, for example, that the 5% cap had been in place for the entire decade to date. What would the difference in property taxes for landlords, that are then passed onto renters, be?

Takeaway #3: The average savings for those renting a home would be $115 per month.

With savings at the low-end totaling $30 per month for affordable 1-1 apartments, to savings averaging $135 per month for the average family in Martin County renting a single-family home. The median renter would save $82.50 per month or $990 per year. In response to Mr. Readling, I’d think that the average person/family seeking assistance from Habitat would find that to be helpful. It is worth mentioning that near the end of the WPTV story the 5% cap potentially providing relief is mentioned...but buried behind the leading narrative. And so, these are examples of misplaced priorities and/or misinformation that are commonly being spread. Local governments and their allies in GSS News think they’re entitled to your money and that they can spend it better than you. The false premise of governments “losing revenue” and misinformation flow that’s underway is all part of what must also be overcome in order for the proposal on November’s ballot to receive the 60% to pass. The effort by those to defeat it has also only just begun. There’s surely going to be much more to come.

The Brian Mudd Show