Governor's Property Tax Rebate Plan: Key Details

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a proposal to deliver immediate property tax relief to the state's homeowners through one-time rebates averaging $1,000 per homesteaded property. The plan, announced on March 31, 2025, was designed to target state-mandated school property taxes while preserving full funding for Florida school districts.

Who Would Qualify

The proposal was aimed squarely at homesteaded properties — primary residences where owners have filed for Florida's homestead exemption. More than 5.1 million homesteaded properties across the state would have been eligible. Investment properties, second homes, and rentals without a homestead exemption were not part of the rebate.

How Much and When

Under the plan, each qualifying homesteaded property would receive approximately $1,000, regardless of the home's assessed value or local millage rate. That means the rebate would deliver proportionally more relief to lower-valued homes. Checks were targeted to go out in December 2025, timed to land during the holiday season and ahead of the following year's tax bills.

What the Rebate Would Cover

The rebate specifically offsets the school-tax portion of a Florida property tax bill — the component set by the state rather than by counties, cities, or special districts. Because the state would reimburse that share directly, school districts would continue to receive their full funding, and local governments would see no change to their own levies.

Cost and Funding

With roughly 5.1 million eligible homesteads at $1,000 apiece, the proposal carried an estimated price tag in the neighborhood of $5 billion. DeSantis pitched the program as a one-time, state-funded payment drawn from Florida's budget surplus, not as a permanent change to the property tax structure.

Part of a Larger Push

The governor framed the rebate as a down payment on a broader long-term goal: eliminating Florida property taxes altogether through a future constitutional amendment. Any such repeal would require approval by Florida voters and a plan to replace the revenue that local governments and school districts currently rely on.

Legislative Outcome

The rebate needed legislative approval to move forward. During the 2025 session, the Florida Legislature declined to advance the $1,000 rebate plan and instead pursued a reduction in the state sales tax rate as its primary tax-relief vehicle. As a result, the rebate checks envisioned for December 2025 did not materialize in the form DeSantis originally proposed, though property tax reform remains an active topic heading into subsequent sessions.

What Homeowners Should Watch

Florida homeowners who had been counting on the rebate should keep an eye on three things: any revived rebate proposal in the next legislative session, progress on a potential constitutional amendment to cap or eliminate homesteaded property taxes, and updates to the existing homestead exemption and Save Our Homes assessment cap — the two programs that currently provide the bulk of ongoing property tax relief for Florida primary residences.