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Gov. DeSantis details proposal to eliminate Florida property taxes; Jacksonville councilmembers divided

Gov. Ron DeSantis is expanding on his plan to eliminate property taxes in Florida — a proposal that is drawing mixed reactions from Jacksonville city council members.

DeSantis outlined the concept during an appearance on Fox & Friends, saying the plan would apply only to homesteaded properties. Families’ second homes, investment properties and vacation rentals would continue to be taxed.

The governor said counties could make up for the lost revenue by relying on the state’s budget surplus, which state economists project will total nearly $4 billion next year.

One of the key concerns raised by critics is how counties would continue to fund core services — including law enforcement, fire departments and public schools — without property tax revenue, which is currently the largest source of income for local governments.

Jacksonville officials respond

News4JAX contacted Jacksonville City Council members to gauge their reaction to the governor’s proposal. Their responses varied widely:

House expands paid parental leave for employees, Daniel Perez says

The House is expanding its paid parental leave policy when employees have a baby or adopt a child, House Speaker Daniel Perez announced.

The policy takes effect immediately and applies retroactively for parents who took leave from Nov. 19, 2024, onward.

Going forward, full-time salaried employees will get up to seven consecutive weeks of paid parental leave for maternity leave after childbirth.

The House will also offer mothers and fathers paid care and bonding leave for up to two weeks within one year after a child’s birth or adoption. The care and bonding leave “may be granted on an intermittent basis” and can’t be taken during the 60-day Legislative Session. It requires supervisor approval as well, Perez’s memo said.

It’s an expansion from the current policy, which Perez explained in the memo.

“As has been the policy of the House, an employee who is the father or mother of a natural born or adopted child will continue to be granted parental leave for a period not to exceed three months total,” Perez’s memo said.

Special election held to fill vacant Palm Beach County state representative seat

Today is Election Day in part of Palm Beach County. There’s only one contest on the Dec. 9 ballot: a special election to fill a vacancy in the Florida House of Representatives.

Democrat Rob Long and Republican Maria Zack are competing to fill the vacancy created by the death in July of state Rep. Joe Casello.

A third candidate, Karen Yeh, is on the ballot, running with no party affiliation.

The winner will get right to work. The 2026 Florida legislative session begins in five weeks.

The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office said 53 neighborhood polling places would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Anyone who is in line at 7 p.m. is allowed to vote.

Unlike during early voting, people must vote in their assigned polling place on Election Day.

A voter must have a current, valid photo ID with a signature. The most common are Florida driver’s licenses or state ID cards. Many other forms of ID, including passports, are accepted. If the photo ID doesn’t have a voter’s signature, the person will have to show another ID with a signature.

Paul Renner wants a Special Session to immediately roll back property taxes to 2024 levels

Former House Speaker Paul Renner is urging the Legislature to immediately call a Special Session and roll back property taxes to 2024 levels right now.

Renner, who is running for Governor, has been among Republicans advocating for property tax relief.

“I am calling on elected leaders to come together and take decisive action to make Florida more affordable now,” Renner said in a statement. “They have the power to do it through legislative action, as occurred before in the 2006-07 legislative session.”

“Our residents deserve a tax rollback before their property taxes go up again in 2026 and this can easily be accomplished within the next two weeks before Christmas,” Renner added.

The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene for the Regular Session on Jan. 13.

Republicans have been openly criticizing each other on the best way to put an initiative on the ballot next year for voter approval.