Governor DeSantis, Florida House speaker at odds over tax cut proposals

Florida leaders clashing over tax cuts

Top Republicans in Tallahassee are still not seeing eye-to-eye on portions of the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including proposed tax cuts. FOX 13’s Mariah Harrison reports.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - With just a few weeks left in Florida's annual legislative session, top Republicans in Tallahassee still don't see eye-to-eye on the biggest priority: nailing down the state budget, with tax cuts being a major sticking point.

Gov. DeSantis vs. legislative leaders

The backstory:

Gov. Ron DeSantis has said on several occasions that he wants to cut property taxes for those with homestead exemptions, with the long-term goal of possibly eliminating property taxes altogether.

PREVIOUS: Governor DeSantis proposes eliminating property taxes in Florida

House Speaker Daniel Perez, however, has his sights set on lowering the state's sales tax rate from 6% to 5.25% – something he says would save about $5 billion per year.

What they're saying:

At a news conference in Panama City Beach on Monday, DeSantis went as far as to accuse members of his own party of obstruction.

"I mean, just think about taxes. I was going out for many months because of listening to people like you talking about the need for property tax relief. People are getting killed on property taxes. What do they do? Because I'm doing property, so they got to do something else. You know, they want to do tax cuts for Canadian tourists and for non-residents. Why would we ever be doing that? We should be doing property tax, but it's just because they've got to be obstructionists. It's just because they've got to be different," DeSantis said.

Pictured: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Panama City Beach on April 7, 2025.

Perez has continued to defend his sales tax proposal, though, saying such a cut would be historic for Floridians.

"It is $5 billion of real cutting going back to the people in a way that not only has never been done in the state, first time ever. First time we go lower in a budget in comparison to the previous year. First time with a $5 billion tax cut. First time, we cut the sales tax by 0.75% in the history of the country. In the history of the United States, that has never happened. The fact that some may disagree as fiscal conservatives that the cutting of the budget is something that shouldn't be applauded shouldn't be approved, I am at a loss for words," Perez said.

Pictured: Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez.

Perez has also said the governor's plan would lead to a budget increase and wouldn't save the state money in the long run. He says he's not fully opposed to lowering property taxes, but he wants to see a plan that funds all areas that would lose significant funding.

Dig deeper:

This is not the first time DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have clashed just this year. Leaders battled over illegal immigration before ultimately passing a measure the governor touted as the toughest anti-illegal immigration bill in the country. That law has since been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

Pictured: Governor Ron DeSantis alongside State House Speaker Danny Perez (left) and Florida's Senate President Ben Albritton (right).

What's next:

The Florida House and Florida Senate plan to take up their budget proposals this week in Tallahassee. Once their versions of the budget are passed, the two chambers can start negotiating a final spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year.

The annual legislative session is scheduled to end May 2.

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Mariah Harrison.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: