Ron DeSantis has been making enemies in his own Republican Party.
The fights are getting personal.
And Ron DeSantis refused to shake one lawmaker's hand when he asked this one question about property taxes.
Governor's handshake snub becomes the talk of Tallahassee
DeSantis took the rostrum Tuesday to deliver his last State of the State speech before leaving office.
He shook hands with Senate President Ben Albritton.
Then he walked right past House Speaker Daniel Perez without so much as a glance.
Perez stood there with his hand out waiting for a handshake that never came.
Someone with decades of experience in the chamber told Perez afterward they'd never seen anything like it.
"Whether the governor wants to be petulant and not shake the hand of a partner, that's on him," Perez told reporters. "It's not going to change our direction."
https://twitter.com/Cathy2NotToday/status/2011402867022655610?s=20
The snub wasn't about personal feelings.
DeSantis has been fuming at Perez for months over one issue.
Property taxes.
Perez demanded details DeSantis wouldn't provide
DeSantis spent the better part of a year demanding Florida eliminate property taxes.
He called them "perpetual rent to the government."
"We have residents that are locked into their homes because they can't afford the taxes on a new residence," DeSantis said Tuesday.
The problem is DeSantis never explained how to actually do it.
Perez kept asking one question DeSantis couldn't answer.
Where's the $21 billion?
"When you say abolish all property taxes, you're including the $21 billion that funds our education system," Perez said before the session started. "Tell me how to do it. I'm in. Where are the $21 billion?"
DeSantis didn't have an answer.
He proposed $1,000 rebate checks to homeowners last year.
Perez called that an "irresponsible idea" that doesn't solve anything.
The House Speaker went further and accused DeSantis of playing politics.
"These checks do not actually lower tax rates," Perez stated. "They are just state taxpayers apologizing for local-government spending, which is the kind of irresponsible idea I associate with California policymakers."
https://twitter.com/ReOpenChris/status/2011473901449101702?s=20
House moved forward without DeSantis
Perez didn't wait around for DeSantis to produce a real plan.
The House advanced seven separate property tax proposals through committees.
DeSantis hated that approach.
He blasted the House for giving voters multiple options on the November 2026 ballot.
"Placing more than one property tax measure on the ballot represents an attempt to kill anything on property taxes," DeSantis posted on X in October. "It's a political game, not a serious attempt to get it done for the people."
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1981194783013167322?s=20
Only one of those proposals is ready for a full House vote.
The others are stuck because nobody can figure out how to replace the revenue.
Property taxes fund schools, police, fire departments, and basic local services.
Cities and counties are warning that eliminating those taxes would gut their budgets.
Rural counties are especially worried.
They don't have alternative revenue sources like big cities do.
DeSantis became a lame duck after presidential failure
The handshake snub reveals how far DeSantis has fallen since his 2024 presidential campaign collapsed.
He used to dominate the Florida Legislature.
Republicans would jump when he said jump.
Not anymore.
Last year's legislative session dragged on for 105 days because DeSantis, Perez, and Albritton couldn't agree on taxes and the budget.
DeSantis sided with the Senate against the House.
The House wanted to cut the sales tax permanently.
The Senate pushed for temporary tax holidays on clothes and shoes.
DeSantis wanted property tax elimination but never explained how to pay for it.
Nothing got done the way anyone wanted.
DeSantis blamed the House for "dragging this out for 45 days for really no reason at all."
Perez fired back that the House was asserting its independence as a co-equal branch of government.
https://twitter.com/LivCaputo/status/2011111202727080373?s=20
"I consider him a friend. I consider him a partner," Perez said at the time while also calling DeSantis "emotional" and prone to "temper tantrums."
The math still doesn't work
Florida has no income tax.
That's one of DeSantis's favorite talking points.
But property taxes generate $55 billion to $56 billion annually across the state.
About $20 billion to $21 billion of that comes from homesteaded properties.
Schools rely on property taxes for 50% to 60% of their funding.
Counties get 18% of their budgets from property taxes.
Cities get 17%.
Some analysts say Florida would have to double its sales tax rate to 12% to make up the difference.
DeSantis rejected that idea.
He also vetoed $1 million for a study that would have examined how local governments actually use property tax revenue.
Without that study, nobody knows for sure what services would get cut.
The Florida Policy Institute warns that eliminating property taxes "could force a dramatic increase in other revenue sources."
DeSantis keeps insisting local governments are wasting money.
He claims they've been overspending for years.
But he hasn't proven it.
And local officials say rising property tax bills are driven by inflation and skyrocketing property values, not wasteful spending.
Republicans are fracturing heading into midterms
The handshake incident shows just how divided Florida Republicans have become.
Perez and Albritton embraced twice before DeSantis's speech.
They're trying to work together after clashing all through 2025.
https://twitter.com/StandUpForTrmp/status/2008584836701659517?s=20
But DeSantis is clearly still holding grudges.
Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman said the GOP fractures will paralyze the session.
"I think the Republicans are fractured," Berman stated. "I think we see the governor is focused on himself."
But Democrats don't need to stop Republicans when Republicans are stopping themselves.
Senator Shevrin Jones called DeSantis's property tax push "something to go on billboards and bumper stickers, not a real way to help rural communities."
He said Republicans in DeSantis's own party understand the plan is garbage.
"You can see his own party didn't stand up for that property tax, because they know it is detrimental for their own community," Jones explained.
DeSantis is also fighting with both Perez and Albritton over redistricting.
He announced a special session in April to redraw congressional maps.
Perez called that decision "irresponsible" because it delays everything until after the regular session ends.
The regular session is supposed to last 60 days.
Last year it went 105 days.
Nobody wants a repeat of that mess.
But with DeSantis refusing to even shake Perez's hand, it's hard to see how they work together on anything.
Sources:
- Zoey Thomas, "'Locked in their homes': DeSantis calls fractured Legislature to focus on property tax cuts," WUFT, January 14, 2026.
- Drew Wilson, "Daniel Perez draws line on property taxes, presses Gov. DeSantis for details," Florida Politics, January 14, 2026.
- Janelle Irwin Taylor, "House and Senate leaders agree: Next state budget will be lean," Florida Politics, January 12, 2026.
- Jeffrey Schweers, "Florida lawmakers offer an array of property tax reforms," Orlando Sentinel, December 26, 2025.
- Suzanne Blake, "Ron DeSantis Gives Update on Eliminating Florida Property Tax," Newsweek, January 14, 2026.
- "Divided GOP leadership sets tense tone for Florida's 2026 legislative session," WGCU, January 13, 2026.
- "Florida session lasts 105 days amid political clashes," WFLA, June 24, 2025.
