Florida's property taxes have nearly doubled in seven years – and local governments did nothing to stop it.
Byron Donalds just qualified for Governor with Trump's full endorsement and a promise to end that robbery.
He told Fox Business viewers exactly what happens if Floridians vote no in November – and Democrats have no answer for it.
Donalds Draws the Line on Fox Business
The Naples congressman didn't hedge.
Donalds appeared on Varney & Co. Friday and told viewers flat-out: if the November constitutional amendment falls short of the 60% threshold, he has a backup plan already loaded.
"We're going to use our Tax and Budget Commission, which is in Florida's Constitution, to study all taxes and fees with the goal of eliminating homestead property taxes or at a minimum, of providing real relief to seniors on fixed income and working families in our state," he said.
That's not a campaign promise.
https://twitter.com/ByronWarRoom/status/2067229163241541633?s=20
That's a constitutional body with the power to send amendments directly to voters – bypassing the Legislature entirely.
The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission convenes every 20 years.
It last met in 2007.
It reconvenes in January 2027 – right when the next Governor gets sworn in.
Donalds just told every property owner in Florida: I will be sitting in that chair when it opens.
The 60% Bar and Why Donalds Is Already Planning Around It
Governor DeSantis called a special session June 1–3 and pushed HJR 1-F through the Legislature with overwhelming Republican support – 75 to 26 in the House, 30 to 9 in the Senate.
The amendment raises the homestead exemption on non-school levies to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, wiping out property taxes entirely for roughly 60% of Florida homesteaded owners.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2067734107379884205?s=20
It needs 60% to pass – and that bar has teeth.
For context, Amendment 4 – the 2024 abortion amendment – pulled 57% and still failed.
Donalds isn't waiting to find out if this one clears it.
Donalds Pushes Back on the Wall Street Journal
While on air, Donalds also defended DeSantis against an attack from an unexpected corner – the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, which called the amendment "poorly designed" and compared it to the agenda of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani – the democratic socialist who just won Gotham's mayoral race.
Donalds didn't back down.
"What the Journal did not talk about is that property taxes in the state of Florida have doubled over the last decade," he said.
Ron DeSantis put numbers behind that claim.
Property tax revenue collected by Florida local governments has nearly doubled in just seven years – from $32 billion to a projected $83 billion by 2032.
While senior citizens stayed on fixed incomes, local government bureaucrats watched that windfall roll in and did nothing to give it back.
The Wall Street Journal opinion page sits inside the same Murdoch media empire that broadcasts Fox Business – the very network where Donalds made his case.
That alone tells you something about which side of this fight the donor class prefers.
The Constitutional Backdoor Democrats Cannot Block
The Tax and Budget Reform Commission isn't an advisory panel.
https://twitter.com/ByronWarRoom/status/2066562004425326820?s=20
It is enshrined in Article XI, Section 6 of the Florida Constitution.
It can propose constitutional amendments directly to Florida voters – no legislative vote required – with a two-thirds majority of the commission.
The last time it met, in 2007–2008, it held 127 meetings and public hearings over 14 months and sent multiple amendments directly to the ballot.
Voters approved them.
A Governor who controls 11 of the 25 commission appointments has enormous leverage over what that body produces and what it sends to the 2028 ballot.
Democrats and local government lobbyists are already preparing their campaign to kill the November amendment by scaring voters about police funding and road repair.
If they succeed, they walk straight into a Governor Byron Donalds who will immediately activate a constitutional commission they cannot stop, aimed directly at their property tax cash machine.
They have no good option here – and Donalds made sure they know it.
Sources:
- A.G. Gancarski, "Byron Donalds vows to revive property tax cuts as Governor if November amendment fails," Florida Politics, June 13, 2026.
- "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Special Session on Property Tax Relief," Executive Office of the Governor, May 2026.
- "Senate Passes Historic Property Tax Cut for Florida Homeowners," Florida Senate, June 2, 2026.
- "Byron Donalds officially qualifies for gubernatorial race," Florida Politics, June 9, 2026.
- Florida Constitution, Article XI, Section 6, Florida Legislature.
