TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis recently announced that he supports the idea of ending property taxes in Florida.

If the plan is successful, Florida would become the first state in the nation to eliminate property taxes. Opponents of the move, though, point out that the tax is a primary revenue stream for local governments. 

“Is it your property or not? You’re basically paying rent to the government to live on your own property,” said DeSantis.

Property taxes fund local services, including schools, roads and parks. It also funds emergency services, like firefighters and police. 

“This is something else that sounds like a very sexy idea, but in practice, it would actually wreak havoc on our local communities,” said House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell. 

As of Tuesday, Florida Republicans have proposed two property insurance proposals. One proposal would commission a study analyzing the implications of eliminating property tax. The other would raise the state’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $75,000 a year.

“We have to have a balanced budget,” said Florida Policy Institute Policy Analyst Esteban Leonardo Santis. “If you get rid of a key revenue source, you’re either going to have to make cuts to account for that, or you’re going to have to increase taxes elsewhere.”

One possible option is a higher sales tax. The Florida Policy Institute estimates Florida would need to recover $43 billion to replace property tax revenue.