BRADENTON — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed two bills restricting local governments’ ability to raise property taxes and requiring them to identify 10 percent in budget cuts before adopting spending plans, a move the governor framed as reining in local officials who have outpaced the state’s own fiscal restraint.
“Florida has reduced its budget for four straight years and has demonstrated fiscal responsibility and respect for taxpayers,” DeSantis said. “Now, we are stepping in to protect taxpayers from taxes at the local level.”
Senate Bill 4-F and House Bill 1329 together represent the most significant state-imposed constraints on county and municipal taxing authority in years. SB 4-F eliminates the current provision allowing local governments to adjust the rolled-back millage rate upward based on growth in Florida’s per-capita personal income, generally capping the maximum levy at the standard rolled-back rate without a supermajority vote.
Under the new law, millage rates up to 110 percent of the rolled-back rate require a two-thirds vote of the governing body. Rates above 110 percent require a unanimous vote, a three-fourths vote for larger boards, or voter approval through referendum. The bill also serves as the implementing legislation for the proposed constitutional amendment known as Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes, which voters will consider in November 2026. SB 4-F allows expanded ballot summary language so voters receive a clearer explanation of the measure.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia cast the legislation as a check on local spending habits. “This pivotal piece of legislation pulls the curtain back on local government’s wasteful spending so that Floridians are better equipped to hold their local officials accountable,” Ingoglia said. “Thank you, Governor DeSantis, for signing this bill and ensuring that local governments are good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
HB 1329, titled the Local Government Financial Transparency and Accountability Act, requires counties and municipalities to publish detailed financial information online — including budget summaries, revenues and expenditures, departmental spending, staffing information, reserve levels and fund balances. Local governments must also file quarterly reports on employee compensation and maintain annual budget development calendars. The bill’s sharpest provision mandates that local officials conduct a budget reduction exercise identifying strategies to cut proposed spending by 10 percent without affecting essential services such as law enforcement, fire protection and other legally required functions.
The November 2026 ballot will give Florida voters the final say on the accompanying constitutional amendment, which would permanently tighten the property tax framework the new statutes put in place.