In a move designed to protect long-term residents from the strain of mass migration, Governor Ron DeSantis has officially added a "residency requirement" to his historic proposal to eliminate homestead property taxes. Speaking in Tampa on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, the Governor made it clear: if you move to Florida after the new laws pass, you won’t get a free ride on day one. Newcomers will be required to pay property taxes for five years before they become eligible for the state’s proposed total tax elimination.

"If this passes and everyone can just move here and then claim the no tax, well that's not going to make it as good for Floridians," DeSantis told a cheering crowd. The Governor’s plan, titled "Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes," aims to immediately hike the homestead exemption to $250,000, which would wipe out property tax bills for roughly 60% of current homeowners. By eventually raising that exemption to $500,000, DeSantis predicts 92% of Florida families will live tax-free. However, the five-year "waiting period" for transplants is the key mechanism to ensure that those who haven't contributed to Florida's growth don't immediately "dilute" the benefits meant for those who have.

DeSantis has called for a three-day Special Session starting Monday, June 1, 2026, to force the Florida Legislature to put this constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The plan also includes a "Florida DOGE" initiative to cut government waste to fill the revenue gap, alongside a trust fund to support rural counties. For DeSantis, the message is simple: Florida is open for business, but the tax breaks belong to the people who built the Sunshine State, not those who just arrived.

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