SESSION WATCH
Died HOUSE · SESSION 2026

No. HB 1257

Tax/Documentary Stamp Tax to Fund Down Payment Assistance
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SPONSOR
Nixon
FILED BY
Angela Nixon — District 13, Democrat [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
7/1/2026

Filed under Taxes & Budget.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Tax/Documentary Stamp Tax to Fund Down Payment Assistance; Creates additional documentary stamp tax in specified amount on residential property purchased by person who already owns certain number of residential properties; creates First-time Homebuyer Assistance Program within Department of Commerce; provides purpose & eligibility for such program; provides maximum amount of assistance that may be provided; provides that funding comes from specified tax revenue.

Full bill text →

Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Imposes $50,000 tax on buyers owning 15+ homes to fund first-time buyer grants.

Buyers of residential property who already own 15 homes in Florida must pay an additional $50,000 documentary stamp tax on the new purchase.

Not-for-profit corporations buying housing for affordable purposes are exempt from this tax unless they already own 50 residential properties in the state.

The collected tax revenue is transferred to the Department of Revenue and must be used to provide down payment assistance grants to first-time homeowners.

This new tax is collected at the same time and in the same manner as the existing documentary stamp tax on residential property transactions.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 New $50,000 Tax on High-Volume Buyers majors. 201.0202(1)(a)

AIImposes a mandatory $50,000 tax on any residential property transaction where the purchaser already owns 15 residential properties in Florida.

“there shall be an additional tax of $50,000 if the purchaser already owns 15 residential properties in this state.” bill text, line 18 →
§ 2 Exemption for Affordable Housing Corporations moderates. 201.0202(1)(b)

AIExempts not-for-profit corporations from the $50,000 tax unless they already own 50 residential properties in Florida.

“A not-for-profit corporation purchasing residential housing for the purpose of providing affordable housing is not required to pay the tax in this section unless they already own 5” bill text, line 20 →
§ 3 Mandatory Use of Tax Revenue majors. 201.0202(2)

AIRequires that the collected tax be transferred to the Department of Revenue and used exclusively to provide down payment assistance grants to first-time homeowners.

“shall be transferred to the Department of Revenue and used to provide down payment assistance grants to first-time homeowners.” bill text, line 26 →
TIMELINE
1/9/2026
Withdrawn prior to introduction
1/8/2026
Filed
STATUTES IT CHANGES
s. 201.0202
+125 / −0