SESSION WATCH
Died HOUSE · SESSION 2026

No. HJR 207

Assessed Home Value Homestead Exemption of Non-school Property Tax
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SPONSOR
Abbott
FILED BY
Shane Abbott — District 5, Republican [search donations]
EFFECTIVE
1/1/2027
DIED IN
State Affairs Committee

Filed under Education.

PROVIDED SUMMARY

Assessed Home Value Homestead Exemption of Non-school Property Tax; Proposes amendment to State Constitution to add a homestead exemption for levies other than school levies equal to 25 percent of the remaining assessed value after applying existing exemptions, provide construction, prohibit counties and municipalities from reducing total funding for law enforcement, and provide an effective date.

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Plain English Summary

AI-GENERATED
Adds a 25% property tax exemption and freezes local law enforcement budgets.

Homeowners gain a new tax break equal to 25% of their remaining assessed value, excluding school taxes. This lowers the property tax bill for most Florida residents with a homestead.

Counties and municipalities are legally barred from cutting their total law enforcement budgets below the higher of the 2025 or 2026 levels. This prevents local governments from offsetting the new tax exemption with police budget cuts.

The new exemption is exempt from the annual inflation adjustment mechanism that currently applies to other homestead exemptions. This means the 25% deduction will not automatically increase with the cost of living.

The changes take effect on January 1, 2027, and apply to the 2027-2028 local fiscal year for the law enforcement funding floor.

KEY PROVISIONS
§ 1 New 25% Homestead Exemption majors. Article VII, Section 6(a)(1)(c)

AICreates a new tax exemption equal to 25% of the remaining assessed value after applying existing exemptions, applicable to all levies except school district levies.

“an amount equal to twenty-five percent of the remaining assessed value after applying subparagraphs a. and b.,” bill text, line 35 →
§ 2 Law Enforcement Funding Floor majors. Article VIII, Section 7

AIProhibits counties and municipalities from reducing total law enforcement funding below the higher of the 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 budgeted amounts, starting in the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

“the total funding provided by each county and municipality for law enforcement services may not be less than such jurisdiction's total budgeted amount” bill text, line 176 →
§ 3 Exemption Exclusion from CPI Adjustment moderates. Article VII, Section 6(3)(a)(b)

AIExcludes the new 25% exemption from the annual cost-of-living adjustment mechanism that applies to other homestead exemptions.

“This paragraph does not apply to the exemption created by subparagraph (a)(1)c.” bill text, line 74 →
§ 4 Effective Date moderates. Article XII

AISets the effective date for the new exemption and law enforcement funding prohibition as January 1, 2027.

“shall take effect January 1, 2027” bill text, line 193 →
TIMELINE
3/13/2026
Died in State Affairs Committee
1/13/2026
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
11/20/2025
Now in State Affairs Committee
11/20/2025
Reported out of Select Committee on Property Taxes
11/20/2025
Favorable by Select Committee on Property Taxes
11/13/2025
Added to Select Committee on Property Taxes agenda
10/16/2025
Now in Select Committee on Property Taxes
10/16/2025
Referred to Ways & Means Committee
10/16/2025
Referred to State Affairs Committee
10/16/2025
Referred to Select Committee on Property Taxes
10/16/2025
Filed
5 EARLIER →
STAFF ANALYSES