If you've got a home loan, chances are you could see your monthly payment slightly reduced next year; that is if you bundle your property tax into your payment.
If you pay your property taxes annually, you'll likely pay less next year.
The average property owner in Lee County pays about $4,000 a year in property taxes. The governor wants to reduce that by $1,000. His bigger plan is to eliminate property taxes altogether.
Chris Martin, of Lehigh Acres, would like to get rid of property taxes altogether.
However, eliminating them completely would require voter approval next year.
“People are going to go where they pay less,” Martin said.
The governor wants to offer a tax rebate and he needs lawmakers to approve that.
Matt Bierschwal lives in the community of Iona near Fort Myers Beach and said a rebate could help some more than others.
If your taxes are rolled into your house payment, it could reduce your payment by about $83.00 a month, which could benefit homeowners like Bierschwal.
“At the end of the day, every last bit helps. We're in a tough economic time right now,” Bierschwal said.
Lee County property appraiser Matt Caldwell said the tax break won't impact local government.
“This is really going to come from surplus. We've done so well as a state economically over the last decade we've got a surplus from the current sales tax that they can use to fund the elimination of this property tax,” Caldwell explained.
The governor believes Florida tourists can help lower property taxes.
“We have this great luxury of being able to offload tax burden to non-Floridians, because people visit, people invest here, people live here part-time, who aren't residents,” DeSantis stated.
However, completely eliminating property taxes could completely bring more permanent residents.
“I think ultimately, if we can reduce the cost of property tax, that would really incentivize people to come here,” Bierschwal said.
The housing market in Southwest Florida is currently saturated with homes for sale. There are many who believe by eliminating property taxes could entice more people to move to Florida, buying up homes that have been sitting on the market.