How property tax cuts could impact road funding

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK) — A massive pothole on Beth and 70th Street West is hard to miss — and even harder to drive over.

David Hayden lives right next to the pothole and said he avoids it whenever he can.

“I'm always afraid that, you know, one day I will forget it's there and hit it and do tire damage or something," Hayden said.

He said the problem goes beyond just one stretch of road.

“There are some really bad potholes out here," he said.

State Rep. Tiffany Esposito, R- Lehigh Acres, said road conditions and infrastructure concerns often come up when she talks with residents in Lehigh Acres, especially in the eastern parts of the county.

“When I go out into Lehigh, like, especially the eastern part of the county, there are roads that aren't paved," she said.

Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell told WINK News the funds to repair potholes come, in part, from property taxes. He says property taxes brought in more than half a billion dollars last year.

But state lawmakers are exploring ways to greatly reduce property taxes, prompting questions about how local governments would pay for services and projects that residents rely on.

Hayden said he understands why property tax relief is appealing, but worries about what could happen if the revenue disappears.

"Obviously, being a homeowner, it'd be nice not to, but the revenue has to come from somewhere to pay police, fire, fix roads, all that," he said.

Esposito said if property taxes go away, the next step would be determining how counties would fund those same programs.

"If property taxes go away, then it becomes a conversation amongst the county commissioners of how do we now fund these projects in these programs," she said.

She said she believes increasing the homestead exemption would help fill any funding gaps.

“I think the proposal that increases the homestead exemption $100,000. I think that's the most realistic one," Esposito said. “That would still allow us to fund the local services."

Gov. Ron DeSantis has strongly pushed for property tax relief. 

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia told WINK News last week he believes “the numbers work."

He said local governments won’t be left in the dark because many are “wastefully spending" anyway. 

"I think by the time that we are done reviewing these local governments, we're going to find between 10 to $15 billion worth of excessive and wasteful spending," Ingoglia said. "I think the number to get rid of property taxes on homestead properties across the state is about $15 billion. So, I think the money is there to offer this to the citizens, the state of Florida. It doesn't necessarily have to be done in one year. It could be something that could be phased in."

Ingolia also said, rather than passing relief this session, he believes the governor will call for a special session shortly after.

WINK News is committed to following this story and will update you as we learn more.