Fort Myers councilman calls Florida property tax proposal a 'scam,' says some homeowners could pay more

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA, (WINK) — As Florida voters prepare to decide whether to increase the state's homestead exemption to $250,000, local governments across Southwest Florida are already discussing how they would replace lost property tax revenue.

Supporters of the proposal say homeowners deserve relief from rising property tax bills.

But Fort Myers City Councilman Fred Burson says some homeowners in Fort Myers could end up paying more.

"At the end of the day, residents will vote in this extra exemption, and then when they get their tax bill the following November, they're going to be disappointed, because taxes will not go down," Burson said.

Burson said he predicts the city will raise other taxes, fees and assessments to make up for lost property tax revenue.

"I can give you some examples where bills will actually go up."

Burson's argument is that while some homeowners could owe little or nothing in property taxes under the larger exemption, the city would still need money to pay for services like police, garbage, road maintenance and other operations.

"If I don't collect it from 10 people and only collect it from five, those five that I collect it from, they're going to have to pay the full load," Burson said.

He argues that homeowners whose property values remain above the exemption could end up paying a larger share of the cost.

Burson used a hypothetical example.

If a home is worth $300,000, under the proposal, $250,000 of that home's value would be exempt from property taxes, leaving $50,000 still subject to taxation.

Burson argues that if cities still need the same amount of money to operate, they could raise the tax rate on that remaining taxable value.

"I'm going to do everything I can to try to educate the public as to it's not in their best interest," he said. "A lot of people think that's self-serving because I'm on the council, but the reality is it's not self-serving. I'm a taxpayer when I'm not behind that council desk, I'm a taxpayer, and I know what's going to happen to my own tax bill."

He also criticized the proposal as inconsistent with conservative principles because he argues it would shift more of the tax burden onto a smaller group of property owners.

"It's so ironic that Florida is a Republican state. I mean, we're deep, deep Republican, and here we got all this Republican governor, Republican legislation, and they're creating a welfare state by removing half the property off the tax rolls," Burson said.

State leaders strongly disagree.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and other state lawmakers have argued that local governments have become too dependent on property tax revenue, are wasting taxpayer money and that homeowners deserve relief.

Voters will have the final say on the proposed homestead exemption increase in November.