This state may offer a cautionary tale

Gulf Today

3 days ago

Homeownership has long been a hallmark of the American dream. And property taxes are part of being a homeowner. Recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of eliminating property taxes. For Floridians who are homeowners, the end of property taxes seems like a dream come true. But the question is: At what cost?
That's the question Wyoming is grappling with. Earlier this year, Wyoming lawmakers passed a 25% cut to property taxes. The tax exemption applies to 'primary residential structures up to the first $100 million of the structure's fair market value.' At first glance, it looks like a win for homeowners, but municipalities are bracing for impact, according to the Tribune News Service.
Like Florida, Wyoming doesn't impose a state income tax, making property tax revenue a key funding source for cities and municipalities — including fire and police departments, schools and other services.
Fremont County, the fifth most populous in the state, has announced $300,000 in library cuts and warned that other services may see deeper cuts. Most troubling is the possibility of cuts for public schools, which receive 70% of their funding from property taxes and now face a serious deficit. According to the state's April 2025 long-term revenue expenditure forecast, Wyoming's school foundation program account — which is responsible for funding public schools — is projected to experience a $686 million deficit by 2029-30.
While Wyoming has a population of 587,618, and is far different demographically from Florida — with a population of 23 million spread over 67 counties — the struggles Wyoming residents are facing may offer a preview of challenges Florida could expect if DeSantis' proposal becomes reality. Florida's unique challenges — including rapid population growth, the housing and insurance crisis and hurricane risks — create strong fiscal demands that exceed what Wyoming faces. These realities make property tax elimination, or even a deep cut, more problematic for the Sunshine State.
The Florida Legislature recognised the need to think things through before barreling ahead to help DeSantis eliminate property taxes. The Legislature allocated $1 million in its proposed state budget for state economists to study the elimination of property taxes, a responsible position. The study would've given Florida's leaders a clearer picture of the implications of such a significant change.
But DeSantis vetoed the budget item, dismissing it by saying, 'We don't need to give a bureaucracy money to study this. We know what needs to be done, so let's just do it.'
That was a short-sighted move. Cutting or eliminating the state's property tax requires a plan and consideration of the impacts, and maybe even examining what's happening right now in Wyoming.
As Budge Huskey, president and CEO of Premier Sotheby's International Realty, told Fox News Digital, 'At the end of the day, you cannot simply lower property taxes or eliminate property taxes without replacing at least a significant majority of that revenue through alternative means.'
According to the Florida Policy Institute, property taxes make up an estimated 50% to 60% of the state's school district revenue. In order to replace revenue lost, Florida would most likely need to double its state sales tax to 12%, FPI found, resulting in the tax burden being shifted rather than eliminated.
While DeSantis and fellow Republicans love to tout Florida as the 'free state,' removing property taxes from the state's financial equation would put local government into a funding free-fall. Giving Floridians financial relief is critical as the cost of living continues to rise, and Wyoming's efforts may offer some lessons. But slashing property taxes without a serious plan to manage the impacts isn't the way forward.