State House Republican comes out with detailed property tax plan ahead of 2026 session

State Rep. Ryan Chamberlin outlined his three-step plan Wednesday to reduce billions in property taxes.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — A central Florida Republican who wants to see property taxes eliminated has come out with as substantial plan ahead of next year's session that spells out how taxes would be rolled back and how they would be replaced.

Jumping out ahead of what may be a contentious debate, state Rep. Ryan Chamberlin (R-Belleview) outlined his three-step plan Wednesday to reduce billions in property taxes. But his proposal would replace property taxes with fees and taxes such as a new one-time fee on real estate sales and a fee on hotel bills for those visiting the state. He also is proposing a sales tax hike of up to 3 percent that would be used to eliminate property taxes school districts must now charge in order to qualify for matching money from the state.

Chamberlin is branding his proposal the “Freedom 1-2-3” plan and says he will introduce legislation shortly to carry out the first part, which calls for rolling back all local taxes to the levels they were in 2022. “Now is the time to put Florida on the path of eliminating property taxes forever,” said Chamberlin, who was first elected in 2023 and sits on the House select committee charged with crafting a proposal on property taxes.

Chamberlin acknowledged he was rolling out his proposal without the backing of House leaders or Gov. Ron DeSantis. But he said it was important to come up with a detailed plan to begin the debate over specific steps to take.

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