The St. Petersburg City Council issued a formal warning to state lawmakers on Jun. 2 that proposed property tax cuts could jeopardize funding for public safety, infrastructure, and other essential city services.
Council members approved a resolution urging the Legislature to “carefully consider the practical and financial impacts” of any changes to property taxes before moving forward with a constitutional amendment or related legislation. The move comes as Governor Ron DeSantis promotes the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” initiative, which could eventually eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties.
City Council Member Brandi Gabbard addressed concerns about the impact of the proposal on St. Petersburg’s budget if it is approved by voters in November. “As Chair of the Legislative Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations (LAIR) Committee, my priority is protecting our city’s financial stability and essential services,” Gabbard wrote on social media Tuesday. “Last week, I led the City Council in passing a formal resolution opposing the state’s current property tax reform proposal. We are taking a firm, fact-based stand because this legislation risks underfunding our public safety budgets and shifting an unfair financial burden onto non-homesteaded properties and renters. Strong leadership means confronting these challenges early, and we are committed to defending our community’s local priorities.”
The resolution states that eliminating or significantly reducing recurring revenue from property taxes would undermine funding for public safety, limit future growth management capabilities, and force difficult trade-offs affecting core city services such as police, fire protection, stormwater upgrades, parks, libraries, and daily operations.
Governor DeSantis and state officials say local governments have become overly reliant on increasing property tax collections compared to population growth rates. Local government property tax collections have nearly doubled over seven years—from approximately $32 billion to $60 billion statewide—and are projected to reach $83 billion by 2032 if trends continue, according to reporting by Florida Politics citing figures from the Governor’s Office.
In an analysis provided to members of Pinellas County’s legislative delegation, St. Petersburg officials estimated that passage of the proposal would result in losses of about $38 million in ad valorem revenue for fiscal year 2028 and $75 million for fiscal year 2029.
