‘You should own your property free and clear’: Ron DeSantis slams property taxes in America — compares it to buying a TV at Best Buy and having to pay taxes on it each year. Do you agree?

Then he offered an analogy to drive the point home.

“If I go to Best Buy and buy a flat screen TV and put it on the wall, I got to pay a sales tax on it, right? But I don't keep paying tax on it every year,” he said. “That's not how we do things. If you're going to tax something, you tax it at the transaction, and then let people actually enjoy their private property, free and clear of the government.”

DeSantis called this his “vision” and “philosophical insight.”

Simply put, he argues that if you truly own something, you shouldn’t have to keep paying for it year after year. But while he describes this as a matter of principle, experts point out that property taxes play a vital role in funding local government and public services.

According to the Florida Policy Institute, the state’s tax on real property accounts for 18% of county revenue, 17% of municipal revenue and between 50% and 60% of school district funding. Property taxes also help local governments address community needs, including police and fire protection, education and safety net programs.

‘The math just doesn’t add up’

DeSantis also emphasized that families are already under financial pressure.

“You talk about a family of four, having the median home price that is purchased in Florida — that's a pretty hefty tax bill right there, when you come in after buying a home, when you consider what the average income is throughout the United States of America — the math just doesn't add up and I think that's why people want relief,” he said.

The surge in property taxes across Florida hasn’t gone unnoticed.

According to a Redfin report, the Sunshine State is home to three of the five major U.S. metros where property tax bills have increased the most since before the pandemic. In Jacksonville, the median monthly property tax rose 59.6% to $228 between 2019 and 2024. Tampa’s increased 56.7% to $250, while Miami’s climbed 48.1% to $367.

To help address the burden, DeSantis proposed a $1,000 property tax rebate for Florida homeowners, but the initiative has been left out of this year's budget and will be revisited for next year's ballot instead.

Hedging against the rising cost of living

The blunt reality is, inflation has steadily pushed up the cost of living across America — and for many, investing in real estate has become a trusted way to help offset those increases.

When inflation rises, property values often increase as well, reflecting the higher costs of materials, labor and land. At the same time, rental income tends to go up, providing landlords with a revenue stream that adjusts with inflation.