U.S. Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) says property taxes amount to renting your home from the government, and he’s pushing for Florida to move toward eliminating them in favor of sales taxes.
Fine made the comments during an interview with Breitbart News Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow at the 2026 Republican Jewish Coalition National Leadership Summit on Sunday. Marlow asked Fine, who won his Republican primary last month, about the growing movement in Florida to do away with property taxes entirely.
“Property taxes are probably the most unfair form of taxation. Because what it means, if you step back and think about it, is you never own your home — you just rent it from the government,” Fine said. “Think about it. If you stop paying your taxes, they take your house away.”
Fine argued the tax is also unpredictable for households because it doesn’t adjust to a person’s changing financial circumstances.
“It’s also unfair because it’s not tied to how you’re doing in your life. Imagine you get fired. Property taxes don’t care. Imagine you win the lottery. Property taxes don’t care,” he said.
Instead, Fine said Florida should lean more heavily on sales taxes, which he described as a system people have more control over.
“Sales taxes you largely control. If you win the lottery and you want to go buy an expensive car, you’ll pay more in taxes. If you lose your job and you want to cut back, you’ll pay less in taxes,” he said. “That’s ultimately the transition that needs to take place.”
Fine also pointed to rising home values as a driver of Florida’s tax burden, saying local government revenues have outpaced population growth.
“The other issue in Florida is because our property values have risen so much, local government revenues have grown much faster than our population, and so taxes have gotten out of control in terms of what people are paying,” he said.
He noted that a ballot measure heading to Florida voters this November, Amendment 3, would not eliminate property taxes outright but would create new exemptions.
“So, the amendment on the ballot would not eliminate property taxes, but it would create new exemptions that would reduce a lot of people’s tax bills by about $3,000 a year,” Fine said.
Amendment 3 would let Florida homeowners reduce the taxable value of their primary residence by up to $150,000 starting in 2027, rising to $250,000 in 2028. Floridians will vote on the measure in November.
