The Florida political landscape has clustered around two major fights: a three-day Special Session convened to debate sweeping changes to the state’s property tax system, and a high-profile gubernatorial bid reshaped by large fundraising totals and an emerging split over artificial intelligence policy. A recent statewide survey of 1,000 voters shows strong support for calling lawmakers back to Tallahassee, but far less agreement about what tax relief should look like or how to make up for lost local revenue.
At the same time, campaign dynamics are shifting. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ campaign has reported a massive fundraising total, positioning him as the financial leader in the Republican primary. That haul intensifies pressure on rivals and brings fresh attention to policy differences inside the GOP, including whether states or the federal government should lead on AI regulation.
What the poll reveals about voter preferences
Three out of four respondents in the Sachs Media survey said they approved of Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to call the special session — an endorsement that spans party lines and age groups. But beneath that consensus the survey uncovers a complicated set of priorities: a large plurality favors dramatic cuts to property taxes on primary residences, yet support softens when tradeoffs are introduced.
Specifically, roughly 80% of voters want some movement on property taxes: 48% favor outright elimination for primary homes, while 32% would prefer a reduction that stops short of full elimination. When tradeoffs are framed as higher sales taxes, the willingness to accept such a swap falls sharply. Across the full sample, only about 27% would support eliminating property taxes in exchange for significantly higher sales taxes, though a majority of those who want elimination would accept higher sales taxes to preserve that change.
Preferred ways to backfill local budgets
When asked how to replace local revenue lost to lower property taxes, voters favored targeted levies on non-primary property: 55% selected higher taxes on second homes, rental properties and businesses as the top option. That preference outranked proposals to rely on state subsidies, to implement broad spending cuts, or to increase the sales tax. The result reflects a desire to preserve revenue for public services without shifting the burden onto everyday consumer transactions.
Legislative options and the special session fight
Lawmakers are advancing versions of DeSantis’ proposal but wrestling with crucial exceptions. Committee action moved measures that would raise the homestead exemption over time — a phased approach that could extend relief up to a $250,000 exemption — while resisting language that would apply identical cuts to school taxes. Committees also removed an offsetting trust fund lawmakers had considered, amplifying concerns among local officials about unavoidable service cuts.
Local leaders from Keys communities to Miami-Dade warned of deep budgetary consequences. Analyses circulated during the debate show that South Florida school districts could lose hundreds of millions annually under some scenarios, with estimates that Miami-Dade and Broward public schools could face losses in the high hundreds of millions if property taxes were fully eliminated. County and municipal officials have warned of reduced funding for public safety, libraries, emergency response and other basic services.
Fiscal safeguards and political options
To address equity and long-term fiscal risk, some policymakers and watchdog groups urged caution. The debate has included proposals for a taxpayer bill of rights tied to population and inflation growth, as well as calls to pair exemption increases with limits on local spending growth. Advocates of swift relief argue that voters deserve immediate tax cuts; skeptics argue that dramatic changes without credible replacement revenue would shift costs to non-homestead owners and destabilize service delivery.
Campaign stakes: Byron Donalds, AI and political positioning
Outside the tax fight, the 2026 gubernatorial contest is shaping up largely around money and messaging. Byron Donalds announced that his campaign and allied committees have raised more than $81.1 million, including substantial outside spending through a PAC. That financial advantage has helped Donalds lead in Republican primary polls and forced other candidates to demonstrate statewide fundraising viability.
Donalds has also signaled a notable policy divergence with former President Donald Trump on the governance of artificial intelligence. Rather than endorsing a purely national approach, Donalds argues Florida should move proactively to set rules that protect minors and parental controls and to guard individual name, image and likeness rights — a stance he frames as a practical reaction to congressional gridlock. The split highlights a growing fault line within the GOP between national tech laissez-faire advocates and state-centered regulators.
National lawsuits and the AI spotlight
Florida’s attorney general has also targeted AI companies in litigation, adding urgency to how candidates address safety and accountability. A high-profile lawsuit against a major AI firm accuses it of concealing risks tied to minors and criminal use, reinforcing calls from some corners of Florida politics for state-level action while Congress deliberates.
Between property tax reform and AI regulation, Florida’s current political moment combines intense budgetary choices with technolog y-driven governance questions. Lawmakers in the special session face a test: can they deliver meaningful tax relief while protecting the funding that sustains schools, public safety and local services, and will contenders for statewide office articulate practical frameworks for emerging tech risks as they race toward the 2026 cycle?
