Gov. Ron DeSantis said last week he plans to call a special legislative session to provide property-tax relief to people affected by Hurricane Ian, with the session possibly addressing property-insurance issues.
DeSantis did not immediately release the executive order and did not take questions during the appearance. However, the market continues to sputter, with homeowners flooding into the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. for coverage. “Obviously, we will need to see what they propose,” Driskell, who will become minority leader after the November elections, said in a statement. “Our last special session was specifically about property insurance, and it didn’t even come close to solving the problem. We’ll need to see specific plans and how they’ll actually help the people of Florida. This is not the time for half-measures.”
DeSantis said the special session will be timed so lawmakers can retroactively allow residents who sustained damage from Ian to benefit from a tax change approved this year. That change, which will go into effect Jan. 1, is slated to offer property-tax rebates on residential properties rendered uninhabitable by catastrophic events.
“I do not have the ability as governor to eliminate property tax obligations,” DeSantis said. “So, this will delay that payment date.”