DeSantis Unveils Legislative Priorities in State of the State Address
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis used his State of the State address to present his priorities for the 2025 legislative session, touching on property taxes, insurance, and other measures.
DeSantis opened the 30-minute speech by highlighting past legislative accomplishments, giving due credit to the Republican-led Legislature. He followed the State of the State with a press conference.
One of the major focuses of the address was property taxes. DeSantis urged lawmakers to cut property taxes, eliminate the tax on business rents, and place a referendum on the 2026 ballot for property tax cuts. He emphasized that the government, and “we the people,” control taxes, and he is excited about providing relief to taxpayers.
He also asked lawmakers to reverse laws passed after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting in Parkland in 2018 that left 17 dead, including 14 children. The Legislature banned rifle sales to those under 21.
On the topic of property insurance, DeSantis advised lawmakers to avoid meddling with the adjustments made to property insurance laws in December 2022. He noted the arrival of 11 new companies along with some small rate decreases as proof that the reforms stabilized the market. “The fact is this the Florida Legislature has devoted more time and effort to address insurance reforms over the last few years than in the entire history of the state,” DeSantis said. “I hope that the Legislature continues these efforts.”
However, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, showed some resistance to DeSantis’s agenda. Both stated that they would hold insurance companies accountable for their rates. Democrats also expressed concerns about insurance carriers. House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa criticized DeSantis’s view of the property insurance market.
DeSantis also wants to see more sales tax holidays, including one this summer for firearms and ammunition. Perez, however, cautioned against proliferating sales tax holidays, instead pushing for more substantial, long-term tax cuts.
During a press conference, DeSantis expressed interest in re-evaluating the state’s red flag law, arguing that the burden should be on the government to prove a person is a threat, not the individual to prove they are not. Democrats expressed concerns that this would break a bipartisan agreement made after the Parkland massacre.
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the USA TODAY Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.
