(The Center Square) — After the Florida House Ways and Means Committee filed a $43 million tax cut bill, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, assured voters this week that Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Senate and the House will come to an agreement on tax relief.
“We (have the same mission, we just have different ways of getting there,” Perez said. “If we don’t get there today, we will get there eventually.”
Perez started his availability by calling DeSantis a liar after he accused House members of not meeting with two women whose state trooper husbands were shot in the line of duty, one fatally.
Perez said that was a lie because he met with both women, had a “great conversation” and he took offense to DeSantis’ accusation.
“From the governor and it seems we’re getting into this regularity where he has a temper tantrum, he gets in front of a camera and he starts to do one of two things either spew lies and willingly choosing to lie about what he is telling people in front of a camera,” Perez said. “Or he is choosing not to read the bills or look at our budget. I’m not going to allow him to lie. I will speak my mind and give you my opinion. The House will not be bullied. Disagreements are OK, it’s what makes this country so special.”
The speaker did later sound a conciliatory tone, saying he considers the governor a partner, wants a professional and cordial relationship and that he’d never speak ill of him.
The House and the governor remain far apart on tax relief.
The House passed a sales tax cut bill in March that would slice the state’s rate from 6% to 5.25%, while DeSantis wants a one-time property tax rebate for homeowners and a ballot initiative to provide permanent relief on the 2026 ballot.
The House continues to examine more tax relief measures.
The Ways and Means Committee filed House Bill 7033, a committee measure that would exempt the sale of gold, silver and platinum bullion from the state’s sales tax and would have some changes with property tax assessments.
If HB7033 becomes law, a property appraiser would be required to present evidence to a homeowner at least 15 days before a hearing. The bill would also eliminate the requirement that it be done in writing and would allow a homeowner to attend the hearing either via videoconference or telephone.
The bill would also end the opt-out provision for what lawmakers term the affordable housing “missing middle” exemption from ad valorem taxes, thus making this provision of the 2024 Live Local Act mandatory for all Florida municipalities and counties.
“You have a House that passed the largest tax cut in the history of the state,” Perez said at post-session media availability Wednesday. “A budget lower than last year’s and a budget lower this his, (DeSantis) quite frankly. And he’s going to say we’re RINOs (Republicans in name only) and we’re liberals.”
The first-year House speaker said that of the veto overrides that DeSantis accused House GOP members of siding with Democrats, one of those projects was vetoed by the governor and later funded by him, which Perez said was “hypocritical and disingenuous.”
