Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a special session for next week, wanting lawmakers to consider redistricting, artificial intelligence regulations and expanding school vaccine exemptions.
A notable omission from the agenda: a property tax reduction plan.
This has long been a source of frustration for House Speaker Daniel Perez, who continued to vent over the weekend on WPLG’s “This Week in South Florida.”
"For the last 18 months or so, he's been saying to the public and on Fox News and on anyone that's willing to listen that he's going to abolish property taxes,” Perez said. “I'm still waiting for a proposal that has anything to do with property taxes."
Perez' chamber passed a big cut to the tax, but the Senate didn't touch it.
“The Senate did not take it up, and the governor didn't support it,” he said. “So the person who has started this conversation has kind of just been up in the air with the lack of a proposal, and time is ticking."
ALSO READ: DeSantis pushes redistricting as Democratic wins shake GOP outlook
Perez also says he thinks AI regulations should be left to the federal government and has concerns about vaccine exemptions: “In the middle of a measles outbreak, it's tough for me to all of a sudden allow for children in schools to not have the measles vaccine, to not have polio [vaccines], to not have chicken pox [vaccines],” he said.
The Senate passed an “AI Bill of Rights” during the regular session, despite President Donald Trump saying such regulations should come down from the federal government.
The chamber also approved a measure expanding school vaccine exemptions. Right now, students can be excluded from requirements for religious or medical reasons. The legislation added personal belief as a viable claim to opt out.
ALSO READ: Why Rep. Ryan Chamberlin wants to eliminate and replace Florida's property taxes
Those two bills died in the House.
There's still time for a property tax proposal. Voters would have to approve it in November.
Lawmakers also have to pass a budget this summer or face a partial government shutdown in July.
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This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
