When a community speaks, leaders listen — and tonight at the Bay County Delegation Meeting, the message was loud, clear, and refreshingly unified: it’s time for real property tax reform.
Guardians of Liberty Founder Stephen Despin attended the meeting hosted by State Senator Jay Trumbull and State Representative Philip Griffitts, joining a packed room of engaged citizens, local leaders, and advocates who came to voice concerns about the issues shaping Bay County’s future. What stood out most wasn’t just the crowd or the number of speakers — it was the alignment across so many voices on one core theme: Floridians are being crushed by rising property taxes, and something must be done.
Among the speakers was Rex Reid, host of the Bay Watch Florida Podcast, who put words to what many homeowners have been feeling for years — that rising assessments and runaway local spending are quietly driving up property taxes, even when millage rates stay the same. His remarks drew nods from many in attendance who’ve watched their annual tax bills climb higher and higher, even as they live on fixed incomes or modest wages.
And that’s the problem: the system is working exactly as designed — just not for the people paying the bills.
The Real Problem: Hidden Increases and Broken Accountability
Let’s start with the basics. Florida’s property tax system was designed to give local governments a stable funding source for essential services like schools, fire departments, and law enforcement. In theory, it’s simple — local governments set a millage rate, which is multiplied by your property’s taxable value to determine your bill.
But over time, counties and municipalities have found ways to quietly increase revenue without ever voting for a “tax hike.” How? By allowing property assessments to rise faster than incomes.
In Bay County, for example, property values have surged dramatically over the past several years — and while some of that reflects growth and recovery, the ripple effect is that average property tax bills have ballooned right alongside them. According to data from the Florida Department of Revenue, assessed property values statewide have climbed more than 60% since 2013, far outpacing wage growth or inflation.
Even for homesteaded properties, where annual assessment increases are capped at 3% under Florida’s “Save Our Homes” amendment, the effect compounds year after year. Meanwhile, non-homesteaded properties — including small businesses and rental homes — can see assessments jump by 10% or more each year, leaving owners little recourse but to raise rents or prices to keep up.
The result is a system that punishes stability and success. Homeowners who stay in their communities long term face ever-increasing tax burdens. New families looking to move in face higher valuations and limited housing stock. Small business owners are squeezed between rising commercial assessments and local fees that seem to multiply every year.
And all the while, local governments can proudly say, “We didn’t raise taxes.”
Technically true — but deeply misleading.
Why Eliminating Property Taxes Isn’t the Answer
During the meeting, some attendees raised another provocative idea: what if we just abolished property taxes entirely? It’s a question that surfaces often, especially from homeowners who’ve paid off their mortgages and wonder why they must keep paying taxes on something they “own.”
It’s a fair frustration — and one that deserves an honest, practical response.
Eliminating property taxes outright might sound appealing in theory, but in practice, it would cripple essential local services that depend on those revenues. Fire protection, police departments, public works, and infrastructure maintenance are all funded largely through property tax dollars. In Bay County alone, over 45% of the county’s general fund revenue comes directly from property taxes.
Without it, those services would have to rely entirely on state funding or new taxes elsewhere — which would shift power away from local citizens and into the hands of bureaucrats hundreds of miles away in Tallahassee. That’s not reform; that’s trading one form of dependency for another.
The smarter path forward — and the one Guardians of Liberty has been advancing — is to reform the property tax system from within so it works as intended: stable, predictable, fair, and accountable.
A Smarter Way Forward: The Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability Act
To that end, Guardians of Liberty has submitted draft legislation to several state legislators, titled the Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability Act — a comprehensive proposal that directly addresses the core concerns raised by citizens at the Bay County meeting.
This bill doesn’t seek to dismantle local government or gut public services. Instead, it provides a clear, data-driven framework for reducing property tax burdens and keeping them low long term — all while protecting seniors, disabled veterans, and the most vulnerable Floridians from being taxed out of their homes.
Here’s what the Act would do:
1. Establish Real Spending Accountability
Local government spending has ballooned in recent years — often faster than population growth and inflation combined. The Act would require every county and municipality to publicly disclose spending growth relative to population and inflation, creating a Spending Transparency Dashboard accessible to all citizens.
Before any millage rate is adopted, local governments would have to justify why they need more taxpayer money — in plain English, not bureaucratic jargon.
2. Create a Property Tax “Roll-Back + Cap” Formula
The legislation proposes a new formula limiting total property tax revenue growth to the combined rate of inflation and population growth — unless a local referendum approves a higher rate.
That means if your county’s population grows 2% and inflation runs at 3%, total revenue can only grow by 5% — not 10%, not 15%. Anything above that would require voter approval.
This simple formula would automatically drive millage rates down as assessments rise, ensuring homeowners and small businesses aren’t punished for appreciating property values.
3. Protect Seniors, Veterans, and the Vulnerable
The Act includes enhanced exemptions and protections for seniors on fixed incomes, disabled veterans, and low-income homeowners.
When assessments rise faster than income, these residents often face the impossible choice between paying their tax bill or covering essential costs like medicine and utilities. The bill would create automatic hardship caps and circuit-breaker provisions that freeze property tax growth for qualifying households, ensuring no one loses their home simply because they lived too long or served too faithfully.
4. Incentivize Local Efficiency and Fiscal Discipline
Under the Act, counties that reduce wasteful spending or improve service efficiency would earn “Taxpayer Dividend” credits — allowing them to reinvest savings into infrastructure or public safety without raising taxes.
Conversely, those exceeding the cap without voter approval would trigger automatic millage rollbacks in the following fiscal year. Accountability wouldn’t just be encouraged; it would be enforced.
5. Strengthen Citizen Oversight
Every county would be required to hold a “Taxpayer Accountability Hearing” before adopting its annual budget, giving citizens a direct platform to question spending priorities and demand justification for rate increases.
These hearings would have to be scheduled during accessible evening hours, recorded, and posted online within 48 hours — bringing sunlight to a process too often conducted behind closed doors.
Building Consensus, Not Division
What became clear during the Bay County Delegation Meeting is that this issue isn’t partisan — it’s personal. Whether you’re a retiree on a fixed income, a small business owner trying to make payroll, or a young family saving for your first home, property taxes touch every corner of life.
And yet, reform doesn’t have to mean division. It means acknowledging that Floridians want strong communities and safe neighborhoods, but they also want accountable local governments that live within their means.
As Stephen Despin noted after the meeting, “The goal isn’t to defund local services — it’s to make sure every dollar collected is a dollar truly needed and responsibly spent.” That’s the spirit behind the Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability Act: balance, transparency, and fairness.
This approach respects both the taxpayer and the essential worker. It honors the principle that liberty and responsibility go hand in hand — that citizens should have both the freedom to prosper and the assurance that their hard-earned money isn’t being wasted in government inefficiency or administrative bloat.
Community Momentum Is Growing
What’s remarkable about this movement is how fast it’s spreading. Across Florida, counties from Bay to Brevard, from Walton to Polk, are reporting similar frustrations: property assessments rising faster than incomes, tax bills creeping up despite “flat” rates, and local spending expanding faster than population growth.
In Bay County alone, total taxable property value grew over 10% in 2024, while inflation-adjusted household incomes barely kept pace. That’s unsustainable — and it’s driving ordinary people to the breaking point.
But here’s the hopeful part: momentum is building for change.
Community leaders like Rex Reid are using platforms like Bay Watch Florida to spotlight the issue. Advocacy groups like Guardians of Liberty are drafting real policy solutions. Local citizens are showing up, speaking out, and demanding better. And lawmakers like Senator Trumbull and Representative Griffitts are listening.
Change doesn’t happen from the top down — it happens when the people and their representatives find common ground on issues that affect real lives.
That’s exactly what we saw at the delegation meeting: not a clash of ideologies, but a coalition of neighbors united by a shared conviction that Florida can do better — and smarter — when it comes to how we tax and spend.
The Road Ahead
The Property Tax Reform & Spending Accountability Act has now been formally submitted to multiple state legislators, and Guardians of Liberty will continue engaging with lawmakers, county commissioners, and citizens across Florida to refine, advocate, and ultimately pass this vital reform.
The next steps are simple but crucial:
- Educate the public about how the system works — and how it’s failing them.
- Build coalitions with civic groups, business associations, and community leaders.
- Push for hearings and legislative sponsorship ahead of the 2026 session.
- Mobilize citizens to sign petitions, attend local meetings, and make their voices heard.
It’s a long road, but the foundation is being laid — right here, right now, in Bay County.
A Message to Every Floridian
If there was one takeaway from the delegation meeting, it’s this: people care. They care about fairness, about transparency, about being able to stay in their homes and keep their businesses open without being taxed into oblivion.
And that’s what Guardians of Liberty is all about — standing shoulder-to-shoulder with everyday Floridians who believe in accountability, efficiency, and protecting those who’ve given the most to our communities.
The path forward isn’t to abolish; it’s to reform.
It’s not about tearing down; it’s about building better.
Because in a truly free and fair society, the government should never grow faster than the people it serves.
And that’s exactly what this movement — and this legislation — aims to ensure.
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