'Sounds very Mamdani': DeSantis embraces tax-the-rich message on property taxes

Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald on Jun 3, 2026

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis built his political brand by railing against illegal immigration, “woke” ideology and progressive tax reforms. Now, as he campaigns to slash property taxes, the term-limited Republican is selling a new message more commonly associated with the political left: Let the rich pay more.

DeSantis has increasingly embraced that message as he pushes a sweeping overhaul of Florida’s property tax system, arguing that wealthy snowbirds, investors and owners of luxury properties should shoulder more of the tax burden so that homesteaded Floridians can pay less — or eventually nothing at all.

“Tax someone rich. If some billionaire from Brazil is buying, tax them. Good, that’s fine with me,” he said last week. “I’m looking out for the Floridians here.”

The governor’s pitch is laced with a pinch of political irony: DeSantis and fellow Republicans are selling a tax proposal designed to protect middle-class homeowners by preserving taxes on wealthy property owners and second-home buyers. Democrats, meanwhile, say the rhetoric sounds strikingly similar to the populist arguments advanced by the very progressives DeSantis routinely attacks.

“It sounds very Mamdani of him,” said Democratic state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith of Orlando, referring to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist whom DeSantis has repeatedly derided as a “communist.”

DeSantis is not pushing for the same tax hikes on the uber-wealthy that the Mamdanis of the world have. In fact, the tax relief in the governor’s proposal would still benefit wealthy homeowners, and DeSantis has touted Florida as a safe haven for billionaires disillusioned with liberal strongholds like California and New York.

But the governor has repeatedly argued that Florida should capitalize on the resulting influx of wealth flowing into the state. Rather than taxing primary residences, he says local governments can draw revenue from tourists and wealthy out-of-state residents who purchase vacation homes in Florida.

He recently pointed to South Florida’s luxury real-estate market, noting that “some of the wealthiest people in the history of humanity” are buying homes in Miami and other coastal communities.

“Why would you want to have all this wealth come in and then just price middle-class people out?” DeSantis said. “I would capitalize ... on that wealth by relieving middle-class people of a burden so that they can actually afford to live in Miami-Dade like back when it was less expensive.”

Still, Democrats have seized on the governor’s rhetoric, arguing that DeSantis himself has framed the debate as one of shifting more of the tax burden onto the wealthy.

“Ron DeSantis stated it earlier this week: We need to tax the rich,” state Rep. Angie Nixon, a Jacksonville Democrat, told lawmakers Monday while pitching an amendment that would impose taxes on billionaires and individuals with more than $500 million in assets.

“If you really care about hardworking everyday Floridians here in our state, you would be in agreement with me, and you would definitely indeed tax these billionaires,” Nixon added.

Republicans swiftly rejected Nixon’s proposal, and GOP leaders appear more focused on framing the ballot amendment as a boon for middle-class homeowners. Some Republicans seem wary of adopting the political argument should rely more heavily on wealthy property owners, investors and second-home buyers while reducing costs for primary residents.

The sponsor of the House’s property tax bill, Rep. Toby Overdorf, told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t support a billionaire tax “in any way, shape or form. In fact, we’ve seen a tremendous amount of negativity toward that.”

“My Democrat compatriots have been talking about it being a tax shift. I’m focused on the savings associated with the Florida homeowner and what they’re going to be getting back in their pockets,” he added. “The choice of the revenue coming in is going to be the choice of that local area. Yeah, how they’re going to generate that revenue.”

Incoming House Speaker Sam Garrison said as much on Monday as lawmakers debated the governor’s proposal to dramatically expand homestead tax relief. The Clay County Republican said he is unconcerned if owners of multimillion-dollar waterfront properties continue paying taxes while lower-income homeowners receive relief.

He added that the best feature of the governor’s proposal is that it focuses on “just regular Floridians.”

“My district, my heart is with those folks who aren’t billionaires (and) don’t have million-dollar homes,” Garrison said, noting that all homeowners will receive the same exemption amount under the ballot measure. “We’re not picking winners and losers.”

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