April 9, 2026 • 8 mins
Floridians deserve lower overall costs of owning a home, not just trading one burden for another.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
You have questions, Brian has answers. It's time for today's
Q and AM. Today, this is the Brian Mud Show.
Yeah it sure enough.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Is property taxes versus property insurance in today's Q and
A brought to you by melisten Ases, check Mark Collections,
a feature listener of questions that are sent by on
With these methods, you may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Dot com, hit me up on social at Brian Mud Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Would also love for you to join us via the
iHeartRadio app. Just go into it and look for the
little microphone button on w jno Viro Patriot or the
Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Tap it and you can leave the message right there.
Maybe something for a future.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Q and I.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Today's note at Brian Mud Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am concerned about the focus on ending property taxes,
which would intern in the homestead exemption and portability for
primary residences. Homeowners insurance has escalated at a higher rate
forty percent than proper taxes thirty percent in Florida. Florida's
insurers do not offer any type of hedge or protection
like the homestead exemption or portability. Furthermore, property values in
(01:09):
Florida are on the decline, and property taxes will follow
when a property is reassessed. Property taxes are calculated based
on millite rate. On the other hand, Florida's insurers have
a history of having a free for all and passing
very minimal savings to Flardians. The narrative being shared about
(01:30):
auto insurance rates decreasing eight percent recently is a case
in point. They've increased twenty five plus percent since twenty nineteen,
from twenty one hundred and fifty dollars to twenty six
hundred and ninety four dollars average annual premium increaseer for
that period. The claim is that the tort reformer strategically
making it very difficult for consumers to seek legal recourse
(01:50):
when their insurance company is in the wrong worked. Many
homeowners are going to get a root awakening about this
after the next big hurricane. Rude awakening. There is so
much there. Today's note was sent to me by a
South Florida real estate agent. Not the true group, not
the true group, which I endorse, and that would not
(02:10):
endorse those trains of thought. Generally, there's no doubt that
property and auto insurance premiums have been and remained significant
concerns throughout the state. Now with that said, as always,
you have two sides of stories, one side of facts.
So let's apply them to the dynamics in play with
today's Q and A. Look, I do get the concern
(02:30):
Florida's homeowners are getting squeezed from every direction. That's been
an issue, right the home set exemption and portability say
our homes. I mean, they have been lifelines for a
very long time, and they do cap assessments. It's true
that you do not have insurance assessments that are capped.
You do have an Office of Regulation that has to
prove any increases, but you do have for home seated
(02:51):
properties annual increases at capped to three percent, not all taxes,
but some to three percent. Letting Floridians also transfer those
savings when they move. So yes, losing them might sound
scary on the surface, but if you cut through the
(03:11):
noise and look at the bigger picture. I mean, first
of all, it's kind of like the false premise, right
the push to end or dramatically reduce property taxes on
primary residences is not about stripping away your protections. Right now,
Oh my gosh, we're going to get rid of home
setting and portability. The point is you would not need
them anymore because you wouldn't have those taxes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
It's about fundamentally changing the way that we go about
funding local government, dealing with local government, handling the way
that we treat property, frankly in this state. And so
one of the things to know is that Governor de
Santis there had been some conversation around well, had he
backed down from his position of complete elimination of property taxes.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
The answer is no.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
This week he is reaffirmed that his stands is no
taxes on home sead of property.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Now, you're right.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
The person who submitted today's note that the homeowner's insurance
situation has been a nightmare as premium skyrocketed way faster
than taxes property taxes in recent years due to litigation, abuse,
fraudulent claims, hurricane risk, all those things. And as we've
talked about, there's not a cap on those increases. And
so here's where the comparison in today's Q and A
(04:28):
needs some correcting. First of all, the tortue reforms pushed
under De Santis are not failing. They are absolutely delivering.
Auto insurance rates are dropping. You mentioned the eight percent
plus that was just for one year.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
We're still seeing that continue.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
We're actually pacing, based upon what we're starting to see
with your two renewals, up to twenty percent relief. So
it was over at eight percent last year. It looks
like the cumulative two year effect could be pacing somewhere
between fifteen to twenty percent decreases. And I would ask you, Joe,
what have you seen in price decrease by somewhere in
(05:08):
the order of eight to twenty percent over the past
year and a half?
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Nothing?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, Auto insurance in the state of Florida one, that's it.
So thanks to curbing lawsuit mills and fraud, that's working.
Homeowners insurance is stabilizing two citizens. They've passed through average
eight point seven percent cuts and premiums, private carriers filing
(05:34):
decreases or freezes overall costs that are fourteen and a
half percent lower than they would have been without the reforms.
So none of this is like instant magic after years
of abuse. You have to get all the old lawsuits
out of the system and all of this. But it's working,
and we're actually seeing things continue to get better. And
so yeah, I mean would a big hurricane test the reforms,
(05:57):
no doubt, but the whole crisis was now brought about
because of hurricanes. That was the gasoline on the fire.
The problem is all the tort issues and so that
is working. And the premise that's advanced here is absolutely
false in that regard, less than thirty percent a property
tax revenue in Florida comes from homestead of properties, and
(06:20):
in Palm Beach County, for example, it's fifteen percent. As
I've articulated previously, my analysis after the Palm Beach County
do dojotted, I illustrated how all you would have to
do on an inflation adjusted basis is run the local
governments the way you did in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
All you have to do is go back to writing
things so you did in twenty nineteen. You could eliminate
homestead of property taxes in the state of Florida. Joel,
what do you want to do that?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Do you even notice the differences in local government offerings
between twenty nineteen and today? No?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Do you in Keen points to anything?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
No, So all we need to do is go back
to the way the governments we're running in twenty nineteen
again on an inflation adjusted basis, and you can eliminate
homestead of property taxes. Would you accept that deal today
if we're handed to you, Yes, yeah. But what happens
is all the misleading stuff like what's in today's note
that tries to confuse people talk about issues that aren't real,
and then you conflate things when it's eminently doable, again
(07:20):
in the context with which I just put it to you.
So the core issue is not pitting taxes against insurance.
It is overall housing affordability. Both have risen, but government
can't control whether or global reinsurance markets the way it
can control its own spending and tax policy. Eliminating or
slashing homestead of property taxes would deliver direct, predictable relief
(07:42):
every single year, without any variables that are completely outside
of our control. Portability and the exemption are band aids
on a system where government takes a cut of your
home every single year. It is demonstrably better to reduce
the take at the source. Reform the way we go
about running local governments. Real relief comes from getting rid
(08:04):
of government bloat, so you don't need exemptions in the
first place to protect you from the government bloat and
try to keep a roof over your head. And as
I've outlined previously, for me, it's fundamental beyond all that,
because it is fundamentally wrong to tax property. You would
tell anybody to pound sand, including you, the realator who
sent me this.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
You would tell anybody to pounce sand.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
If the government, your local governments came to you and
said you have to pay us X amount of tax
to keep the things for inside your home every year
in your car for that matter too, you tell them
to go away. But you, somehow or another, think it's
okay that they can do that with your home. You
keep the stuff in your home. You just can't keep
the home unless you do that. How bad crap crap
insane is that? So I'm tired of special interest conflating
(08:49):
and everything else. So are two sides of stories, one
side of facts. Those are the facts, and let's get
these things reformed.
You have questions, Brian has answers. It's time for today's
Q and AM. Today, this is the Brian Mud Show.
Yeah it sure enough.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Is property taxes versus property insurance in today's Q and
A brought to you by melisten Ases, check Mark Collections,
a feature listener of questions that are sent by on
With these methods, you may email me Brian Mud at iHeartMedia.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Dot com, hit me up on social at Brian Mud Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Would also love for you to join us via the
iHeartRadio app. Just go into it and look for the
little microphone button on w jno Viro Patriot or the
Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 1 (00:39):
Tap it and you can leave the message right there.
Maybe something for a future.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
Q and I.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Today's note at Brian Mud Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
I am concerned about the focus on ending property taxes,
which would intern in the homestead exemption and portability for
primary residences. Homeowners insurance has escalated at a higher rate
forty percent than proper taxes thirty percent in Florida. Florida's
insurers do not offer any type of hedge or protection
like the homestead exemption or portability. Furthermore, property values in
(01:09):
Florida are on the decline, and property taxes will follow
when a property is reassessed. Property taxes are calculated based
on millite rate. On the other hand, Florida's insurers have
a history of having a free for all and passing
very minimal savings to Flardians. The narrative being shared about
(01:30):
auto insurance rates decreasing eight percent recently is a case
in point. They've increased twenty five plus percent since twenty nineteen,
from twenty one hundred and fifty dollars to twenty six
hundred and ninety four dollars average annual premium increaseer for
that period. The claim is that the tort reformer strategically
making it very difficult for consumers to seek legal recourse
(01:50):
when their insurance company is in the wrong worked. Many
homeowners are going to get a root awakening about this
after the next big hurricane. Rude awakening. There is so
much there. Today's note was sent to me by a
South Florida real estate agent. Not the true group, not
the true group, which I endorse, and that would not
(02:10):
endorse those trains of thought. Generally, there's no doubt that
property and auto insurance premiums have been and remained significant
concerns throughout the state. Now with that said, as always,
you have two sides of stories, one side of facts.
So let's apply them to the dynamics in play with
today's Q and A. Look, I do get the concern
(02:30):
Florida's homeowners are getting squeezed from every direction. That's been
an issue, right the home set exemption and portability say
our homes. I mean, they have been lifelines for a
very long time, and they do cap assessments. It's true
that you do not have insurance assessments that are capped.
You do have an Office of Regulation that has to
prove any increases, but you do have for home seated
(02:51):
properties annual increases at capped to three percent, not all taxes,
but some to three percent. Letting Floridians also transfer those
savings when they move. So yes, losing them might sound
scary on the surface, but if you cut through the
(03:11):
noise and look at the bigger picture. I mean, first
of all, it's kind of like the false premise, right
the push to end or dramatically reduce property taxes on
primary residences is not about stripping away your protections. Right now,
Oh my gosh, we're going to get rid of home
setting and portability. The point is you would not need
them anymore because you wouldn't have those taxes.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Right.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
It's about fundamentally changing the way that we go about
funding local government, dealing with local government, handling the way
that we treat property, frankly in this state. And so
one of the things to know is that Governor de
Santis there had been some conversation around well, had he
backed down from his position of complete elimination of property taxes.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
The answer is no.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
This week he is reaffirmed that his stands is no
taxes on home sead of property.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Now, you're right.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
The person who submitted today's note that the homeowner's insurance
situation has been a nightmare as premium skyrocketed way faster
than taxes property taxes in recent years due to litigation, abuse,
fraudulent claims, hurricane risk, all those things. And as we've
talked about, there's not a cap on those increases. And
so here's where the comparison in today's Q and A
(04:28):
needs some correcting. First of all, the tortue reforms pushed
under De Santis are not failing. They are absolutely delivering.
Auto insurance rates are dropping. You mentioned the eight percent
plus that was just for one year.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
We're still seeing that continue.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
We're actually pacing, based upon what we're starting to see
with your two renewals, up to twenty percent relief. So
it was over at eight percent last year. It looks
like the cumulative two year effect could be pacing somewhere
between fifteen to twenty percent decreases. And I would ask you, Joe,
what have you seen in price decrease by somewhere in
(05:08):
the order of eight to twenty percent over the past
year and a half?
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Nothing?
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Yeah, Auto insurance in the state of Florida one, that's it.
So thanks to curbing lawsuit mills and fraud, that's working.
Homeowners insurance is stabilizing two citizens. They've passed through average
eight point seven percent cuts and premiums, private carriers filing
(05:34):
decreases or freezes overall costs that are fourteen and a
half percent lower than they would have been without the reforms.
So none of this is like instant magic after years
of abuse. You have to get all the old lawsuits
out of the system and all of this. But it's working,
and we're actually seeing things continue to get better. And
so yeah, I mean would a big hurricane test the reforms,
(05:57):
no doubt, but the whole crisis was now brought about
because of hurricanes. That was the gasoline on the fire.
The problem is all the tort issues and so that
is working. And the premise that's advanced here is absolutely
false in that regard, less than thirty percent a property
tax revenue in Florida comes from homestead of properties, and
(06:20):
in Palm Beach County, for example, it's fifteen percent. As
I've articulated previously, my analysis after the Palm Beach County
do dojotted, I illustrated how all you would have to
do on an inflation adjusted basis is run the local
governments the way you did in twenty nineteen.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
All you have to do is go back to writing
things so you did in twenty nineteen. You could eliminate
homestead of property taxes in the state of Florida. Joel,
what do you want to do that?
Speaker 1 (06:44):
Yeah? Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
Do you even notice the differences in local government offerings
between twenty nineteen and today? No?
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Do you in Keen points to anything?
Speaker 2 (06:57):
No, So all we need to do is go back
to the way the governments we're running in twenty nineteen
again on an inflation adjusted basis, and you can eliminate
homestead of property taxes. Would you accept that deal today
if we're handed to you, Yes, yeah. But what happens
is all the misleading stuff like what's in today's note
that tries to confuse people talk about issues that aren't real,
and then you conflate things when it's eminently doable, again
(07:20):
in the context with which I just put it to you.
So the core issue is not pitting taxes against insurance.
It is overall housing affordability. Both have risen, but government
can't control whether or global reinsurance markets the way it
can control its own spending and tax policy. Eliminating or
slashing homestead of property taxes would deliver direct, predictable relief
(07:42):
every single year, without any variables that are completely outside
of our control. Portability and the exemption are band aids
on a system where government takes a cut of your
home every single year. It is demonstrably better to reduce
the take at the source. Reform the way we go
about running local governments. Real relief comes from getting rid
(08:04):
of government bloat, so you don't need exemptions in the
first place to protect you from the government bloat and
try to keep a roof over your head. And as
I've outlined previously, for me, it's fundamental beyond all that,
because it is fundamentally wrong to tax property. You would
tell anybody to pound sand, including you, the realator who
sent me this.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
You would tell anybody to pounce sand.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
If the government, your local governments came to you and
said you have to pay us X amount of tax
to keep the things for inside your home every year
in your car for that matter too, you tell them
to go away. But you, somehow or another, think it's
okay that they can do that with your home. You
keep the stuff in your home. You just can't keep
the home unless you do that. How bad crap crap
insane is that? So I'm tired of special interest conflating
(08:49):
and everything else. So are two sides of stories, one
side of facts. Those are the facts, and let's get
these things reformed.
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