OPINION:
For too long, Miami homeowners have been told that meaningful property-tax relief is “impossible.” Critics say eliminating the city’s homestead property tax simply can’t be done. They claim the numbers don’t work. They insist reforms are unrealistic, inconvenient or politically risky. This isn’t true for just the city of Miami; it is also what many say across the nation.
They’re wrong, and Miami is about to prove it.
The city of Miami’s portion of the homestead or primary home property tax represents only about 7% of the total city budget, roughly $101 million. Any city that claims it cannot find 7% in efficiency, waste or mismanagement is simply unwilling to govern responsibly. Miami is not a poor city; it is a poorly managed one, and homeowners have paid the price.
Earlier this year, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia revealed that Miami had overcharged its residents with $95 million in wasteful spending. Let that sink in: $95 million in unnecessary costs, or money the government never needed to take from families in the first place. If eliminating waste gets us within inches of the full amount, disciplined budgeting and competent management can bridge the rest without touching public safety, infrastructure or essential city services.
That is what strong leadership looks like.
A statewide vision with national implications
This effort is not happening in isolation. It aligns directly with the bold statewide property tax rollback championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is pushing a referendum next year to eliminate Florida’s homeownership property tax. Polling shows most voters overwhelmingly support the reform.
What Florida is preparing to do could reshape tax policy across America.
When a major U.S. city such as Miami demonstrates how responsible budgeting, spending discipline and modernized operations can replace antiquated property tax dependency, cities across the country will have no excuse left. Florida is not just leading; it’s pioneering a national movement to put homeownership back within reach for working families.
Cutting taxes is one side of the coin; fixing the system is the other
Miami must also repair its broken, slow and unpredictable permitting system, which strangles small businesses and kills investment. Entrepreneurs shouldn’t wait months or years to open their doors. Empty storefronts hurt neighborhoods, stall jobs and drain economic momentum.
A streamlined, technology-driven permitting process will let businesses open faster, hire quicker and reinvest in their communities. Government doesn’t create economic vitality; it unleashes it when it finally steps aside.
As a retired U.S. Army colonel, I was trained to solve problems, not make excuses. When I was in uniform, the mission mattered more than the obstacles, and failure was not an option. Miami deserves that same clarity and discipline from its mayor.
I know how to cut costs without cutting services and how to restructure government without risking safety. My experience at the local, state and federal levels taught me one core principle: Government must work for the taxpayers who fund it, not the insiders who profit from it.
A national moment begins in Miami
Repealing Miami’s homestead property tax and modernizing its permitting system is not just achievable; it is also essential. It gives homeowners long-overdue relief, forces government to live within its means and shows the rest of the country what real reform looks like.
Under Mr. DeSantis’ statewide initiative and local leadership, Florida is about to redefine what is possible in American tax policy: proving that bold reform isn’t theoretical. It’s operational.
This is Miami’s moment to lead the nation.
• U.S. Army Col. Emilio T. Gonzalez (retired) is in a runoff election for city of Miami mayor.
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