A Madison County official is worried about a plan promoted by Governor Ron DeSantis to cut state property taxes.
Clerk of Court Billy Washington told his legislative representatives Monday during a recent county delegation meeting that he has concerns about the issue.
Before saying his thoughts, Washington joked that speaking out isn’t easy.
“I'm too scared of DOGE to say too much stuff publicly. You know what I mean, because they're going to weaponize that thing against me,” he said.
As clerk, Washington’s duties include being the budget officer in Madison, a rural county in the panhandle that went to Donald Trump last election by 29 points. In the runup to the 2026 elections, Governor Ron DeSantis has been pushing to put a plan to cut property taxes on the ballot.
Washington said he personally would love to see his property tax bill shrink, but has not seen a plan about how local tax revenue would be replaced.
“I don't know how any of the replacement would not make us Madison County be beholden to the lawmakers in Tallahassee, where I just said, more than half of them are from South Florida, and they fight with each other all the time. I don't want to go over there and have to fight for funds whenever I feel like. As the budget officer, I'm as fair as I can be here in Madison, and I feel like I'm constantly getting thrown under the bus with all these other counties,” he said.
Washington said he’d prefer to see lawmakers target other costs that homeowners must pay.
“I would rather there be something done with homeowner’s insurance, though, before property tax relief, because my homeowners insurance about five times what my property taxes,” he said.
Florida has experienced rising property values across the state in recent years, leading to more tax collections.
However, the rate of property taxes on people’s homes has climbed slower, due to the Save Our Homes program that caps how much the value, for tax purposes, of someone’s primary residence can go up at a maximum of 3 percent.
Also at the delegation meeting, Madison County commissioners asked its legislative delegation to push for state funding for a new $1.8 million agricultural facility.
County Commissioner Donnie Waldrop said the current complex has damage and is stretching its capacity, and the new one would provide many benefits to county residents.
“The facility would utilize a variety of would be utilized for a variety of purposes, including livestock events, cattle shows, rodeos, farmers markets, multi developer things, as well as a possible emergency response staging area during natural disasters. Addition, the facility would provide space for UF and office to promote educational events relating to the farming and agricultural community,” he said.
This is the second year in row County officials are asking for the funds.