Reeves open to property tax reform amid ongoing state audit
By T.S. Strickland
October 8, 2025 at 10:17 AM CDT
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves on Tuesday opened the door to property tax reform, saying he is prepared to engage in a practical, statewide discussion even as a high‑profile state audit campaign continues to scrutinize local spending across Florida.
Reeves framed the issue in terms of trade‑offs rather than absolutes. He said he supports a serious look at changes that could ease the burden on homeowners while preserving the revenue cities use to fund police, fire, parks, and other basic services.
“If the goal of the discussion is to have property tax reform, let's talk,” he told reporters at his weekly press briefing.
The comments come as state leaders promote the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a new initiative that highlights line items it labels wasteful and links them to rising property tax bills. Reeves said he sees those efforts as part of a larger push toward tax reform, but he urged policymakers to move beyond slogans. He warned that eliminating property taxes entirely or refusing any change at all are both unrealistic poles.
“It’s this all‑or‑nothing kind of rhetoric that I think is not getting us where we’re needing to go,” he said.
Reeves did not endorse a specific plan. Instead, he outlined principles: any reform should balance relief with the need to sustain essential services, and it should consider targeted measures for people on fixed incomes. He pointed to seniors whose homes are homesteaded as one group that might merit relief.
“What do we do for senior citizens who’ve paid off their house and it’s homesteaded?” he said.
The mayor also pressed for substance over theatrics.
“I’m looking forward to getting to the substantive conversation,” he said.
DOGE has examined spending in Pensacola in recent weeks, part of a broader wave of scrutiny in cities around the state. Locally, the debate has centered on cultural and planning expenditures that the city has defended as either revenue‑positive or funded by sources other than city property taxes. Reeves said the city has cooperated extensively with the state and emphasized transparency.
He described the workload in unusually specific terms, saying the city has dedicated dozens of employees and produced tens of thousands of records.
“We had a team stop and drop what they were doing: 47 people, 60,000 emails, 50 miles of paperwork that had to be done very, very quickly,” Reeves said. He added that City Hall is audited annually and will continue to answer questions from state officials.
“We’ve got nothing to hide here," he said. "We’re forensically audited every year."
At the same time, Reeves said the city has not been shown a formal audit report and did not receive advance notice of the claims aired publicly by state officials.
“I haven’t seen a report," he said, "and we haven’t heard a date or timeline on a report."
Reeves framed the issue in terms of trade‑offs rather than absolutes. He said he supports a serious look at changes that could ease the burden on homeowners while preserving the revenue cities use to fund police, fire, parks, and other basic services.
“If the goal of the discussion is to have property tax reform, let's talk,” he told reporters at his weekly press briefing.
The comments come as state leaders promote the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a new initiative that highlights line items it labels wasteful and links them to rising property tax bills. Reeves said he sees those efforts as part of a larger push toward tax reform, but he urged policymakers to move beyond slogans. He warned that eliminating property taxes entirely or refusing any change at all are both unrealistic poles.
“It’s this all‑or‑nothing kind of rhetoric that I think is not getting us where we’re needing to go,” he said.
Reeves did not endorse a specific plan. Instead, he outlined principles: any reform should balance relief with the need to sustain essential services, and it should consider targeted measures for people on fixed incomes. He pointed to seniors whose homes are homesteaded as one group that might merit relief.
“What do we do for senior citizens who’ve paid off their house and it’s homesteaded?” he said.
The mayor also pressed for substance over theatrics.
“I’m looking forward to getting to the substantive conversation,” he said.
DOGE has examined spending in Pensacola in recent weeks, part of a broader wave of scrutiny in cities around the state. Locally, the debate has centered on cultural and planning expenditures that the city has defended as either revenue‑positive or funded by sources other than city property taxes. Reeves said the city has cooperated extensively with the state and emphasized transparency.
He described the workload in unusually specific terms, saying the city has dedicated dozens of employees and produced tens of thousands of records.
“We had a team stop and drop what they were doing: 47 people, 60,000 emails, 50 miles of paperwork that had to be done very, very quickly,” Reeves said. He added that City Hall is audited annually and will continue to answer questions from state officials.
“We’ve got nothing to hide here," he said. "We’re forensically audited every year."
At the same time, Reeves said the city has not been shown a formal audit report and did not receive advance notice of the claims aired publicly by state officials.
“I haven’t seen a report," he said, "and we haven’t heard a date or timeline on a report."