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HB 617FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026Died in Ways & Means Committee

Property Tax Breaks for Wind-Resistant Home Improvements

Original title: Assessment of Property Used for Residential Purposes

December 3, 2025

Companion · SB 434same policy, Senate version

property tax housing wind mitigation home improvement Florida law taxation and finance

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Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently Died in Ways & Means Committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Procedural history

6 actions

Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroduced
1st Reading (Original Filed Version)
Dec 12, 2025House
Now in Ways & Means Committee
Dec 12, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to State Affairs Committee
Dec 12, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee
Dec 12, 2025HouseCommittee
Referred to Ways & Means Committee
Dec 3, 2025HouseIntroduced
Filed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

This legislation creates a financial incentive for residential property owners to harden their homes against storm damage by ensuring that the added market value of these improvements is excluded from property tax assessments.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Residential property owners

Homeowners who perform wind-mitigation upgrades will have the added value of those improvements excluded from their property tax assessments.

County property appraisers

Appraisers must exclude the value of specific wind-resistance improvements when calculating the assessed value of residential properties.

What changed

Current stage: Died in Ways & Means Committee.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Background

The bill was introduced during the 2026 legislative session but failed to advance out of the Ways & Means Committee. context

Summary

This bill prevents local governments from increasing a home's assessed property value due to improvements made to protect the structure from wind damage. Starting in 2027, homeowners who install features like storm shutters or reinforced roofs will not see their property taxes rise as a result of those specific upgrades.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my property taxes go up if I install storm shutters?

Under this bill, the increase in your property's value resulting from the installation of storm shutters would not be considered when determining your for tax purposes.

Does this apply to all home improvements?

No, it only applies to specific improvements made to increase a home's resistance to wind damage, such as roof reinforcements, storm shutters, and wind-resistant shingles.

When does this law start?

The bill specifies that the tax exemption applies to improvements made on or after January 1, 2027.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Wind Mitigation Tax Incentive

The bill represents a shift toward using property tax assessment exemptions as a tool to encourage private investment in disaster-resilient infrastructure.

Florida Legislature

Connected Entities

date2025-12-12“Date of committee referrals”Map →

organizationIntergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee“Subcommittee focused on intergovernmental relations”Map →

date2026-01-13“Date of the first reading of the bill”Map →

date2025-12-03“Date the bill was initially filed”Map →

organizationState Affairs Committee“Committee reviewing the bill”Map →

organizationWays & Means Committee“Current committee overseeing the bill”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz15
Current news / social attention level

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