Ron DeSantis flies to Bartow the day before Florida's special session on property taxes

Ron DeSantis flew from Tallahassee to Bartow Executive Airport on June 16, a 46-minute hop in the state-owned Cessna Citation Latitude N943FL. Bartow sits in Polk County, about an hour southwest of Orlando and well outside the usual Tallahassee-to-Miami or Tampa corridors.

The trip lands the Governor in the Tampa Bay region the day before a special legislative session he called on property taxes. Per [flgov.com](https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2026/governor-ron-desantis-announces-special-session-property-tax-relief-unveils-save), DeSantis unveiled his “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” plan in Tampa on May 27 and ordered lawmakers back to Tallahassee starting June 17. The proposal would initially exempt the first $250,000 of a homestead's value and set a path toward full elimination. Bartow, like much of Polk County, is home to the kind of mid-sized homeowners most affected by rising assessments.

The Governor's flight pattern shows a man rarely far from the capital. Of his last five logged legs, four originated or ended at Tallahassee International. Today's deviation into Bartow, rather than a direct return to TLH, suggests ground-level politicking ahead of a session that will test whether 60 percent of each chamber can be persuaded to put a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.