Nearly half of Florida Republicans now believe the state’s top priority should be housing-related issues, according to a poll released Thursday by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab.
The poll also asked a random sample of about 800 registered Republican voters in the state about their preferences for governor and stances on various policy issues like immigration and recreational marijuana legalization.
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The survey also split concerns about housing into three separate choices: property insurance, property taxes and housing costs. Typically, these three are grouped together, but researchers sought more specific responses from surveyed Republican voters.
When it comes to the top issue facing Florida today, property insurance came in at 20%, housing costs at 16% and property taxes was 12%.
“If we group them all back together like we did back in February of this year, we’re up to 48% who chose one of those options, compared to 36% of registered Republicans in the spring,” said Dr. Michael Binder, UNF PORL faculty director and professor of political science.
Other top concerns included immigration (15%) and the economy, jobs and inflation (13%).
The survey also informed respondents that local governments in Florida receive about $40 billion in revenue from property taxes annually, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and that that revenue funds services like schools and law enforcement.
But when asked if they support or oppose eliminating those property taxes for Florida homeowners, 63% either strongly or somewhat support doing away with them. Interestingly, support for nixing property taxes was lowest among respondents aged 18 to 34.
“I’ve said it before: Floridians really don’t like paying taxes, especially the ideological right, and even with the knowledge that property taxes fund local schools and police, a solid majority of these folks would still get rid of them,” Binder said. “Younger voters seem to be less in favor, although still a slim majority. Maybe they see it as a problem for their parents, or maybe they’re concerned about a possible lack of public education funding for their own kids.”
2026 split?
The poll also found that the 2026 gubernatorial race is expected to be a close one, reflecting a schism in the party regarding who to support.
That’s not something that was indicated when a poll was conducted in the fall of 2024.
Florida first lady Casey DeSantis still took the top spot, with 32% of registered Republican voters who took the survey saying she’d receive their vote. Byron Donalds was close behind her, coming in at 29%.
“Casey DeSantis was an early favorite when we asked about this in fall of 2024 with 22%, ahead of Donalds with 9%, and 40% undecided, but after Trump’s endorsement of Donalds and as we get closer to August 2026, DeSantis’s lead has all but disappeared, now inside the margin of error for this poll,” Binder noted.
Binder adds that among those who voted in the last primary, Donalds has a 15-point lead on DeSantis, saying those voters are likely to hit the polls again in 2026, indicating that “the race might not actually be as close as it appears.”
DeSantis is ahead among women, Hispanics and Latinos, voters in north and central Florida, and those under 65. Donalds has the most support among men, respondents aged 65 and older, south Florida voters, and notably, among those who voted in the 2024 Florida primary, the poll found.
In the news
Respondents were also asked whether they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of several people, places, and organizations recently in the news.
President Donald Trump continues to be seen in a favorable fashion among his constituents, pulling in an 82% approval rating compared to a disapproval rating of only 14%.
Trump’s favorability in the poll was highest among white respondents, those aged 55 and older, and those who live in rural counties. It was lowest among non-white respondents, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, people aged 18 to 34, and first-generation immigrants.
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ approval rating topped the president’s by one percentage point (83%) and his disapproval rating was one percentage point better as well (13%), showing that their allyship is seen positively amongst the party’s supporters in Florida.
Regarding the controversial detention center in the Everglades, Alligator Alcatraz, 65% of survey responses said they had a favorable opinion, while 21% said they had an unfavorable opinion. Seven percent said they had never heard of the facility.
Immigration
In a related series of questions, respondents were asked their opinions about immigration policies at both the state and national levels.
When it comes to detentions and deportations nationally, 79% said they approve -- 59% strongly and 21% somewhat. Nineteen percent said they disapprove, either strongly or somewhat.
A quarter of those surveyed believe Florida’s immigration enforcement hasn’t gone far enough, while 17% said it’s gone too far, and the majority, 54%, think it’s been about right.
And three-quarters of surveyed Republicans are just fine with immigration authorities searching their communities for people they believe are in the U.S. illegally, while 22% expressed opposition.
But they expect authorities to get it right.
Of those surveyed, 74% said it would not be acceptable for the deportation program to mistakenly deport legal U.S. residents to foreign countries. Twenty-three percent, on the other hand, said that would be an acceptable outcome.
Dr. Sean Freeder, a professor of political science at UNF, found that while support for Alligator Alcatraz is high among Republicans, it’s notably lower among younger members of the party, particularly first-generation immigrants.
“Trump’s surprise level of backing from these groups was a key factor in his 2024 victory in Florida and beyond, so lower numbers within his party could pose a challenge going forward and may indicate there are limits to how far Trump can push on immigration without shedding youth and Latino support,” Freeder said.
Marijuana
To conclude the poll, survey takers were asked about the legalization of recreational marijuana, something that failed to pass in the most recent statewide election.
The new amendment slated for the 2026 Florida ballot specifically prohibits packaging and marketing that would be attractive to children, and bans smoking and vaping in public.
When asked how they would vote on that measure to allow adults 21 and older to possess, purchase, or use recreational marijuana, 58% said they would vote “no,” while 40% said they would vote “yes.”
In 2024, the amendment, which required a 60% supermajority to pass, failed to reach the threshold by four percentage points.
“It’s interesting that [Republicans in Florida] tend to support legalization in a broad sense, but when put to a yes or no vote, it doesn’t make the cut,” Binder said. “There could be some lingering effects from the state-sponsored campaign just before election day against the 2024 Amendment 3, which ultimately came just four percentage points short of the supermajority it needed to pass.”
For the full survey results, click here.
