TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida voters now have another way to crunch the numbers on Amendment 3, though the math still comes with plenty of political variables.
Florida TaxWatch, the nonpartisan watchdog behind Florida’s annual “Budget Turkey” list, launched a new online resource center Friday designed to explain the sweeping property-tax proposal before the November election.
Watch report from Forrest Saunders
“With Amendment 3 on the November ballot, there is much discussion and confusion related to this proposed property-tax measure,” Florida TaxWatch Chair David Casey said.
The Florida Property Tax Resource Center includes an interactive county map, local millage rates, frequently asked questions and estimates showing how much revenue local governments could lose if the amendment passes.
Think less crystal ball, more fiscal X-ray.
“This amendment would cut property tax locally by an estimated $45.8 billion over five years,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said.
What Amendment 3 would change
Amendment 3 would expand Florida’s homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. School property taxes would remain unchanged.
The proposal would also reduce the annual assessment-growth cap on non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%. That category includes rental homes, second homes and commercial properties.
The measure must receive at least 60% support from voters to become part of the Florida Constitution.
TaxWatch has not yet taken an official position on the amendment. Kottkamp said the organization will announce its recommendation in a broader constitutional amendment guide expected next month.
No personalized estimate
One feature missing from the new resource center is a calculator showing how much an individual homeowner could save.
TaxWatch said such a figure would be too speculative because cities and counties could respond to the revenue loss by cutting services, increasing millage rates or imposing new fees and special assessments.
However, a private calculator we previously featured allows homeowners to enter their taxable value and local millage rates to generate an estimate.
The tool was created by Casey Vockell of My Exemption Check.
“The impact to the local taxing authorities is going to be bad, but the benefit to the taxpayer is not going to be nearly as big as one might think,” Vockell said.
In one example, the calculator found that a Hillsborough County home assessed at $500,000 could save less than $209 per month by 2028.
The estimate does not account for any later decisions by local governments that could reduce or offset those savings.
Opponents warn of service cuts
The amendment’s critics argue the proposal would shift costs rather than eliminate them, potentially forcing communities to reduce spending on police, firefighters, emergency medical services, libraries and other local programs.
“The language on voters’ ballots may have changed, but that doesn’t change the fact that Amendment 3 is still a scam and a tax shift,” said Jackson Peel with Save Our Services. “That’s either going to raise our costs or take away services that Floridians rely on every day.”
The ballot summary was recently rewritten after a Leon County judge found the Legislature’s original wording biased and misleading. The ruling did not remove the amendment from the ballot.
DeSantis promises help for rural counties
Supporters, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, argue local governments can absorb the reductions by trimming spending. DeSantis has also promised state assistance for rural and fiscally constrained counties.
If the amendment passes, DeSantis said lawmakers would need to return to Tallahassee for a special session to implement it. That would leave a short window before he leaves office in January.
“I’d hate for people to deprive themselves of a really significant tax break because you think somehow they’re not going to have money to have a police force or something,” DeSantis said.
Despite the governor’s backing, passage is not guaranteed. Amendment 3 must clear Florida’s 60% constitutional threshold in November.
For voters, the new TaxWatch center supplies more numbers. The central question remains the same: How much stays in homeowners’ wallets, and what might disappear from their communities?
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