Florida voters in November will vote on Amendment 3, which would create a pathway for non-school property tax elimination in the state. If passed, the measure would cost local governments $13.7 billion in the first two years alone.
A new calculator launched this week by the Florida Policy Institute breaks down the impact on Florida communities. The tool, which is powered by ITEP data, can be used by government officials, concerned residents, or advocates to better understand how this proposal to eliminate non-school property taxes would jeopardize funding for important services. Hospitals, libraries, mosquito abatement districts, and other basic amenities could be weakened by Amendment 3. Through this calculator, Floridians can search by county, ZIP code, or a specific service like fire rescue to see the impact of Amendment 3 on their community.
Amendment 3 was put forth by the Florida legislature after initial calls to eliminate all property taxes across the state by Gov. Ron DeSantis. If passed, the measure would increase the state’s homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028 and index it to inflation.
The measure would also lower the cap on how much other properties’ assessed values could increase annually, from 10 to 5 percent. This even lower cap on assessments will drive a wedge between real property values and assessed values, which typically gives larger benefits to more valuable properties.
Anti-tax lawmakers have pushed expensive and irresponsible property tax cut proposals in recent years, exploiting real frustrations from families who are struggling to keep up with the increasing costs of housing, groceries, gas, childcare, and more. Many of these pushes appear on the ballot this November.
But we cannot cut our way out of an affordability crisis. Decimating local governments through irresponsible tax cuts will only jeopardize the public services that Floridians rely on. This calculator pulls the curtain back to show what is at stake.
