State officials used all 10 days a judge gave in his ruling to rewrite language that Florida voters would see on their November ballots on tax relief for homesteaded properties.
By Aug. 13, Attorney General James Uthmeier submitted a more straightforward version of Amendment 3 to Secretary of State Cory Byrd. Language in the second version is a change from the “political flier” plaintiffs said the original represented when they filed lawsuits in June. Circuit Judge David Frank, who presided over the case, sided with various parties that sued and called the original draft “akin to a political slogan.”
This year’s property tax constitutional amendment was put on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, which met in a special session to mull the governor’s proposal. Voting on party lines, the Republican-controlled Legislature approved a slightly different version by safeguarding property tax dollars for school districts.
As Uthmeier’s redrafted version states, the amendment would increase the homestead exemption for all non-school taxes from the current $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It would then be adjusted for inflation in 2029 and the ensuing years.
In addition, the amendment requires the Legislature to set procedures for counties and municipalities to completely eliminate property tax on homesteads by increasing the exemption to a property’s full assessed value.
Ballot language written by Uthmeier states counties and municipalities will use property taxes “solely for public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits for employees, and operations and administration.”
Amendment 3 also lowers the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties, like businesses and secondary homes, from 10% to 5%.
Parties have 10 days to challenge the revised version. Frank would preside over any additional challenges.
If no challenges are made, the rewritten language for Amendment 3 would head to the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The measure needs 60% of Florida voters to say “yes” before taking effect.
During a recent press conference, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he hopes the amendment passes even though it’s not as ambitious as he hoped. He noted how the state hasn’t seen a major increase in the homestead exemption since 1980, when it went from $5,000 to $25,000
“I think the taxpayers deserve the relief, quite frankly,” he said.
But several organizations are warning of possible repercussions if the amendment passes. The Florida Chamber of Commerce said local governments could shift the tax burden onto nonhomesteaded properties, including local businesses and working families and individuals who rent homes.
“This tax shift is already occurring as nonhomestead properties pay 65% of all property taxes collected and homestead properties have a 3% cap on the allowable annual increase of the assessed value versus 10% for non-homesteaded properties, such as local businesses and renters.”
The Florida Sheriffs Association issued a statement on social media earlier in the month, stating the amendment allows “Tallahassee to control your local budgets.” The Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association said the amendment creates uncertainty regarding future funding for fire protection, emergency medical services and disaster response without identifying a sustainable replacement revenue source.
DeSantis said he thinks the arguments against the measure are basically an “argument to say government needs come before the needs of taxpayers.
“That’s not the way our system was designed,” he said.
