The 2026 Florida Amendment Series: Amendment 3
Bottom Line: There will be three proposed constitutional amendments on Florida’s ballots in November’s general election. All three of those proposed amendments were referred by the Florida legislature. This is the third of the three proposed amendments set to appear on our ballots this year.
The title of the proposed amendment:
INCREASED HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION; LOWER CAP ON INCREASES IN NON-HOMESTEAD PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS—
The summary of the proposed amendment as it will appear on voter ballots:
This amendment increases the homestead exemption, for all non-school taxes, to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and adjusts for inflation thereafter. It requires the Legislature to prescribe a uniform procedure for counties and municipalities, for their respective levies, to increase the homestead exemption up to full assessed value, and allows special districts, subject to referendum approval, to do the same.
Persons who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026, will receive the existing homestead exemption upon qualifying for a homestead exemption, with the increased homestead exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution.
This amendment reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.
This amendment requires counties and municipalities to use property taxes solely for public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits for employees, and operations and administration. Other expenditures may be approved by county officers or county or municipal governing bodies unless prohibited by general law, notwithstanding Article VII, Section 9(a) of the Florida Constitution, which allows counties and municipalities to levy property taxes for their respective purposes. This amendment takes effect January 1, 2027.
A "yes" vote supports amending the state constitution to:
- increase the homestead tax exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with the amount indexed to inflation starting in 2029;
- provide that new residents receive a smaller exemption until they've lived in the state for five years;
- decrease the cap on how much the assessed value of non-homestead properties, such as rentals and commercial buildings, can increase each year from 10% to 5%, except for school district taxes;
- limit how counties and municipalities can spend property tax revenue on public safety, education, infrastructure, natural resource projects and flood control, local bonds, employee retirement benefits, and government operations; and other changes.
- A "no" vote opposes amending the state constitution to exempt additional homestead property taxes leaving the existing homesteaded property taxation schedule in place.
Support for Amendment 3 has been led by State Senator Bryan Avila who has said: Our nation was forged by pioneer patriots who left everything behind and risked their lives for the dream of living in freedom on their own piece of property. We agree with Governor DeSantis that having to continually pay the government for the right to live on your own property flies in the face of that dream. This amendment takes a historic step, providing meaningful relief for Florida families, while protecting businesses from extreme tax increases and safeguarding local funding for education, law enforcement, infrastructure, and other essential government functions.
Opposition to Amendment 3 has been voiced by Sadaf Knight, CEO of the Florida Policy Institute, who has said: State lawmakers should be focused on real solutions to Florida's affordability issues, which include skyrocketing health care and energy costs. Unfortunately, this property tax reform measure does not represent cost savings, but rather a cost shift — one that will force local lawmakers to cut local services that families rely upon or increase other taxes and fees to make up for the missing revenue. In either case, everyday Floridians ultimately pay the price for the massive loss in property tax revenue.
My recommendation is a “Yes” vote on Amendment 3. I've provided extensive research into the audacious property taxation by taxing authorities that defies any possible justification within just about any jurisdiction across this state. Broadly speaking the abusive taxation is best summed up this way. Since 2000, the population statewide has increased by 116%, while local tax collections have increased by 370%. In Palm Beach County, over the past decade, local tax collections have increased by 77% more than population growth, and the county, and the typical taxing authority within it, could operate on a fully population and inflation adjusted basis the way it did in 2019 – if we completely eliminated homesteaded property taxes which isn’t currently planned even if the amendment passes. Floridians have been abused by the existing property tax model. There is no analytical justification for the egregious increases in property taxation that have been imposed on property owners.
Then there's the principled argument. The premise of property taxation is false, and any effort to work towards the elimination of it should be seized upon by residents. If you must pay tax authorities whatever it is that they determine you owe annually to retain your property – or they'll seize your property from you... You don't own your property – you're only leasing it from the taxing authorities. If there is a more anti-American concept that's in common practice I haven't found it. This is an easy yes and should be for every Floridian who believes that you, not local governments, should own what is supposed to be your home.
Proposed amendments require a minimum of 60% voter support to pass.