Florida's property-tax overhaul survived a court fight over its ballot language. Here is what it actually does, who wins, who pays, and the five-year catch for anyone moving here in 2027.
In the first week of August, Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank ruled that the ballot title and summary for Amendment 3, Florida's property-tax overhaul, were “biased, misleading and, in several places, factually inaccurate,” and ordered them rewritten. Attorney General James Uthmeier filed replacement language in mid-August. The new title reads “Increased Homestead Exemption, Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments.” The slogan is gone. The measure is still on the November 3 ballot, and it still needs 60% to pass.
A University of North Florida poll fielded July 8 to 17 found support just over the 60% line, with 40% strongly and 21% somewhat in favor. Told the measure would cost local governments $11.86 billion, a two-year cumulative figure, strong support fell to 30%, somewhat to 15%, and opposition rose to 47%. Estimates of the annual revenue hit range from $4.6 billion to $4.95 billion in the first year and $8.4 billion to $8.78 billion in the second, depending on the source. Florida Realtors' board voted to back the amendment on August 23 and launched its Vote Yes on 3 campaign on September 9.
If you own a homesteaded house in Miami-Dade, this is a raise. If you own rental condos or a commercial building, the 5% cap is the quieter, bigger win. If you are one of my Canadian or out-of-state clients planning a 2027 move, the five-year $50,000 exemption changes your carrying cost, and you should model it before you pick a closing date. And every homeowner should weigh the $445 million hole in the county budget, because services and fees have to come from somewhere. I am not telling you how to vote. I am telling you to run the numbers on your own property both ways.
Send me the folio and I'll model the homestead and non-homestead scenarios for 2027 and 2028.
Run my scenario →Cover photography: Creative Commons / public domain — photo credits.
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