Amendment 3 Got Rewritten by a Judge, and Miami-Dade Has $445 Million Riding on November

Updated Nov 8, 2026: Voters approved Amendment 3 on November 3 with 61.98% statewide in the unofficial returns, due for certification on November 17. More in my November 8 post.

Updated Oct 15, 2026: this post first said newcomers get the $50,000 exemption for five years. The official text starts the larger exemption with the fifth year of exemption, so it is four years at $50,000, for anyone who is not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026. More in my October 15 post on the residency date. The $445 million estimate is now credited to its source, the Florida Association of Counties, next to the county's own figure.

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.

What it does

• The homestead exemption rises. Per the Tax Foundation's analysis of the joint resolution, the exemption starts at $150,000 in 2027, climbs to $250,000 in 2028, and is indexed to inflation from 2029. It applies to non-school levies only.
• The non-homestead cap drops from 10% to 5%. Landlords, second-home owners and commercial owners get a tighter annual limit on assessed-value increases starting in 2027. Almost nobody is talking about this part.
• Newcomers wait four years. Per the official text, people who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026 get a $50,000 exemption on non-school levies, and the larger exemption starts with their fifth year of exemption.

The polling problem

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.

My read

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 move after December 31, 2026, four years at the $50,000 exemption changes your carrying cost, and you should model it before you pick a closing date. And every homeowner should weigh the hole in the county budget, $445 million by fiscal 2028-29 on the Florida Association of Counties' estimate and $385.8 million in the first year on the county's own, 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.