Miami-Dade Holds Its Tax Rate Flat a Fourth Year and Puts a $385.8 Million Price Tag on Amendment 3

The county's proposed FY2026-27 budget keeps the operating rate at its lowest level since 1982. It also warns that state property tax reform could cost $385.8 million in year one.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released Miami-Dade County's proposed FY2026-27 budget on July 15, 2026. The county operating property tax rate is held flat for a fourth consecutive year, at what the release describes as its lowest level since 1982.

Flat rate does not mean flat bill. Pair that unchanged rate with a countywide taxable roll that grew 5.4%, and most Miami-Dade owners pay more next year without a single commissioner voting to raise anything. That is the part buyers relocating from other states consistently get wrong about Florida property tax.

The county put a number on the ballot measure

The budget release quantifies state property tax reform as a direct threat to county finances: $385.8 million in General Fund revenue at risk in year one, and nearly $697 million in year two, which the county frames as more than 10% of its General Fund. Whatever you think of the measure, that is the local government's own estimate of what it costs them, and it is on the record.

What else is in the proposal

• Efficiency savings. The release cites $42 million in efficiencies and costs reduced by $79 million.
• Headcount. More than 400 vacant positions eliminated.
• Constitutional Offices. Funded $66 million above last year's operating budget.
• Transit. $66 million in spending.

Final budget hearings happen in September before the Board of County Commissioners adopts the budget. The county's budget process page lists the second hearing on September 17, 2026, with the fiscal year starting October 1. I was not able to load that page directly, so treat the hearing date as reported rather than confirmed. Note also that this is the county budget. The City of Miami runs its own separate process.

My read

Two practical things. First, if you are underwriting a purchase, do not model next year's taxes off the seller's current bill. Model off the assessed value resetting at your purchase price, then apply the millage. That gap has killed more deals at the closing table than any rate move. Second, November 3 matters to your carrying cost. The county saying out loud that Amendment 3 removes $385.8 million in year one tells you the fight over how it gets backfilled is coming, and service cuts or fee increases are the usual answer. What the release does not contain: the total proposed budget dollar amount or the millage expressed in mills. I have not seen whether the commission adopted the proposal unchanged.