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

Updated Nov 8, 2026: Amendment 3 passed on November 3 with 61.98% statewide in the unofficial returns, due for certification on November 17. The county's Amendment 3 page puts the hit at about $385.8 million less in property tax revenue at current rates starting October 2027 and $696.7 million in October 2028; more in my November 8 post.

Updated Oct 15, 2026: the commission adopted the budget on September 17 with the operating rate flat at 4.57 mills, per Local10. I also corrected which Amendment 3 figure the county calls more than 10% of its General Fund: it is the first-year $385.8 million.

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, which the county says is more than 10% of its General Fund, and nearly $697 million in year two. 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.

The Board of County Commissioners adopted the budget at its final hearing on September 17, 2026, in a session that ran into the next morning: $14.26 billion, with the operating rate held flat at 4.57 mills, per Local10. The fiscal year started October 1. 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 did not contain: the total budget or the millage in mills. Local10's report on the final vote fills both in: $14.26 billion and 4.57 mills.