As early voting gets underway in Florida, one proposal to consider on the ballot would lower property taxes, but the seemingly simple move comes with huge ramifications. The advertisements for Amendment 3 are everywhere across the Sunshine State. “You can’t control rising costs, but you ca n control the cost of your government. Amendment 3 lowers your property taxes,” said an advertisement. “Property taxes fund public safety, period. Slash that funding, and the politicians will slash deputies, firefighters and 911,” said an advertisement sponsored by the Florida Sheriff’s Association. Back in June, both houses of the Florida Legislature voted to put Amendment 3 on the ballot. If approved, the measure would fundamentally change property taxes in Florida. The measure significantly raises the homestead exemption. Primary homeowners currently get a $50,000 exemption, which lowers their bill. Under this measure, the exemption goes up to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, adjusting for inflation after that. Homeowners would then be taxed on the remaining portion of their home’s value. “We at the Legislature for the past several years have been looking at affordability issues, and this is one of the keys, is property tax,” said Florida State Rep. Alex Rizo. The exemption only applies to non-school taxes, which would remain unchanged by this amendment. Property appraisers said it could save homeowners several thousands of dollars per year, but will likely cost local governments across the state billions in money that pays for public safety, transportation, parks, libraries and even services like mosquito spraying and animal control. What does this mean for voters’ tax bills? Here is an example of a City of Hollywood tax bill broken down under this measure: Homeowners of a property that was assessed at around $318,000 paid $1,897 in school taxes last year, which is not affected by Amendment 3. They paid $3,800 in taxes last year, which would go down to $2,400 in 2027 and $975 in 2028. They paid the City of Hollywood $1,988 last year, which would go down to $502. They paid the hospital district $21 last year, which would go down to $5. Proponents of Amendment 3 said government needs to learn to trim the fat. “This is a bipartisan issue. This helps everyone in our community. This puts tax dollars directly into everyone’s pocket that need it the most,” said Coral Gables Mayor Vince Lago. Opponents said cities and counties, especially those without a large commercial tax base, will have to get the money from somewhere. “I don’t want a tax break today if it means higher fees, higher costs or reduced services tomorrow,” said opponent Merle Malcom. “You know what? They’re not going to get a tax shift. They’re not going to get a tax cut. They’re going to get – their taxes are going to show up in their water bill and in their garbage collection fees,” said Jeff Brandes with the Florida Policy Project. The change must pass by 60%. Since it would become a part of the state Constitution, it would not be easily changed back. ...read more read less