A new interactive online search tool launched Tuesday aims to give Floridians a localized look at how Amendment 3, a contentious property tax relief measure on the 2026 ballot, could dramatically decrease funding for critical public services in local communities around the state.
Created by the Florida Policy Institute, it allows the user to search by zip code, county or service to see how Amendment 3 could impact two-year funding for all public services, including special districts.
The online tool debuts at a time when the debate over Amendment 3 is intensifying as the Nov. 3 election draws near. Early voting begins Oct. 24.
If passed, Amendment 3 would increase the homestead property tax exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, and it would rise to $250,000 in 2028. The 10% cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties would be lowered to 5%.
It requires 60% support from voters to pass into law.
Opponents, including local government officials and law enforcement groups, warn it could cost billions of dollars in lower tax revenue that pay for scores of public services. Supporters, including Florida realtors, say it would give property owners long overdue tax relief at a time when the cost-of-living continues to climb and inflation is rampant.
The state created its own calculator allowing property owners to see their property tax savings by year under the proposed amendment.
The FPI app goes further, covering special districts that have not been noted in previous tools, FPI Research Director Esteban Santis told reporters at a virtual press conference Monday.
“If we look at the calculators that have been put out there, not all of them are accurate, and also they do not speak frankly to the cost,” Santis said. “They seem to frame this as benefits without giving the other side of the equation.”
READ MORE: 'Tighten belts': Miami-Dade officials back Amendment 3 - even as their own budgets grow
FPI analysts say their tool provides a deeper look at less publicized impacts, including those to conservation and water management. For example, the South Florida Water Management District stands to lose nearly $21 million in the first year after the measure sets in, followed by $43 million the following year.
The South Florida Water Management District manages water resources across 16 counties. It gets about a quarter of its money from property taxes. Created by the Legislature in 1949, it spearheads work in areas like flood control, water supply planning and ecosystem restoration.
Other South Florida conservation entities including the Miami-Dade Environmentally Endangered Lands and Central Broward Water Control District would also lose millions under the legislation, according to the FPI tool.
Sadaf Knight, the CEO of FPI, said cutting property taxes is “not the solution for our affordability challenges.”
“These are the services that actually do make our communities safer and more affordable for families, individuals, whoever who lives here,” she said. “With the loss of property tax revenue, communities will have to find ways to make up the gap, either by cutting or eliminating services, or finding other fees and assessments to raise the money to maintain those services.”
Mosquitos and beaches
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, a 75-employee special taxing district created to combat mosquitos through source reduction, larval and adult control, and public education, would also lose funding.
The district would lose about $2 million in 2028, once the tax cuts take full effect. Its total budget for the fiscal year ending in 2026 was $32.4 million, meaning the cuts represent about 6% of its budget.
Beyond environmental concerns, watchdogs are also warning about the amendment’s impact on public services in South Florida cities. Among the state’s 18 special library districts, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade will see the second- and third-largest funding losses, respectively. They are set to lose $41.6 million and $32.5 million over two years.
Beachgoers could also feel the squeeze. Greater Boca Beach Park in Palm Beach will see the second-largest funding loss among all special districts in the state for Beaches, Parks and Recreation. It will lose nearly $12 million over two years, only behind Polk County Parks, which will lose over $19 million.
Amendment 3 supporters say the measure will provide overdue tax relief for Florida families struggling to afford their homes. The median real estate taxes paid by Florida homeowners rose 73% from 2015 to 2024, according to the American Community Survey — a faster increase than the national average.
Although local millage rates have largely remained steady, taxable value can still rise due to market factors like inflation. According to Florida TaxWatch, the amendment would cut $45 billion in local property taxes over five years.
Recent statewide polling shows many Floridians remain undecided on Amendment 3.
About 25% of those polled in a St. Pete Polls survey released earlier this month had not made up their minds. About 45% supported it and 30% opposed it.
A University of North Florida poll released Monday found Floridians are more concerned about property insurance than property taxes. The survey of more than 1,500 Florida homeowners found 63% of respondents said they were more concerned about insurance, while 36% said taxes were a greater concern.
“A lot of this is very divorced from what people are upset about when it comes to the cost of housing in the country,” said Rita Jefferson, a senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy who collaborated with FPI on the online calculator.
