Local governments in Florida would see a cut of $12 billion in tax money every year if voters approve Amendment 3 on November's ballot. That's according to an organization that is unveiling an online tool to find its impact on each county.
And local counties would see a reduction in revenue over the next two years ranging from $250 million in Sarasota County to $714 million in Pinellas to nearly $1 billion in Hillsborough County.
Sadaf Knight is executive director of the non-partisan Florida Policy Institute.
"Vital services in every part of our state will be impacted from water management, conservation, and infrastructure to things like emergency response, mosquito control, children's services, hospitals, and more," she said. "These are the services that actually do make our communities safer and more affordable."
ALSO READ: Florida's Amendment 3 could slash property taxes — and reshape local services
Backers of the tax cut say it would force local governments to trim bloated programs.
But Knight said this is not a solution to the rising cost of housing.
"We are facing a very real affordability crisis," she said, "but Floridians should know that cutting property taxes and putting funding at risk for so many critical local services is not the solution for our affordability challenges."
Amendment 3 must be passed by at least 60 percent of the voters on election day to take effect. It would increase the homestead tax exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with the amount indexed to inflation starting in 2029.
Florida is not the only state facing a similar property tax amendment.
According to Ballotpedia, in 2026, there are 13 statewide ballot measures in seven states related to property taxes. Four are related to property tax exemptions for homeowners; three for property tax assessments; four for property tax exemptions related to agriculture, business, and other non-residential uses; one for property tax rate authority; and one for restrictions on imposing property taxes.
ALSO READ: Amendment 3 promises property tax relief. What would it cost the Suncoast?
On May 16, voters defeated Louisiana Amendment 4. The remaining 12 measures will appear on the November 3 ballot in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wyoming.
Rita Jefferson is a senior analyst at the nonprofit Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy.
"This property tax elimination has been added to the Republican Party platforms in both Idaho and Indiana," she said. "These property tax cuts are really popular with legislators across the country right now, despite being very poorly matched to the real causes of why housing is getting really, really expensive in our country."
"Enormous tax cuts passed last year in Texas and Wyoming, and this year, Iowa and Georgia have already passed legislative property tax cuts," Jefferson said. "Iowa has created a revenue cap for local governments, and Georgia's cap holds down those property tax assessments to inflation."
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