Likely Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds says Florida’s property tax system is getting a full rewrite next year, whether or not voters pass Amendment 3 in November.
The ballot measure would lift homestead exemptions on non-school taxes to $150,000 next year and $250,000 in 2028, with increases after that tied to the Consumer Price Index. It needs 60% support to pass. Donalds says he plans to pursue fixes to the state’s property tax structure either way.
“Whether it passes or whether it doesn’t, next year in the (Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission), we are going to bring proposals for a full and complete reform of property taxes and fees in Florida. We want to make sure that seniors on fixed income are not being taxed out of our state, and we want to make sure that young families, working families have the opportunity to build the Florida dream for themselves here in Florida. And we’re going to start that work next year,” Donalds said Friday in The Villages.
The Taxation and Budget Reform Commission is scheduled to convene in January for the first time in two decades, soon after the next Governor is sworn in. It could advance an amendment for the 2028 ballot.
Donalds has previously expressed concerns about the constitutional amendment, saying local governments could hike special assessments and non-ad valorem taxes to compensate. He also laments the lack of a funding formula to backfill lost revenue in the state’s fiscally constrained counties.
Florida’s 29 fiscally constrained counties are Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla and Washington.
If Amendment 3 wins at least 60% support, the Legislature would need to pass implementing legislation, and that could be a venue to consider fixes.
Some fiscally constrained counties could lose anywhere from a fifth to a third of their revenue in the coming years if voters pass the amendment, according to the Florida Association of Counties.
The Office of Economic and Demographic Research estimates $11.86 billion a year would eventually come out of local budgets, money that would likely come from services provided to residents.
When voters learn what those impacts are, support drops below what the measure needs to pass. A University of North Florida poll found 45% support among respondents who heard the fiscal estimate, down from 61% among those who heard only the ballot language. Among Republicans, 68% still back it.
With local governments and statewide police and fire unions opposed to the amendment, Donalds is walking a tightrope on an issue that could be a drag with the independent voters he will need in November’s General Election. Only 40% of NPAs who heard the fiscal impact say they will vote for the ballot item.
–A.G. Gancarski, Florida Politics
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