2026 Ballot: Vote No on Amendment 3

Amendment 3 is a tax shift that deepens inequality.

As written, Amendment 3 raises the homestead exemption for property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It also directs the Florida Legislature to eventually exempt homesteads entirely.

In practice, Amendment 3 would hand the biggest breaks to those who already own the most and shift the cost of local government onto the least resourced communities: renters, working families, and people who can’t afford to buy a home or can only afford a low-cost home. It decreases revenues for local governments, cuts local services, deepens racial inequities rooted in housing discrimination, and strips communities of the power to set their own priorities.

That’s why the ACLU of Florida urges voters to vote NO on Amendment 3.

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What’s at stake?

State economists estimate local governments and the communities they serve would lose approximately $5 billion in the first year and nearly $12 billion every year once the amendment is fully in effect. That estimate doesn’t count full elimination, which could cost counties up to 24% of their revenue and cities nearly 38% of their property tax revenue on average.

Nothing in Amendment 3 replaces that revenue, leaving already struggling communities with fewer resources.

Who benefits, and who pays?

“Black and Brown communities still living with the legacy of housing discrimination would pay twice: higher rents and lost services.”

—

Kara Gross, Policy and Advocacy Director  

Amendment 3’s benefits go only to homeowners, and the more valuable the home, the bigger the benefit. After generations of redlining and lending discrimination, Florida’s homeowners do not reflect Florida. About 75% of white households own their homes, compared with about 56% of Hispanic households and 48% of Black households.

The Other Costs of Amendment 3

It will cut our services and broaden state overreach.

Lifeline services are at risk. Property taxes fund public hospitals, emergency preparedness, fire rescue, sanitation, community centers, parks, and libraries. Florida’s public hospital districts, which pay for care for uninsured and underinsured patients, would lose an estimated $323 million over three years. Low-income Floridians, seniors, and people with disabilities have the fewest private alternatives and would feel these cuts first.

State control over local communities. Amendment 3 overrides local budgeting authority. Squeezed for revenue and stripped of options, local governments would depend on the Legislature and the Governor to fund local community services. Time and time again, we have seen the State strip funding for programs that don’t align with the Governor’s viewpoints or meet the needs of Florida’s diverse communities. Florida’s most underserved communities are harmed the most when this happens.

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Vote NO on Amendment 3

Join the civil rights groups, firefighters, police, educators, and business leaders who also oppose Amendment 3:

  • Civil rights, community, and faith: NAACP Florida State Conference; UnidosUS; Southern Poverty Law Center; League of Women Voters of Florida; Equal Ground Education Fund; Florida Rising; Florida For All; Progress Florida; Catalyst Miami; Community Spring; Florida Voices for Health; Florida Student Power; MomsRising/MamásConPoder Florida; Pastors for Florida’s Children; EduVoter Action Network; Families for Strong Public Schools; 1000 Friends of Florida
  • Fiscal policy and business: Florida TaxWatch; Florida Policy Institute; JAX Chamber; Seminole County Chamber of Commerce
  • Labor and education: Florida AFL-CIO; Florida Education Association; SEIU Florida State Council; SEIU 1991; AFSCME Florida; United Teachers of Dade; Florida PTA
  • Local government, law enforcement, firefighters, infrastructure, and libraries: Florida League of Cities; Florida Association of Counties; Florida Association of Special Districts; Florida State Fraternal Order of Police; Florida Professional Firefighters; Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association; Florida Fire Marshals & Inspectors Association; Florida Police Chiefs Association; Florida Library Association; Florida Engineering Society; American Council of Engineering Companies of Florida; Florida Association of County Engineers & Road Superintendents; Florida Rural Economic Development Association; Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association; Florida Festivals & Events Association