‘Deceptive’ Amendment 3 could force tough choices on key services, local leaders warn

Several local government leaders met outside Miami-Dade County’s main library in downtown Miami Wednesday to speak out against Amendment 3.“Saying this plainly: If you are a senior who takes the bus that’s free, this matters to you,” Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert said. “If you are someone who is going to call (the) police and want them to get there in a reasonable time, this matters to you.”Championing the concept is Gov. Ron DeSantis, which, if approved by at least 60% of voters, would increase the exemption on homesteads ― primary residences owned by a permanent resident.The ballot measure would raise the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It would be subsequently adjusted for inflation.“It is deceiving. Amendment 3 is deceptive,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. “It is being presented like a simple tax cut, but it doesn’t eliminate the cost of providing services that our communities depend on.”Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo said the measure has “a lot of unintended consequences.”“It strikes me like a payday loan,” he said. “You have no idea what the interest is, what the charges are.”DeSantis has brushed off some concerns from local leaders as scare tactics.“I think what people are saying, if this passes, ‘Oh my gosh, you are not going to have law enforcement or any services or anything like that,’ and that is just not true,” DeSantis said.But critics argue that, as a budgetary gut-punch, Amendment 3 would result in local leaders facing tough choices — from cutting services to potentially raising taxes or fees elsewhere to make up for the revenue shortfall. For most municipalities, police and fire comprise a significant portion of local budgets.“And if communities are forced to raise taxes or fees to make up some of that lost revenue, then renters and small businesses would likely end up paying more, even though they never received the tax break in the first place,” Levine Cava said.DeSantis has argued cities and counties “are still getting way more property tax revenue than they were getting 7 to 8 years ago.”A recent report by Miami-Dade County’s property appraiser found that while estimated taxable value countywide increased year-over-year, the annual rate of growth is cooling.According to the Tax Foundation, homestead property accounts for a sizable share of Florida’s property tax base.According to the group, if voters approve the proposed constitutional amendment, a legislative fiscal analysis “estimates local government revenues could be reduced by $4.6 billion in the first year and by $8.4 billion in the second year, but the constitutional amendment includes no plan for how to pay for such a large tax cut.”“There is definitely a theory to the case that, yes, they are definitely not going to be able to raise spending. That is just true,” DeSantis said.That phrasing from the governor — a “theory to the case” — is in part what alarms some local leaders.“Without studying how it is going to affect our local communities, I can tell you in our Village of Pinecrest, over the first five years our revenue will be decreased by $15 million, and there is discussion on how will replace that revenue,” Pinecrest Mayor-elect Shannon del Prado said. “Will it come from Tallahassee? If a stop sign is down, will Tallahassee have to come and fix it for us? If we have a pothole, will we have to call Tallahassee to get it repaired?”According to the Tax Foundation, “While intended to relieve the growing property tax burden on Florida residents, drastically reducing and potentially even eliminating property taxes on the primary residences of most Florida homeowners would shift property tax burdens in highly distortionary ways and make Florida’s tax code far less stable and competitive.”According to the Florida Policy Institute, “The loss of property tax dollars under Amendment 3 would ultimately shift costs onto renters, consumers and small businesses as local governments look to generate revenue.”Voters will be able to weigh in on the measure on Nov. 3.

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