Florida rewrites Amendment 3 property tax ballot language after court ruling
Florida —
A proposed amendment that could cut property taxes will now have new language on the ballot in November.
This all comes after a Florida judge ruled that the original language of Amendment 3 was misleading.
The amendment, previously titled “Save our homes from excessive property taxes,” was criticized by the judge as a political slogan that is neither fair nor neutral.
The ruling blocked Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd from placing the current version of the amendment on the ballot.
The amendment is now titled: “Increased homestead exemption; lower cap on increases in non-homestead property assessments.”
Amendment 3 proposes to increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $250,000 over two years.
However, opponents argue that cities and counties would be forced to raise other taxes or cut funding for local services.
The Florida Sheriffs Association expressed concerns, warning that the amendment could potentially create longer law enforcement response times if passed.