Children’s Services Councils and Trusts Would Lose $278 Million Over Next Two Fiscal Years Under Amendment 3

Think Tank Estimates Potential Fiscal Impact on Children’s Services Councils and Trusts in Alachua, Broward, Escambia, Hillsborough, Indian River, Leon, Manatee, Martin, Miami Dade, Okeechobee, Palm Beach, Pinellas, and St. Lucie Counties

Boca Raton, FL — September 13, 2026 — Passage of Amendment 3, the proposed amendment to Florida’s constitution, would mean a loss of roughly $278 million over the next two fiscal years for Children’s Services Councils and Trusts (CSCs), according to the latest report from Florida Policy Institute (FPI). The loss — 15 percent total revenue for CSCs — could result in cuts to out-of-school programs, child care, early learning, and neighborhood resources centers that provide parenting supports, professional development, and wellness screenings.

“Families and children are the most at risk from staggering revenue losses from Amendment 3,” said Sadaf Knight, CEO of FPI. “Everything from after-school programs, tutoring, mental health services, summer camps, and child care supports are on the line because of the hundreds of millions of dollars that will be cut from children’s services councils and trusts across Florida if Amendment 3 passes. Florida communities continue to vote in large margins to fund their local children’s services, and they deserve to know the true stakes for Florida’s children when voting on Amendment 3.”

“The services offered by the state’s children’s services councils and trusts are part of a larger ecosystem that supports children, families, residents, and child-serving professionals,” said Norín Dollard, senior policy analyst and KIDS COUNT director at FPI, and author of the report. “Every element of that ecosystem — human and children’s services funded by municipal and county governments as well as schools, are threatened either by the increase in the homestead exemption or by inadequate funding at the state and federal levels.”

Specifically, FPI found that under Amendment 3, over the next two fiscal years:

Children’s Trust of Alachua County would lose $6.2 million

Broward County Children’s Services Council would lose $47.8 million

Escambia Children’s Trust would lose $5 million

Children’s Board of Hillsborough County would lose $33.9 million

Indian River County Children’s Services Advisory Committee would lose $3 million

Children’s Services Council of Leon County would lose $4.2 million

Manatee County Children’s Services Advisory Board would lose $9.4 million

Children’s Services Council of Martin County would lose $4.5 million

Children’s Trust of Miami would lose $60.4 million

Children’s Services Council of Okeechobee County would lose $455,000

Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County would lose $49.7 million

Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County would lose $46 million

The Children’s Services Council of St. Lucie County would lose $7.4 million

“I am very concerned about the impact these cuts will have on services for children and families, especially when I think about the growth in demand when the county and cities start cutting social services,” said Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, MPA, JD, president and CEO of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County.

The services provided by local CSCs contribute to the healthy development of children in Florida. For families who might not be able to afford tutors, child care, or a wellness check, CSCs offer such services at low or no costs.

Amendment 3, which Floridians will vote on in 2026, seeks to increase the state’s homestead exemption, create a pathway for the full elimination of non-school property taxes on homesteads, and reduce the assessment growth cap on non-homestead properties. The proposed amendment contains no plans to replace the revenue that CSCs across the state would lose. As FPI points out, the CSCs are also constrained by maximum millage rates they are able to levy.

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