ORLANDO, Fla. —
With less than one month before the Nov. 3 midterm election, the ad machines “for” and “against” Amendment 3 are cranking into full gear.
One new television commercial that began airing this week says, “Amendment 3 guts the largest funding source for public safety in Florida.”
The ad continues, posing these questions: “What if many of the people we depend on simply vanished? The deputies who respond to home invasions?”
The message in this and a similar television ad from the same group is this: If Amendment 3 passes, the public will be less safe.
The ballot initiative proposes new and higher homestead exemptions and certain other breaks for those who own commercial or other non-homestead property. It’s estimated to reduce non-school revenue collections for cities and counties in the first year by $5 billion, and $12 billion annually by year five, when the full exemptions are added.
For weeks, the Florida Sheriffs Association, Police Chiefs Association, and fire and police unions have been pushing back with a variety of ads. What’s odd about the ones surfacing this week is that the disclaimer only contains the words: “sponsored by A Better Florida.”
That indicates the group is a non-profit (501) (c) (4). Those groups are only required to provide a name, not the address and other information required of political groups airing and printing political ads.
A check of local television station public files reveals a contract for ad buys by Orlando attorney Thomas Callan, who lists the address for “A Better Florida” as the same one for his law firm listed with the Florida Bar for Callan’s law practice. WESH 2 News left messages with Callan to try and learn more information about which groups he represents. We’ll update this report when we hear back.
The shiny new mailers tell voters that a “Yes On 3” will help homeowners, renters and businesses save money, and stresses Floridians need “tax relief.”
The “Vote Yes On 3” campaign is being funded by the Orlando-based Florida Realtors.
So far, they’ve poured millions into the campaign — $18 million so far, according to state records — and have spent more than $4 million.
Compare that to the opposition campaign, driven by police and fire unions and associations. “Vote No On 3” has so far raised less than half a million dollars, meaning it may be relying heavily on ads and social media from other groups to wage the battle over property taxes.