DUVAL COUNTY, Fla. – A lower tax bill can feel like a little breathing room. But Ralph Scott sees another side to Florida’s proposed property tax break: what if the savings for some people leave others picking up the tab?
“The working class. We always get the short end of the stick. And if we don’t open our eyes and realize, okay, yeah. You’re saving here. But I’m robbing you there,” Scott said.
That’s why Scott voted against Amendment 3. He doesn’t believe Jacksonville should have to sacrifice the services residents depend on to make property tax relief possible.
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“Don’t insult my intelligence. You know, by doing that, you’re robbing me, and you’re robbing the other citizens. The working class of Jacksonville. Find another way to accomplish those goals,” Scott told News4JAX reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson.
Judy Thompson is also thinking about what happens after the tax bill changes. She knows some property owners welcome the proposal. But she questions whether the potential savings tell the whole story.
“My friends that own property, of course, would vote for the amendment. But that’s just one small issue with respect to monies that the average person here in Duval County is going to have to pay at a higher level than what they’re paying,” Thompson said. “Now, we’re in tough times right now, and everybody knows that.”
Amendment 3 would expand Florida’s homestead exemption, lowering the taxable value of homes for eligible homeowners and potentially reducing their property tax bills.
But property taxes also help fund local government. And in Jacksonville, the possible loss of that revenue is already forcing city leaders to consider what they can afford to commit.
The City Council auditor estimates the city could collect about $200 million less in the first fiscal year after the change takes effect. The projected reduction could reach $300 million the following year.
Thompson also questioned how the city balances its investments in downtown development with the financial pressures residents could face.
“I agree with those council members, but I also know that we have a lot of monies coming in for downtown development,” Thompson said. “There are monies that are coming in from different sources.”
She questioned why residents could end up paying more for other resources if the proposed tax relief reduces the money available to local government.
“Why does that have to impact me when I would have to pay more for all resources that are available here in Duval County? It’s a tough decision. It was a tough decision for me to make,” Thompson said.
Those are estimates, not announced cuts to police, fire or other services. But they put a significant number on the question voters like Scott are asking: how would the city make up the difference?
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That question has surfaced in a major downtown development decision. City Council delayed a vote on a nearly $49.65 million incentive package for Gateway Jax’s proposed downtown Publix and residential tower until after the Amendment 3 vote.
The package includes about $19.6 million in property-tax rebates and a roughly $28.5 million completion grant. Council members will revisit the incentives after voters decide the amendment.
For homeowners who qualify, Amendment 3 could mean more money left in their pockets. But the proposal also has Jacksonville weighing the potential cost to its own budget — and how that could affect decisions about the city’s future.
Duval County voters continued heading to the polls, with 14,590 ballots cast during the latest day of early voting. That brings the total number of votes cast through early voting and vote-by-mail to 175,134, or 26.73% turnout, according to Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland.
The county’s midterm turnout record is 62%, set in 2018. Holland said turnout could top 65% this year, with nearly 200,000 people potentially voting on Election Day alone.
Amendment 3 needs at least 60% approval statewide to pass.
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