As voters head to the polls, local leaders are raising concerns about what Amendment 3 could mean for Florida’s smaller cities. If voters approve it, the Vice Mayor of Wilton Manors says the impact on his residents would be devastating.

A bigger homestead exemption would put more money in homeowners’ pockets. City leaders say it comes at a cost.

Wilton Manors Vice Mayor Chris Caputo says that as a homeowner, he understands the appeal.

“So I very much see both sides of the equation,” Caputo said.

But he is also familiar with his city’s budget. If Amendment 3 passes in November, it would give homeowners a larger homestead exemption while cutting local government budgets.

Wilton Manors has a $26 million budget. Under Amendment 3, the city would lose about $3.3 million. That may not sound like much, but for a smaller city, it is a big deal.

Caputo says the cuts would force tough choices that residents would feel directly.

“These are my neighbors who elected me to represent them, who I’m going to have to say I’m sorry we can’t pick up your garbage twice a week, I’m sorry we can’t have Wicked Manors this year,” he said.

“So it forces us to have to raise taxes on everyone we can, raise every fee we can,” Caputo added.

He warned that other cities could fare even worse.

“There are other cities who are even more heavily depending on homestead properties who can see as much as 50% cut to their budget. That’s just bankruptcy,” Caputo said.

Caputo says he reached out to the local Realtors association, hoping to find out where the replacement money would come from. The statewide Realtors association has spent millions promoting Amendment 3, arguing it will make homeownership more affordable and keep money in homeowners’ pockets.

Caputo showed NBC 6 an email from the local association’s chief of advocacy. It said the group had not studied the amendment’s effect on individual cities: “…our local association has not conducted municipality-specific fiscal impact projections for Amendment 3.”

The same message said the group’s focus is on the significant growth in government spending and property tax revenues since 2019.

Caputo was not satisfied with that answer.

“So let me get this clear, you spent 21 million dollars convincing residents this was the responsible way to save money but you didn’t spend a dollar to figure out how it would actually impact the city,” he said.

In a previous interview with NBC 6, representatives of Florida Realtors said the amendment is about affordability.

“We believe Amendment 3 is an opportunity that we haven’t had as voters in a very, very long time to  rein in some of the rising costs for families,” said Fernando Arencibia, 2026 Secretary of Florida Realtors.

The Florida Sheriffs Association has publicly opposed the amendment.

NBC 6 also spoke with voters about the proposal. Some say the savings would be welcome.

“Especially as seniors, we need to cut down on expenses. Everything is so high and every little bit helps,” said voter Maria Phillis.