Florida voters approved a property tax cut on Tuesday that helps people who own their homes and leaves everyone else to cover what it costs. In the state, about 75% of white households own their home. For Black households the figure is 49%, according to a 2022 National Association of Realtors report built on Census data.
Amendment 3 passed with 62%, clearing the 60% it needed. It raises the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028. Gov. Ron DeSantis campaigned for it. State economists estimate local governments will lose $4.9 billion in the first year, rising to $11.8 billion by 2031.
The break applies to a primary residence. A tenant gets nothing directly. A Black family that rents sees none of the savings, and still lives in a county that now has less money for buses, parks, libraries and emergency response.
Opponents say renters may end up paying more. “There are nearly 3 million rental households in Florida. They’re all going to be paying more because their landlords’ taxes are going to go up,” Jackson Peel of Save Our Services, the campaign against the amendment, told Prism. Peel also pointed to the likelihood of higher sales taxes, fuel taxes and service fees as counties look for the money.
The cuts are already being counted. Orange County projects a $165 million revenue loss in fiscal 2027 and $275 million in 2028. In Oviedo, city leaders say property tax revenue will fall by $5.1 million next year, a 20% drop, and are preparing for layoffs.
Not all the warnings came from the left. Former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes wrote after the vote: “Florida passed Amendment 3. The governor and the Legislature own what comes next.” Senate Republican Kathleen Passidomo said her concern is that the amendment is “a one-size-fits-all amendment, and every community is different.” Police, firefighters and emergency medical workers also opposed it.
Supporters call it relief for homeowners squeezed by rising bills, and for many of them it will be. The answer is that relief for one group, paid for by services everyone uses, is not a neutral trade. The state’s own homeownership gap comes from decades of denied mortgages and redlined maps. Black applicants in Florida were denied mortgages at a rate of 21.8%, against 14.3% for white applicants, in the lending data cited by Stacker. A tax break that begins with the deed repeats that history.
The Legislature can still decide how much of the loss it will cover for local governments. Lawmakers return in the spring to write the state budget, and the first tax bills under the new exemption land in 2027.
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