Florida voters will decide Amendment 3 in November 2026, a major property tax proposal that would increase the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, while reducing the annual assessment-growth cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%. Gov. Ron DeSantis supports passage of the amendment but says Florida lawmakers changed his original proposal and did not deliver the full property tax relief he sought.
Florida's property tax debate is no longer simply about whether homeowners should get relief.
The question now is how much relief — and who should ultimately pay for it?
Gov. Ron DeSantis made dramatically reducing property taxes one of his priorities for 2026. He called lawmakers into a special legislative session and pushed a plan designed to substantially increase the homestead exemption while creating a path toward eventually eliminating property taxes on homesteaded primary residences.
Lawmakers agreed to put property tax relief before voters.
But they didn't give DeSantis exactly what he asked for.
And he has made that clear.
In May, DeSantis called a special session of the Florida Legislature to consider what his administration called the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” proposal.
His plan would have immediately increased the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000 and required lawmakers to create a schedule for eventually eliminating property taxes on homesteaded primary residences.
The Governor argued that rapidly rising property values had allowed local governments to collect substantially more property tax revenue even when millage rates weren't increased.
His position was straightforward: Floridians shouldn't continually pay higher property taxes simply because the value of the home they already own keeps increasing.
Florida lawmakers ultimately approved a modified version.
Instead of immediately increasing the exemption to $250,000, Amendment 3 would phase in the increase.
For qualifying Florida homesteads, the exemption on non-school property taxes would increase to:
$150,000 beginning in 2027
$250,000 beginning in 2028
The amount would then be adjusted for inflation beginning in 2029.
The amendment also reduces the annual assessment-growth cap on non-homestead residential and commercial property from the current 10% to 5%.
Importantly, the increased homestead exemption does not apply to school district property taxes.
Lawmakers specifically protected school property-tax revenue while restructuring the Governor's proposal.
That distinction caused friction almost immediately.
After lawmakers approved the measure, DeSantis said he intended to vote for it but emphasized that the final product was not what he had proposed.
“What the Legislature did wasn't my proposal,” DeSantis said in June.
At the time, he indicated he wasn't planning to lead the campaign for its passage.
That position has since softened.
By September, DeSantis said he would help persuade Florida voters to approve Amendment 3, even though he continues to believe lawmakers could have gone further.
So this isn't a case of DeSantis opposing Amendment 3.
He supports it. He just doesn't think it's enough.
If approved by voters, Amendment 3 would make several significant changes to Florida property taxes.
The homestead exemption for non-school property taxes would rise to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 for qualifying existing Florida residents.
Beginning in 2029, that exemption would be adjusted for inflation.
The amendment also establishes a mechanism allowing counties and municipalities to potentially increase the exemption further — up to the full assessed value of a homestead — under procedures established by the Legislature.
For non-homestead properties, including many rental properties, second homes and commercial properties, annual assessment increases would be capped at 5% instead of the current 10%.
The amendment would take effect January 1, 2027.
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Amendment 3 also draws a distinction between existing Florida residents and people establishing residency after the new rules take effect.
Someone who is not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026, would initially receive the existing homestead exemption after qualifying.
The larger exemption would generally become available beginning with the fifth year of their homestead exemption, subject to constitutional requirements.
Beginning in 2030, counties or municipalities could reduce that five-year requirement to address a critical local need.
That's a provision Floridians may want to pay attention to as they read the amendment before voting.
Reducing property taxes sounds simple from the homeowner's side of the equation.
The other side is where the debate gets complicated.
Counties and cities rely heavily on property taxes to fund local government operations.
That includes public safety, roads and infrastructure, parks, employees and numerous other local services.
Local officials around Florida have warned that significantly reducing property tax revenue could eventually mean reduced services, higher fees or finding revenue elsewhere.
DeSantis has pushed back hard against that argument.
His administration contends that local government spending has grown too quickly and that governments should first find efficiencies rather than telling homeowners that tax relief will mean cuts to police, fire departments or other essential services.
Florida has already enacted additional legislation requiring greater local-government financial transparency and requiring counties and municipalities to examine how they could reduce proposed spending by 10% without affecting essential services.
That puts local government spending squarely in the middle of the property tax debate.
This is where a statewide constitutional amendment becomes a very local issue.
Flagler County homeowners have watched property values rise dramatically over the past several years.
Even homeowners protected by Florida's Save Our Homes assessment limitation can look at their annual tax bill and wonder why owning the same house can continue becoming more expensive.
But Flagler County, Palm Coast, Flagler Beach and Bunnell also rely on property-tax revenue to provide local services.
If Amendment 3 passes, local governments will have to operate within the new tax structure.
That means the conversation shouldn't end with:
“Will my property taxes go down?”
There is a second question:
“If local governments collect less property tax revenue, what changes?”
And perhaps a third:
“Could local governments absorb those reductions by changing spending instead?”
Those are likely to become much bigger questions if voters approve Amendment 3.
Despite the public disagreement between DeSantis and lawmakers over how the plan was structured, Florida voters now get the final say.
Amendment 3 will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot.
Because it would amend the Florida Constitution, it needs approval from at least 60% of voters to pass.
DeSantis says he'll support it.
He also continues to make the case that Florida should go further.
That leaves voters with something more complicated than a simple choice between higher or lower taxes.
Florida is effectively asking homeowners to decide how much property tax relief they want — while local governments begin making the case for what that revenue currently pays for.
And that conversation is only getting started.
No. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he will vote for Amendment 3 and more recently said he would help promote its passage. His disagreement is that the Legislature changed his original proposal and did not go as far as he wanted.
No. Amendment 3 itself would not immediately eliminate all property taxes. It substantially increases the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes and establishes a mechanism that could allow exemptions to be expanded further in the future.
For qualifying existing Florida residents, the exemption on non-school property taxes would increase to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2029.
No. The increased homestead exemption under Amendment 3 does not apply to school district property taxes.
Amendment 3 would reduce the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.
No. The actual effect would depend on the property's assessed value, exemptions, local millage rates and which taxing authorities appear on the homeowner's tax bill.
Amendment 3 will appear on Florida's November 3, 2026 general election ballot.
A constitutional amendment in Florida requires approval from at least 60% of voters.
The constitutional amendment is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027.
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