Sheriffs Join First Responders to Oppose Florida’s Amendment 3

The measure threatens billions in local tax revenue and could force cuts to police, fire and road work if courts and lawmakers do not change how the ballot and funding are handled.

Overview

The Florida Sheriffs Association announced opposition on Monday, joining police and firefighter unions that say Amendment 3 would weaken local budgets and slow emergency response times.
Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and then tie future increases to the Consumer Price Index while excluding school property taxes.
State economists estimate the change would eventually remove about $11.86 billion a year from local governments, with large counties facing the biggest dollar losses and 29 fiscally constrained counties losing 20 to 33 percent of revenue in some projections.
Political support is fractured as some Republicans back the amendment but dispute the revenue estimates; Byron Donalds questions the official forecasts and urges a predictable state funding formula while Governor DeSantis has distanced himself from the Legislature’s plan.
Legal challenges over the amendment’s title and summary are pending in Leon County and could force a rewrite or require fiscal disclosure on the ballot, a change that polling shows would reduce voter support for the measure.