Florida Amendment 3: What It Means for Your Property Taxes

1. The biggest change: a larger homestead exemption

For eligible homestead owners, Amendment 3 increases the amount of assessed value excluded from non-school property taxes:

Starting in 2029, the larger exemption increases annually when the specified inflation measure is positive.

These are total exemption amounts under the new provision, not amounts added on top of the existing general homestead exemption. They reduce taxable property value, not your tax bill dollar for dollar. Eligibility and the amount you can use depend on your circumstances and assessed value.

A homestead is your qualifying permanent residence. A vacation home or investment property does not qualify simply because you own it. The timing rules below are especially important if you are moving to Florida.

Sources: Enrolled amendment, pages 9–11 · Hillsborough County Tax Collector

2. Moving to Florida? The residency date matters

The amendment distinguishes people who maintained a permanent Florida residence as of December 31, 2026 from people who did not.

Permanent Florida resident by December 31, 2026

The cutoff does not itself require you to own a home or already have a homestead exemption by that date. You still need to qualify for homestead when claiming it.

Becoming a permanent Florida resident afterward

The initial non-school exemption is up to $50,000, with positive-inflation adjustments beginning in 2028. The larger exemption generally begins in your fifth year receiving the exemption, not simply five years after arriving in Florida.

Implementation is not yet settled: The residency cutoff and fifth-exemption-year rule are in the amendment, but the Legislature must establish uniform procedures to administer them. Do not assume the required documentation or how the rules apply to your situation is settled. The official ballot summary qualifies this treatment by the U.S. Constitution; confirm current implementation and your eligibility with the property appraiser.

Confirm documentation and eligibility before relying on a particular benefit. Do not treat signing a contract, purchasing a second home or changing a mailing address as proof of permanent residency.

Sources: Enrolled amendment, pages 9–12 · Official amendment record and ballot summary

3. Your savings depend on the property and tax rates

The larger exemption may reduce the non-school portion of an eligible owner's bill. It does not guarantee the same savings for everyone, or guarantee that the total bill will fall.

The amount depends on assessed value, exemptions, applicable tax rates and other charges.

For context, Florida's ordinary maximum non-school homestead exemption for 2026 is up to $51,411: the first $25,000 plus an additional inflation-adjusted amount of up to $26,411 applied above $50,000 in assessed value. The familiar “$50,000 exemption” shorthand is not the exact 2026 maximum.

Ask for an address-specific estimate that separates school taxes, non-school taxes and non-ad valorem assessments. For a purchase, estimate your own future bill rather than using the seller's bill as your budget. A change of ownership can affect exemptions and assessment benefits.

Calculator limits: The Amendment 3 calculator is intended for currently homesteaded properties, gives estimates rather than guaranteed savings, and does not model the separate non-homestead assessment-cap change.

Source: Florida Department of Revenue's 2026 adjustment

4. What you still pay, and what stays in place

• School taxes: The general school-tax homestead exemption remains up to $25,000.
• Non-ad valorem assessments: Charges for special benefits are not removed by the expanded exemption.
• Your 2026 bill: The amendment does not change it; the first affected tax year is 2027.
• Save Our Homes and portability: These remain separate protections with their existing eligibility rules. The amendment does not replace them.
• Other ownership expenses: Insurance, HOA payments, utilities and maintenance remain part of your budget.

Property taxes are not automatically abolished. A larger exemption does not make every home's entire tax bill disappear.

Sources: Enrolled amendment · St. Johns County Property Appraiser

5. Second homes, rentals and other non-homestead property

A separate provision reduces the annual assessment-increase cap for covered non-homestead property from 10% to 5%, beginning January 1, 2027, for non-school levies.

This is a cap on covered assessed-value increases, not a 5% limit on your whole tax bill. It does not extend the homestead exemption to second homes or rentals, and it does not cover school-district assessments.

Ownership changes, qualifying improvements and other statutory adjustments can affect assessment treatment. Ask the property appraiser how the rules apply to the specific property.

Source: Enrolled amendment, pages 6–8

6. The local-government provisions also matter

Additional exemptions require further action

The amendment provides a framework for additional local exemption increases. The Legislature must prescribe procedures for counties and municipalities to raise exemptions for their own levies, potentially up to the remaining assessed value. Special districts may increase their exemptions through voter approval under procedures established by law.

These provisions do not automatically eliminate every non-school tax.

A possible local change to the waiting period

Beginning in 2030, a county or municipality may, by a two-thirds vote of the membership of its governing body, determine that a shorter waiting period for later Florida residents is warranted by a critical local need. Do not assume a local change has been adopted.

Rules for spending county and municipal property-tax revenue

County and municipal property-tax revenue is limited to the uses listed in the amendment. Those include:

• Public safety.
• Education and public schools.
• Infrastructure.
• Natural-resource projects and flood control.
• Permitted bonds and existing debt.
• Employee retirement obligations.
• Government operations, administration and approved spending, except as prohibited by general law.

The text is broader than a claim that revenue can be spent only on police and fire services.

Source: Enrolled amendment, pages 12–13 and 17–19

7. What to do before buying or changing your budget

1. Confirm your intended use. Will the home be your qualifying permanent residence, a second home or an investment property?
2. Check which residency rules apply. Ask the property appraiser what records are required and which exemption timing applies to you.
3. Confirm filing requirements. Under ordinary homestead filing rules, eligibility is determined as of January 1, and applications are due by March 1 of the benefit year. Check with the property appraiser about implementation requirements.
4. Request a buyer-specific estimate. Include school taxes and non-ad valorem assessments.
5. Check other benefits separately. Ask about Save Our Homes portability and any other exemptions for which you may qualify.
6. Review the full ownership budget. Include HOA charges, insurance, utilities and maintenance.

Existing eligible homestead exemptions ordinarily renew automatically while the owner continues to qualify. Moving or changing ownership can require a new application. Do not assume everyone must refile because of Amendment 3.

Official sources

• Florida Election Watch: unofficial amendment results
• Florida Election Watch: certification timeline
• Florida Division of Elections: amendment record and ballot summary
• Full enrolled amendment: CS/HJR 1F
• Florida Department of Revenue: 2026 homestead inflation adjustment
• St. Johns County Property Appraiser: Amendment 3 explanation
• Hillsborough County Tax Collector: property-tax reform guide. Some wording predates the election; use it for explanations, rather than current election status.
• Palm Beach County Property Appraiser: homestead requirements

Educational information, not individualized tax or legal advice. Eligibility, implementation and local decisions can affect the result for a particular property. Confirm your situation with the county property appraiser and an appropriate tax or legal professional.

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