Amendment 3 only shifts tax burden
I have been in the field of property tax for over 40 years, with 37 of them representing taxpayers. The Florida property tax system has many flaws, all created by the Legislature, and Amendment 3 is probably the worst since the Save Our Homes amendment that was put on the ballot and passed back in 1992.
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When you give a tax break to one group of taxpayers, the burden shifts over to the rest. There are other ways to give tax relief to homeowners even though Florida enjoys one of the lowest homesteaded property taxes in the nation. Amendment 3 is not the answer as it does nothing to stop tax rate increases, non-ad valorem assessment increases or new or increased fees. All Amendment 3 will do is shift the tax burden to other taxpayers and restrict local government’s ability to fund critical needs.
Taxpayers have a much better opportunity to impact budget matters at the local level rather than the State, but rarely get involved. I am voting “no” on Amendment 3 as I want my local elected officials to have control of my tax dollars as they are in a much better position to know the needs of my locality. I will pick my local government over Tallahassee every time.
— John Heatley, Orlando
Avoid Alaska’s bad example
In 1980, Alaska repealed its income tax. The state was flush with oil money, more than enough, they thought, to offset the lost income tax. I moved to Alaska in 2006. A few years later, oil crashed.
Increased production in Texas and North Dakota drove down oil prices and, with rare exceptions (like war in Iran), kept them there. In response, Alaska cut things like schools and transportation, while spending down its savings.
I returned to Florida, where I grew up, because Alaska leaders didn’t have the will to diversify revenue. After a decade of inflation outpacing school funding, I feared for my daughter’s education.
Florida is flirting with the same mistakes.
Should Amendment 3 pass, the reduction in property taxes would cripple local governments. DeSantis and the Legislature think growth will offset the impacts, just like oil was supposed to sustain Alaska in perpetuity. They argue that local governments are bloated. Alaska legislators made similar arguments, until their cuts caused public harm.
People want smooth roads, maintained parks and sufficient police and firefighters. Absent those things, the exodus that has begun due to Florida’s high cost of living will get worse, further eroding tax revenue.
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Florida faces a downward economic spiral. Fortunately, voters in November can stop it. A “no” vote on Amendment 3 keeps tax revenues — and our expectations for our communities — stable. A “yes” vote on Amendment 1 would increase the state’s “rainy day” fund for an inevitable economic emergency.
Let’s avoid Alaska’s bad example.
— Craig Tuten, Orlando
Relief for some, pressure for others
The worth of a home is usually measured in square footage, curb appeal, or the way sunlight falls across a kitchen table. But in Florida, as voters consider Amendment 3 and its promise of a sharp property tax reduction, the worth of a home is being weighed in a different currency: what a community can afford to lose.
In one Seminole County neighborhood, a retired couple sits on their porch at dusk, grateful for the roof they worked decades to secure. The amendment sounds like a gift of lighter taxes and more breathing room. Yet as they talk it through, they realize their home is held up by more than lumber and concrete. It rests on fire stations that answer the call at 3 a.m., libraries that anchor children after school, parks that give families a place to gather, and deputies who keep the roads safe. Those things are paid for, quietly and steadily, by property taxes.
Across town, a young renter finishes a double shift, already stretched thin by rising costs. She won’t see a tax break, but she may see higher rents if local governments replace lost revenue with fees and assessments. The amendment’s relief for some becomes pressure for others.
By the time the porch light clicks on, the couple understands something simple: a home is worth more than its market value. It is the worth of a shared community they cannot afford to lose.
— Clint Buczkowski, Lake Mary
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