Florida Voters Have Decided Amendment 3. What Changes on Homeowners’ Property Tax Bills, and When

Amendment 3 passed on Tuesday, Nov. 3, with about 62% of the vote, Bay News 9 reports.

That clears the 60% that a constitutional amendment needs to pass.

The unofficial 62% reflects the count when the race was called, so the number you see now could move slightly.

The Legislature placed the measure on the ballot in a June special session, and both chambers passed the joint resolution on June 2.

The amendment takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, so every change below counts forward from that date.

Note: This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Assessment rules and exemption amounts are subject to change, so confirm the current details with your county property appraiser.

Your November 2026 Bill

The property tax bill you receive this November isn’t affected by this vote.

Florida collects property taxes in arrears, meaning after the tax year they cover, so that bill reflects the 2026 tax year, before the amendment takes effect.

The first bills to carry the change arrive in November 2027, a year after this one.

The Exemption Steps

Amendment 3 raises the homestead exemption in two steps, and both steps apply to non-school taxes only.

Today a homestead can exempt up to $51,411 of your home’s value from non-school taxes and $25,000 from school taxes.

Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the non-school amount becomes $150,000.

A year later, on Jan. 1, 2028, it becomes $250,000.

Inflation adjustments start in 2029.

School taxes keep the same $25,000 exemption.

Florida TaxWatch estimates that non-school taxes make up about 60% of a bill.

Those taxes fund your county, your city and special districts, while school taxes fund your district’s schools, so the new exemption amounts reach only the first group.

A Sample Homestead Bill

Amendment 3’s effect on your bill depends on your home’s assessed value and your tax rate, which counties write in mills.

Volusia County’s property appraiser lists a 2025 countywide average non-school rate of 11.8092 mills, which means $11.81 of tax on every $1,000 of taxable value.

Take a hypothetical homeowner whose primary residence is assessed at $300,000, with no other exemptions.

Today, the $51,411 exemption leaves $248,589 of non-school taxable value, which works out to about $2,936 at that rate.

In 2027, the $150,000 exemption leaves $150,000 of taxable value, or about $1,771, a drop of about $1,164.

In 2028, the $250,000 exemption leaves $50,000 of taxable value, or about $590, a drop of about $2,345 from today.

Your math will differ.

These figures hold the rate steady and leave out inflation adjustments, school taxes and non-ad valorem charges.

The Residency Cutoff

Whether you get the larger exemption right away depends on when you became a permanent resident, and Dec. 31, 2026 is the dividing line.

Permanent residents as of that date get the larger amounts starting in 2027.

That includes anyone who establishes residency by that date but hasn’t bought a home yet, who gets the higher amount after buying and applying for homestead.

Residency that begins on or after Jan. 1, 2027 starts with a $50,000 exemption on non-school taxes, adjusted for inflation beginning in 2028.

For those later arrivals, the larger exemption comes after four years of exemption, beginning with the fifth year, to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution, the revised ballot language says.

Rules That Stay Put

Amendment 3 changes the exemption amount and the non-homestead cap, but it leaves several other parts of your bill alone.

The amendment doesn’t touch Save Our Homes, the cap on how fast your homestead’s assessed value can rise, or portability, which lets you carry those savings to your next homestead.

Widows and widowers, seniors, veterans, first responders and people with disabilities keep the exemptions they have now.

Charges like solid waste collection and stormwater fees are separate from the amendment, and each authority can raise its assessment each year.

Hillsborough County’s tax collector says that if you already have a homestead exemption, you wouldn’t need to file anything new, and the larger exemption would apply automatically.

Implementing legislation could still add administrative procedures, so your county property appraiser is the place to confirm.

Second Homes and Rentals

Anything you own besides your homestead follows a different part of Amendment 3.

Amendment 3 treats second homes, rental property, vacant land and commercial property as non-homestead property, so none of them get the larger homestead exemption.

Their change is a lower cap, which drops the yearly limit on assessed value growth from 10% to 5% on Jan. 1, 2027.

The cap applies to non-school taxes only, while school taxes still follow market value.

The cap limits how fast assessed value rises, not the tax, so it doesn’t guarantee a lower bill.

Your August 2027 TRIM Notice

The first notice to reflect Amendment 3 is the Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice that arrives in August 2027.

That notice lists your property’s value, your exemptions and each taxing authority, along with the proposed taxes for that tax year.

The new numbers show up in that August notice, and the bills that follow arrive in November.

The August 2027 notice may also show a “rolled-up rate” in place of the usual rolled-back rate, according to Volusia County’s property appraiser.

A rolled-up rate is the highest rate that would keep a local government’s revenue flat from the year before, not counting new construction.

Local Rates and Revenue

Amendment 3 changes your taxable value, not tax rates, so the millage that counties, cities and special districts adopt still decides your bill.

Taxing authorities adopt their rates through the budget process each year.

Your bill could also change if your local rate does, since the examples here assume rates hold steady.