A coalition backed by state lawmakers, faith groups and trade unions alike are sounding the alarm over how a proposed constitutional amendment could hurt Florida communities — including renters.
Supporters of Amendment 3 say the proposed property tax overhaul would save homeowners money, should voters approve it by the required 60% margin this November. But a Tallahassee judge this week issued a ruling that echoes opponents’ concern, writing: “the proposed amendment would discriminate against Florida residents who rent their homes (single family or multi-family).”
Because it is “misleading,” Amendment 3’s current ballot language is “defective and must not be used,” according to the order from Leon Circuit Court Judge David Frank. The order, dated August 3, directs Florida’s attorney general to resubmit new ballot language within 10 days.
RELATED: Judge orders Florida to rewrite the property tax amendment ballot language
Ruling: Amendment 3 wouldn’t prevent higher millage rates
Faith in Florida, the state’s League of Women Voters chapter and Florida’s largest healthcare union, 1199SEIU Florida, are among the groups standing with Save Our Services, a coalition urging voters to reject Amendment 3.
State Rep. Rob Long, D-Palm Beach, spoke Thursday at a virtual press conference held by the coalition. He said renters in Florida “need to pay the most attention” to how the proposal could affect them.
“A landlord might get a tax benefit, but there is absolutely no guarantee that the renter sees a lower rent payment,” Long said. “At the same time, cities are going to have to increase fire assessments, utility charges, or other fees to keep services running, and those costs will likely still be passed along to tenants.”
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The judge’s ruling issued this week echoes that same concern for renters.
Amendment 3 would provide tax relief “only to owners of homestead properties, thereby increasing the burdens on renters who will likely pay more when their landlords pass on the increased property taxes resulting from higher millage rates,” according to the ruling.
Even a homeowner claiming the homestead exemption may not ultimately end up saving money under Amendment 3, the ruling states, especially if the home has a high taxable value. Two factors determine property taxes — assessed property value and millage rates — and Amendment 3 wouldn't stop local taxing authorities from raising millage rates.
While the ruling issued this week doesn’t halt Amendment 3 itself, it denounces and demands changes to the ballot language used to describe it.
The ballot item’s four taglines about what Amendment 3 would do are not neutral, but instead amount to “political rhetoric,” according to the ruling: including the taglines about “ensuring funding for core services” and “ensuring fairness for Florida residents.”
‘Money has to come from somewhere’
Other stakeholders with concerns about Amendment 3 include groups representing first responders, like the Florida Sheriffs Association, Florida State Fraternal Order of Police and Florida Professional Firefighters.
Property tax revenues help fund sheriff offices, police and fire departments, and would leave those entities facing budget shortfalls should Amendment 3 pass. In Orange County, for example, 51% of all property tax revenues currently fund public safety services, including the sheriff’s office, fire rescue and corrections departments.
RELATED: Orange County budget workshops highlight likely losses, should Amendment 3 pass
If Amendment 3 passes in November, it would ultimately let homeowners pay property taxes as if their homes were worth $250,000 less.
“It has been sold as tax relief, but let's be clear: there is no such thing as a free tax cut,” said Florida Rep. RaShon Young, D-Orlando. “When you take billions of dollars away from our local communities … that money has to come from somewhere.”
Supporters of Amendment 3 have said the proposal will improve affordability for homeowners, including seniors living on fixed incomes. Republican Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds recently vowed to vote yes on the proposal, saying “the people of Florida are not a never-ending piggybank,” as reported by Politico.
“A lot of our counties, not all, but a lot of them, when property values were increasing the last seven years, they could have gone to a (millage) rollback rate to smooth out tax increases. They did not do that,” Donalds told WJCT’s “First Coast Connect” this week. “They let their budgets increase very steadily, very handsomely.”
Opponents of Amendment 3 maintain property tax revenues are vital for funding core public services provided by local governments already struggling to make ends meet.
“When the revenues disappear, who's paying for the firefighters when our house is on fire?” Young said. “Who's paying for the EMT when our loved ones can't breathe? Who's paying for the library that gives a child a safe place to be after school? Who's paying for the park where our kids get to play?”
“The answer is simple: they'll either be cut, or the cost will be shifted on to everyone else somewhere else. That is not fiscal responsibility.”
Florida’s general election is Nov. 3.
