Public safety officials stood shoulder to shoulder, lining the walls of a conference room in Lake Mary on Tuesday as leaders gathered to speak out against Amendment 3. The room was so packed with first responders, some joked it was the safest they’d ever felt.
Those leaders are warning voters that Amendment 3 could reduce the property tax revenue local governments use to pay for police, fire and other emergency services.
The proposed constitutional amendment would increase the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
Florida Sheriffs Association President Billy Woods said the potential loss of property tax revenue could directly affect his agency in Marion County. Woods estimated his office could lose about $54 million, or about 20% of its budget. He said one of his agency’s budgets got about 98% of its revenue from property taxes.
“For sheriffs, this comes down to something very simple: public safety requires people,” he said. “It requires deputies answering calls for service, dispatchers answering 911 calls, correctional officers keeping our jails safe.”
Woods said Marion County is also growing, and he expects the sheriff’s office will need about 350 more deputies over the next five years. He said the amendment could leave the county “gambling” with about $50 million in revenue.
Woods added that impact could be even greater for more rural communities, such as Gadsden County in the Panhandle, which may have fewer options to make up for lost property tax revenue.
“God forbid this passes, the man standing behind me, Sheriff Morris Young, our dean of sheriffs in Gadsden County, doesn’t have the businesses myself and Sheriff Gualtieri has in Pinellas,” he said. “I'd hate to be in his shoes, what he's going to have to figure out, what he's going to have to beg and plead for from the commission.”
Fire officials at Tuesday’s press conference raised similar concerns about how local departments would suffer a loss in funds.
Wayne Bernoska, president of the Florida Professional Firefighters, said there is no uniform funding model for fire departments across the state but nearly all of them rely heavily on property taxes to pay for firefighters, paramedics and other emergency services.
Bernoska said he represents more than 32,000 firefighters in the union and, with Florida’s continued growth, communities will need to replace fire engines, staff stations and train firefighters and paramedics.
“We pay mortgages, insurance premiums, and property taxes just like everyone else,” Bernoska said. “But we also know what it takes to keep a community safe, and that's why we're asking Floridians to look carefully at Amendment 3 and understand what this permanent change to our constitution could mean in communities throughout our state.”
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd opened his remarks at the conference by saying:
“911, what is your emergency? Amendment 3. That’s our emergency.”
Judd said the amendment was placed on the ballot without enough financial analysis and could be difficult to change if it becomes part of the state Constitution.
He said he supports tax relief, but believes lawmakers should pursue it while also protecting funding for public safety and other local services.
“You can have both, but not with Amendment 3,” he said. “So vote no on 3 now and tell your legislators, ‘Get to work. I want tax relief, and I want my public safety protected.’”
Judd said the need for police, firefighters and paramedics does not change when governments are looking to cut costs.
“I have never, ever been at the scene of an emergency where someone said, ‘Wow, that burglar breaking into my house, don’t bother sending two cops. I want to save money,’” he said. “Every second of every day, emergency responders are helping people across Florida.”
Looking to lawmakers
Woods and Judd have publicly backed Congressman Byron Donalds in his campaign for governor. Donalds has also voiced support for Amendment 3.
When asked how they reconcile their support for Donalds with their opposition to the amendment, Woods said he is in talks with Donalds and other lawmakers about the measure and its potential impact on public safety funding.
“Simple. We sit down and have a conversation,” Woods said.
Earlier in the conference, Woods criticized the amendment for not providing a clear plan to replace local revenue.
“I love my legislators in this state, and they do love their first responders, but this is an incomplete plan,” Woods said.
He said those conversations will need to continue if the amendment passes, as local officials consider how to maintain public safety services with potentially less revenue.
“We’ll deal with it when we cross that road,” he said, closing out the press conference. “My hope is that we never come to that road and never have to cross that bridge.”
