Florida Amendment 3, explained in plain language
The answer up front: Amendment 3 ("Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes") would exempt the first $150,000 of a homestead's assessed value from all NON-school property taxes starting January 1, 2027, rising to $250,000 on January 1, 2028 with annual inflation adjustments beginning in 2028 — while school taxes continue unchanged. It also halves the assessment-growth cap on non-homestead property (10 percent → 5 percent from 2027) and restricts what county and city property taxes may fund. It needs 60 percent approval on November 3, 2026. Every figure on this page is verified against the enrolled amendment text (CS/HJR 1-F).
What changes, year by year
| Today | 2027 (if passed) | 2028+ (if passed) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead exemption, non-school levies | up to $50,000 (two-tier) | $150,000 | $250,000, inflation-adjusted per the text beginning 2028 |
| Homestead exemption, school levies | $25,000 | $25,000 — unchanged | $25,000 — unchanged |
| Non-homestead assessment cap | 10 percent | 5 percent | 5 percent |
| Save Our Homes cap (homesteads) | 3 percent or CPI | unchanged | unchanged |
What that's worth, by home value
Engine-computed at 10.961 non-school mills (Orange County's current average as the worked example — your county's rate differs; the homestead calculator and buyer estimator compute yours):
| Assessed value | 2027 non-school savings | 2028 non-school savings |
|---|---|---|
| $200,000 | ≈ $1,644 | ≈ $2,192 |
| $300,000 | ≈ $1,644 | ≈ $2,740 |
| $400,000 | ≈ $1,644 | ≈ $2,740 |
| $500,000 | ≈ $1,644 | ≈ $2,740 |
A home assessed at $250,000 or less would pay no non-school property tax at all from 2028 — school levies and non-ad-valorem assessments (fire fees, CDDs) still apply.
New Florida residents: the five-year tier
Anyone without a Florida permanent residence as of December 31, 2026 gets a smaller non-school exemption — $50,000 — for their first four years, stepping up to the full amount beginning with the fifth year. From 2030, a county or city may shorten that wait by a two-thirds vote for "a critical local need." (The $25,000 school exemption applies to everyone from day one.)
The two provisions most coverage skips
- A local path to zero: the text requires the Legislature to prescribe a uniform procedure letting each county and city raise the exemption for its own levies "up to all remaining assessed valuation" — that is, local governments could opt their homestead taxes down to nothing. The ballot summary compresses this into "requires, through general law, a schedule for full elimination" — and whether that's a fair description is part of the ballot-language lawsuit.
- A spending restriction: county and municipal property taxes could be used ONLY for listed core purposes — public safety (law enforcement, fire, EMS), education and public schools, infrastructure (roads, bridges, stormwater), and related items in the text. That's a constitutional restriction on budgets, not just a tax cut.
What Amendment 3 does NOT change
- School taxes (only the existing $25,000 exemption applies).
- The Save Our Homes 3-percent cap and portability for existing homesteads — project yours here.
- Non-ad-valorem assessments (fire, solid waste, CDD).
- Nothing before January 1, 2027 — your 2026 TRIM notice and November 2026 bill are under current law (see the TRIM guide, including SB 4-F's separate new millage rules).
Sources
Enrolled CS/HJR 1-F text ( flsenate.gov bill record) — exemption tiers, inflation clause, non-homestead cap dates, new-resident tier, local opt-up procedure, and the revenue-use restriction all cited to the enrolled pages. Savings computed from Florida DOR millage data by the same engines behind the calculators. This page will be updated the week after the November 3 vote, either way. Informational only — not tax or legal advice.
Quick answers
How much would Amendment 3 save me?
For an existing homestead: your non-school taxes stop applying to the first $150,000 of assessed value in 2027 and the first $250,000 in 2028. At a typical 11-mill non-school rate that is roughly $1,650 in 2027 and up to about $2,750 a year from 2028 — school taxes continue unchanged. The table on this page computes it by home value.
Does Amendment 3 cut school taxes?
No. School district levies keep only the long-standing $25,000 exemption — the new $150,000/$250,000 amounts apply to all OTHER levies (county, city, special districts). That's roughly a third of a typical bill that doesn't change.
I'm moving to Florida — do I get the full exemption?
Not immediately. Anyone who wasn't a Florida permanent resident as of December 31, 2026 gets $50,000 (non-school) for their first four years, then steps up to the full amount in year five (Art. VII text as proposed). The $25,000 school exemption applies from the start.
Is this the same thing as the Amendment 3 lawsuit?
Related but separate: this page explains what the amendment would DO; the lawsuit challenges how the ballot SUMMARY describes it — including whether 'a schedule for full elimination' fairly describes the text's local opt-up procedure. Our lawsuit tracker follows the case.
What does it need to pass?
At least 60 percent approval on November 3, 2026. If it passes, the changes take effect January 1, 2027; if it fails, current law continues unchanged.
Why do some sources say the inflation adjustment starts in 2029?
Because the enrolled text contains BOTH dates, in different clauses. The NEW $150,000/$250,000 exemption is adjusted annually for inflation beginning January 1, 2028; a separate clause covering the long-standing second $25,000 homestead exemption carries a January 1, 2029 adjustment date. Secondary coverage widely conflated the two — we read both clauses in the enrolled text (CS/HJR 1-F) and cite the one that governs the new exemption.
Data verified as of July 2026.