Don’t get me wrong. I would love to get a break on my real estate taxes. Everything is so expensive these days. But I am still going to the polls next week to vote no on Amendment 3. Because we have no state income taxes in the Sunshine State, funding our governments comes in part from property taxes. And Amendment 3 would cipher a great deal of money away from those taxes.
Right now, those of us who are homesteaded get a break on our property taxes in that they can’t rise above about 3% per year with a maximum cap of $51,411. If Amendment 3 were to pass (the amendment needs voter approval of 60% or more) the homestead exemption for next year would rise to $150,000 and then in 2028 go to $250,000. There is a special carve out for money that goes to schools but the above is the essence of the amendment.
Here is the most compelling reason I will be voting no. Every law enforcement agency in the state and every first responder group in Florida is against Amendment 3. Every one! Do you even have to ask why? It’s obvious they are very concerned that their funds will be drained in a way to put the public (you and me) in harm’s way.
Look, we all know police officers and firefighters and EMTs still will get paid some way. The question is how. Parks will still need maintenance. Libraries will still need librarians and computers. So, the money for these things will have to come from other sources such as fees or additional taxes on everything still taxable.
According to some experts, Florida stands to lose as much as $12 billion in statewide funding in 2027 and even more in the years following. That money cannot be made up by finding “waste, fraud and abuse” as some politicians would like you to believe.
The election on Nov. 3 has monumental issues to deal with. Who will be our next governor? Who will be our senator? Who will represent us in Congress and the state House? Who will be St. Pete’s mayor? The list goes on. But I will proffer here that none of these other matters will affect our lives more than Amendment 3. If, like me, you learned at a young age that there is no such thing as a free lunch (or government) please join me in voting no on Nov. 3.
Chris Core is a former Washington, D.C. radio and television personality who now lives in Pass-a-Grille. He is a winner of the Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding achievement in broadcast journalism.