Florida property taxes have exploded 77% since 2019 – from $31 billion to $55 billion – and local governments spent every penny.
Now Ron DeSantis is hoping to hand the power back to the people.
What Ron DeSantis told Florida homeowners about tax cuts sent local government officials into full panic mode.
What DeSantis Actually Said
"The tax is purely in your hands. You vote for it, you'll pay less. End of story."
That's not a campaign slogan.
That's a governor telling you that November's ballot contains the biggest property tax cut in Florida history – and all you have to do is show up.
Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 starting in 2027, then to $250,000 the following year.
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For the average Palm Beach County homeowner, that means savings jumping from $800 a year today to somewhere between $3,000 and $3,500 by 2028.
For retirees living on fixed incomes – the people who bought their Florida home for $250,000 and watched the county assess it at over a million – this is the difference between staying in the house they spent their lives paying for or being taxed out of it.
The Democrats Want You to Forget You're Being Robbed
The Florida Democrat Party voted to formally oppose Amendment 3.
FDP Chair Nikki Fried's official statement warned the amendment would "cut local services while giving huge tax breaks to billionaires and corporations."
That's the play.
That's always the play.
Democrats watched local governments vacuum up an extra $24 billion a year in property tax revenue over five years and said nothing.
The moment voters get a chance to keep some of that money, suddenly it's about billionaires.
The "Vote No on 3" committee – backed by local government insiders – is telling Floridians the amendment "could eventually bleed $34 billion from local government budgets."
They left out the part where those governments doubled their revenue while your tax bill did the same.
The Local Government Lobby Is Running Scared
The opposition isn't just Democrats – and that's the part worth paying attention to.
The Florida Sheriffs Association raised concerns about the amendment's impact on law enforcement budgets.
Police and firefighter groups echoed the warning.
Here's what they won't say out loud: that tax revenue hasn't been funding better policing.
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It's been funding a bigger government.
Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia proved it.
His office audited eleven Florida counties and found $1.9 billion in wasteful spending – money collected off rising property assessments and burned through on administrators, consultants, and bureaucratic bloat.
Palm Beach County alone racked up $344 million in excess.
That's $39,864 in added government cost for every new family of four that moved in.
Palm Beach County Administrator Joe Abruzzo called the findings "fictitious."
Of course he did.
The amendment restricts local governments to spending property tax revenue on core services: public safety, education, roads, and infrastructure.
That's what has officials genuinely worried.
Not the tax cut – the accountability.
DeSantis built this push around a simple truth that local governments hate: they got rich off inflation while homeowners got squeezed.
Property tax revenue surged from $31 billion to $55 billion in five years.
The governments kept the windfall.
Now they want to keep it forever – and they're using your sheriff's badge to make sure you vote for that.
This Is Florida's Biggest Tax Fight in a Generation
Florida Realtors are behind Amendment 3.
Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell says DeSantis' endorsement will make a real difference.
The amendment needs 60% of voters to pass – a high bar that requires conservatives to show up in numbers that make the opposition irrelevant.
DeSantis put it plainly: "I would just say the only sure thing for relief on the ballot will be the Amendment 3 for property tax."
You vote yes, you pay less.
The governments find a way to live within their means.
That's how this is supposed to work.
Sources:
- Dave Elias, "Gov. DeSantis endorses property tax reduction proposal with Amendment 3 on election ballot," Gulf Coast News Now, September 3, 2026.
- Ana Goñi-Lessan, "Sheriffs, police, firefighters groups sound the alarm over property tax measure," Florida Trend/News Service of Florida, August 4, 2026.
- "Florida AG Uthmeier rewrites Property Tax Amendment ballot summary, title after court ruling," Fox 35 Orlando, August 2026.
- "DeSantis says he will campaign for Amendment 3," Florida Realtors, August 2026.
- "What are you actually voting on? Florida's Amendment 3 explained," CBS 12, 2026.
- Mitch Perry, "Florida Democratic Party votes to oppose property tax amendment," Florida Phoenix, July 20, 2026.
- "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Announces Over $344 Million in Palm Beach County Budget as Excessive, Wasteful Spending," Florida CFO Press Release, December 4, 2025.
