Amendment 3

What will happen if Florida Amendment 3 passes? Experts and institutions weigh in.

As local governments across Florida brace for steep cuts to property tax revenue if voters approve Amendment 3, Sarasota County is putting some hiring on hold.

Each year, local governments set aside funds to support nonprofits providing critical services to vulnerable community members. Many nonprofits leaders across Sarasota and Manatee counties now fear those funds could be in jeopardy if voters advance the proposed property tax amendment on November’s ballot.

Amendment 3, which will appear on Florida’s November ballot and requires 60% voter approval to pass, would sharply expand the state’s homestead exemption and reduce the property tax revenue that counties and cities use to pay for police, fire rescue, roads, parks and other services.

The Alliance for the Arts and the Cape Coral Art Center are hosting a town hall meeting tonight to discuss art and culture issues impacting Southwest Florida. The town hall will focus on key priorities shaping the future of arts and culture in Southwest Florida, with a special emphasis on the arts in Cape Coral and the Amendment 3 ballot initiative that could impact local funding for arts programming and education.

If Florida voters approve Amendment 3 in November, cities and counties across the state could lose roughly $12 billion a year in property tax revenue — forcing local officials to cut spending, find other sources of money or shrink the services they provide. What would that mean on the Suncoast?

The Florida Realtors trade group is getting behind Amendment 3, the major property tax cut on the November ballot, putting $10 million to support the measure.

Sarasota County could see major cuts to critical services if Amendment 3 passes at the ballot box in November, with the Sheriff’s Office alone standing to lose more than $50 million of the property tax revenue it currently receives, new projections show.