Voters to see new, modified ballot language for Amendment 3 ahead of general election

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Florida Capital Bureau) - Voters can expect to see new, modified ballot language for an amendment aimed at providing relief to Florida taxpayers.

Earlier this month, Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank ruled the original ballot language of Amendment 3 was “clearly and conclusively defective.” As a result, he ordered Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier to rewrite the language to correct political rhetoric and inaccuracies.

Some of these changes involve a clearer layout of the timeline.

Originally, the amendment said that it “exempts the first $250,000 of a homestead’s value from taxation,” followed at the end of the summary with “if approved, the amendment will take effect on January 1, 2027.”

Now, the language states that “this amendment increases the homestead exemption, for all non - school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 and adjusts for inflation thereafter” to provide more accuracy.

Furthermore, the beginning sections of the ballot summary were deleted altogether, including the statement “this amendment benefits Florida taxpayers by: exempting homestead properties from taxation, ensuring for core services, protecting small businesses, and ensuring fairness for Florida residents.”

Florida Politics

The new version modifies the previous section concerning small businesses. Instead of that section, it now addresses taxation for all businesses with the following statement: “This amendment reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.”

The judge has ordered a change in the language regarding “ensuring fairness for Florida residents.” The original statement, which required anyone who establishes Florida residency after January 1, 2027, to maintain that residency for five years before receiving the increased homestead exemption, will be revised. The new version will remove any subjectivity associated with the term “fairness.”

It now reads: “Persons who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026, will receive the existing homestead exemption upon qualifying for a homestead exemption, with the increased exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution.”

The new version also clearly states that “This amendment requires counties and municipalities to use property taxes solely for public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, and bond service, retirement benefits for employees and operations and administration.” The text continued that other expenditures have to be approved by county officers or governing bodies.

The previous version lacked this language, as it did not “guarantee funding for police, fire protections, schools, infrastructure, or any other public services...” according to Judge David Frank

Though these changes have been implemented, one of the plaintiffs, Jackson Peel of Save Our Services, said that the amendment altogether is still a “scam and tax shift” away from essential services.

Save Our Services plans to continue advocacy until the general election but did not reveal any plan for further legal action.

The general election is Tuesday, November 3.

Read the full amendment below: