Florida’s most Venezuelan city put the Republican Party on notice

Floridians this week adopted a constitutional amendment that could cut property taxes for many homeowners, but that public officials have warned also threatens to starve municipal budgets around the state.

The proposal, known as Amendment 3, had been the subject of town hall meetings, multimillion-dollar ad campaigns, op-eds and news conferences in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election.

Its supporters, including Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Florida Realtors, described it as much-needed relief for millions of homeowners. Amendment 3, as it is widely known, would extend the state’s homestead exemption from the current $50,000 a year per eligible home to $150,000 beginning in 2027. That number would rise to $250,000 in 2028. New residents have to live in Florida for five years before qualifying for expanded exemptions.

“You vote for it, you’ll pay less. End of story,” DeSantis said in one September news conference.

But the amendment faced broad opposition from mayors and city managers, police and fire chiefs, and advocacy groups who warned the policy would deprive local governments of billions of dollars — and lead to painful cuts in key services.

Despite those pleas, on Tuesday the measure cleared the 60 percent of support required to pass, receiving about 62 percent of votes.

What now?

DeSantis said Wednesday he plans to call a special session before his term ends for lawmakers to work out the details for implementation. In addition, Gov.-elect Byron Donalds has said he hopes to eliminate homestead property taxes in the state entirely.