Florida’s Amendment 3, in plain English
Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments
Florida votes on Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026. It needs 60 percent to pass. This page shows both outcomes and will say which one happened once results are in.
Amendment 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would raise the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, adjusted for inflation after that, and would lower the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property from 10 percent to 5 percent. It needs approval from at least 60 percent of voters and, if approved, takes effect January 1, 2027. School taxes keep the existing $25,000 exemption. The tables below show what it would do to the tax computation in each city if it passes; if it does not pass, the law stays as it is today.
Sources and the date each was read are listed at the bottom of the page. This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. It makes no statement about home prices. The property appraiser sets assessed values, each taxing authority sets its millage, and the tax collector sends the bill; their figures govern.
What it would mean for a homestead, current law against 2027 and 2028
Same millage and same assessed value in every column, so the difference between columns is the exemption and nothing else.
| Assessed value | Current law | 2027, if it passes | 2028, if it passes | Change in 2028 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000,000 | $16,628 | $15,534 | $14,431 | Lower by $2,197 |
| $3,000,000 | $51,318 | $50,224 | $49,122 | Lower by $2,197 |
| $5,000,000 | $86,009 | $84,914 | $83,812 | Lower by $2,197 |
A buyer who is not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026
The ballot summary gives that buyer the existing homestead exemption when they first qualify and the increased exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent the U.S. Constitution permits. Same Boca Raton district and millage as above; the later column uses the 2028 amount of $250,000, which is indexed after 2028, so it is a floor for what the later years would use.
| Assessed value | Exemption years 1 to 4 | From exemption year 5 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000,000 | $16,628 | $14,431 | Lower by $2,197 |
| $3,000,000 | $51,318 | $49,122 | Lower by $2,197 |
| $5,000,000 | $86,009 | $83,812 | Lower by $2,197 |
Assessed value is what the property appraiser assesses, which is usually below a purchase price. A home’s own district is on its appraiser record and tax notice. For the full breakdown and other inputs, use the Boca Raton calculator.
What the measure does, from the ballot summary
- The homestead exemption, for non-school taxes
- The exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjusts for inflation. Today the same exemption is the first $25,000 plus an indexed second amount ($26,411 for 2026, per the Department of Revenue), about $51,411 in all.
- School taxes
- The ballot summary applies the increase to non-school taxes only. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Amendment 3 page says the school exemption stays at $25,000.
- Local governments and special districts
- The summary requires the legislature to set a uniform procedure for counties and municipalities to raise the homestead exemption for their own levies up to full assessed value, and lets special districts do the same subject to a referendum. The details depend on laws not yet written.
- Non-homestead property
- The annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property falls from 10 percent to 5 percent. The summary does not say whether that changes which levies the cap applies to; today the 10 percent limit on residential property of nine units or fewer applies to non-school levies.
- People who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026
- They receive the existing homestead exemption when they first qualify, and the increased exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent the U.S. Constitution permits. The Property Appraiser describes the existing amount for these owners as $50,000.
- What counties and cities may spend property tax on
- The summary also lists the purposes for which counties and municipalities must use property taxes: public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits for employees, and operations and administration, with other expenditures allowed if a county officer or governing body approves them and general law does not prohibit them.
- Dates
- Vote: November 3, 2026, 60 percent required. Effective date if approved: January 1, 2027. The first tax bills it could affect are the 2027 bills, mailed in November 2027.
The cap on yearly assessment increases: 10 percent to 5 percent
This is for property that does not carry a homestead exemption, such as a second home or a rental. The cap limits how much the assessed value can rise in a year, not the tax. The most the assessed value of a property assessed at $1,000,000 could reach after each year of the maximum yearly increase, under each cap. A ceiling, not a forecast: an assessment rises by the lower of the cap and the market change. The cap would apply from January 1, 2027.
| After year | 10 percent cap (today) | 5 percent cap (Amendment 3) | Lower ceiling by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $0 |
| 2 | $1,100,000 | $1,050,000 | $50,000 |
| 3 | $1,210,000 | $1,102,500 | $107,500 |
| 4 | $1,331,000 | $1,157,625 | $173,375 |
| 5 | $1,464,100 | $1,215,506 | $248,594 |
What stays the same, and what this page does not predict
- The ballot summary does not mention the Save Our Homes cap on how fast a homestead assessment can rise, so this page treats it as unchanged.
- It does not change how the property appraiser values a home. It changes how much of the assessed value is exempt from tax.
- Non ad valorem assessments such as solid waste, fire and stormwater fees are not taxes on value and are not part of these figures.
- It does not set any millage rate. Each taxing authority still sets its rate every year, and a larger exemption changes the base those rates apply to. This page holds the 2025 rates still, so it predicts nothing about future rates.
- Nothing here is a statement about home prices.
Public polls before the vote
The amendment needs 60 percent. October polls reported by RISMedia on October 14, 2026 found support at:
- Mason-Dixon (for NBC 6 South Florida): 55 percent
- AIF/McLaughlin: 53 percent
- University of North Florida: 50 percent
- St. Pete Polls (October 5 to 7): 45 percent
The St. Pete Polls figure is reported inconsistently across outlets and one roundup lists a 63 percent result without naming the pollster; check the original releases. Polls are not results.
Run a home through the calculator
The Florida ownership cost calculator has an Amendment 3 scenario switch: current law, 2027 or 2028, with your price, taxing district, dues and quotes. Open the calculator.
Amendment 3, answered
What does Florida’s Amendment 3 do?
It increases the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, adjusted for inflation after that, and lowers the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property from 10 percent to 5 percent. It needs 60 percent of the vote on November 3, 2026 and would take effect January 1, 2027. Source: the revised ballot summary issued August 13, 2026, read 2026-10-31.
Does Amendment 3 change school taxes?
The ballot summary applies the larger exemption to non-school taxes only. The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Amendment 3 page says the school exemption stays at $25,000.
When would a change show up on a tax bill?
If approved, the amendment takes effect January 1, 2027, so the first bills it could change are the 2027 bills mailed in November 2027. Parts of it depend on implementing laws the legislature has not written yet.
I am moving to Florida. Does the larger exemption apply to me right away?
Under the ballot summary, a person who is not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026 receives the existing homestead exemption when they first qualify and the increased exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent the U.S. Constitution permits. Whether that is enforceable as written is a legal question this page does not answer.
What if Amendment 3 does not pass?
Then the law stays as it is: the first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all levies, an indexed second amount is exempt from non-school levies, and the non-homestead cap stays at 10 percent.
Is this a prediction of my tax bill?
No. It is the tax computation with one thing changed, the exemption, using the 2025 published millage and the assessed value you pick. Millage rates, assessed values and the implementing laws can all differ. The property appraiser and tax collector set the real figures.
Sources
- Jones Walker LLP, reproducing the Attorney General’s revised ballot title and summary issued August 13, 2026, Florida’s revised property tax amendment ballot language, read 2026-10-31.
- Palm Beach County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3 calculator page (exemption amounts by year; school exemption stays $25,000; new-resident description), read 2026-10-31.
- Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, Constitutional amendment, ballot number 3 (2026). The official page refused an automated read on the date above, so it was not used to check the wording., read 2026-10-31.
- RISMedia, Polls differ on the Florida property tax amendment, October 14, 2026, read 2026-10-31.
- Florida Department of Revenue, Additional Homestead Exemption Adjustment, revised January 2026 (the current-law second exemption), read 2026-10-31.
- The millage and the current-law exemptions are the ones the ownership cost calculator uses, each with its own source on the calculator pages.
This page is general information, not tax, legal or financial advice. It makes no statement about home prices. The property appraiser sets assessed values, each taxing authority sets its millage, and the tax collector sends the bill; their figures govern.