Support for Amendment 3 falls short of the 60% it needs to pass in every media market in Florida, according to a new poll commissioned by Associated Industries of Florida (AIF). The survey was conducted by New York-based McLaughlin & Associates, which has an office in Fort Lauderdale.
The firm surveyed 800 likely General Election voters by phone and text from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1. After respondents heard the full ballot language, 53% said they support the measure and 28% said they oppose it. The poll carries a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
The amendment would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes from about $51,000 to $250,000 by 2028, index it to inflation afterward, and cut the annual assessment-growth cap on non-homestead property to 5%, half its current level. Support was highest in the Miami and Tampa areas, at 56% each, and lowest in the Orlando area, at 48%.
Support also tracked party, income and age. Republicans backed the measure at 68%, compared with 50% of third-party and no-party voters and 32% of Democrats. Low-income voters were the least supportive income group, at 44%. Voters 40 and older favored it at 55%, while those 30 and younger were at 36%.
Other recent polls show lower numbers. A St. Pete Polls survey commissioned by Florida Politics found 42% support, and a Stetson poll released this week put support at 51%. Miami-Dade’s mayor’s office estimates the amendment would cut the county’s property tax revenue by about a fifth, a loss the Florida Association of Counties puts at $445 million.
