Gov. Ron DeSantis spent more than an hour Wednesday at a Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office roundtable, urging voters to approve Amendment 3. The proposed constitutional amendment would raise the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It needs 60% approval on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The governor said in June that he did not expect to campaign for the measure, in part because it was not the version he had requested. The Florida House wrote the amendment, and the Senate went along. Wednesday’s event, held with local officials standing beside him, looked back to the way he hosted news conferences before the 2024 election on recreational marijuana and abortion amendments.
DeSantis criticized local governments for warning that the measure would cut services. He said their budgets have grown faster than population and inflation justify. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said her office had saved or avoided more than $30 million during her time as sheriff.
The push comes as opposition builds. Senate President Ben Albritton announced Tuesday that he will vote no, and the Florida Sheriffs Association, the State Fraternal Order of Police and the Florida Association of Professional Firefighters also oppose the amendment. State economists estimate it would cut revenue by $5 billion in its first year and as much as $12 billion a year once fully implemented.
A University of North Florida poll released Wednesday found 50% of likely voters support the amendment, short of the 60% needed. DeSantis also said he would encourage voters to reject Amendment 1, which would expand the state’s budget stabilization fund.
