Florida property tax cut ballot summary rewritten by attorney general

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida officials presented a revised ballot title and summary for Amendment 3 on Thursday after a state judge ruled the original version contained misleading political rhetoric.

Revised Florida Property Tax Measure

What we know:

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier released a updated draft of the ballot summary for Amendment 3 on Thursday after a Leon County judge threw out the initial language. Circuit Judge David Frank ruled last week that the original title and text acted as political advocacy rather than an objective explanation.

The original title, "Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes," was replaced with "Increased Homestead Exemption, Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments". If approved by 60 percent of voters in November, the constitutional amendment would raise the primary residential homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, though school district taxes would remain unaffected. It would also lower the annual assessment increase cap on non-homestead properties from 10 percent to 5 percent.

Unsettled Issues in Public Safety

What we don't know:

State leaders have not clarified whether lawmakers will enact additional safeguards to replace local tax revenues lost by emergency services. It also remains uncertain whether opposing legal groups will launch new challenges against Attorney General James Uthmeier's redrafted summary before the ballot deadline.

Governor Push and Sheriff Pushback

The backstory:

Gov. Ron DeSantis has spend more than a year touring the state advocating for steep property tax relief. He pointed to statewide local property tax collection figures climbing from $31 billion in 2019 to $55 billion in 2024.

However, when lawmakers shaped the policy during a June special session, law enforcement groups strongly objected over potential budget cuts. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd publicly criticized the measure, calling the amendment a "train wreck".

Stakeholder Reactions to Language Rewrite

What they're saying:

Attorney General James Uthmeier acknowledged that public safety agencies should have been consulted earlier during the drafting process.

"Under Florida law, we don’t have the ability to rewrite the full amendment, just ht eballot summary and title consistent with the court’s ruling," Uthmeier said. "The amendment could certainly have been rolled out with greater transparency and the meaningful involvement of key stakeholders, including our law enforcement agencies. No one wants to defund our incredible sheriffs, yet there were no discussions to involve them in this process."

Opponents of the initiative welcomed the court-ordered changes.

"We applaud the Court for its thorough review of Amendment 3 and its ballot language. Judge David Frank’s ruling and the subsequent ballot language rewrite confirm what we’ve long known – this amendment is a wolf in sheep’s clothing," said Edie Ousley, spokeswoman for Vote No on 3. "Amendment 3 is not tax relief – it’s a tax shift. The proposal doesn’t eliminate the cost of local services – it shifts more of the burden onto renters, businesses and other property owners while leaving communities to make up the difference."

Next Steps for November Ballot

What's next:

Three separate lawsuits resulted in Judge David Frank ordering the state to strip biased slogans from the ballot text. Voters across Florida will decide the fate of Amendment 3 at the ballot box in November.

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