By Jim Turner, The News Service of Florida
Florida voters on Nov. 8. will decide whether to approve two property-tax cuts and the fate of the state’s Constitution Revision Commission.
Lawmakers placed the three constitutional amendments on the ballot. Unless in previous years, no citizens initiatives made the cut. Proposals require approval from 60% of voters to pass.
Amendment 1
Part of efforts to address the effects of rising sea levels and climate change, Amendment 1 is aimed largely at helping property owners who elevate all or parts of their homes.
If approved, such improvements would not be considered in determining assessed values. Elevation work would require meeting National Flood Insurance Program and Florida Building Code standards.
A 2021 Senate staff analysis said the amendment would reduce local government property-tax revenues by $5.8 million during the 2023-2024 fiscal year, with the amount growing to $25.1 million annually.
Amendment 2
This amendment would abolish the Constitution Revision Commission, which voters created in 1968. The 37-member panel drew the ire of lawmakers in 2018 after it put issues on the ballot that touched on everything from new ethics standards for public officials to a ban on greyhound racing.
In part, the controversy centered on it creating “bundled” ballot proposals that tied together seemingly unrelated topics, such as one proposal to ban offshore oil drilling and indoor vaping.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican who sponsored the proposal aimed at repealing the commission, said its members did not have accountability.
But Sen. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat who served on the commission, argued that lawmakers should have focused on prohibiting the bundling of proposals to avoid voter confusion. He said eliminating the panel “will make it harder for citizen voices to be heard in shaping the future of their state.”
The League of Women Voters of Florida said while the 2018 commission was “political” and put amendments forward that “made it difficult to separate valid issues,” the repeal proposal would remove “a generational opportunity for citizens to update their Constitution.”
Amendment 3
With legislative supporters saying it would help address rising housing costs, Amendment 3 would increase the homestead exemption for teachers, law officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency-medical technicians, paramedics, child-welfare services professionals and active-duty members of the military and Florida National Guard.
The change, if passed, is projected to save $80.9 million for the targeted property owners next fiscal year, with the annual savings growing to $93.6 million in five years.
During this year’s legislative session, the Florida Association of Counties opposed the proposal, saying it could shift more of the tax burden to businesses and to renters, who would include members of the targeted professions.
Under current law, homeowners can qualify for homestead exemptions on the first $25,000 of the appraised value of property. They also can qualify for $25,000 homestead exemptions on the value between $50,000 and $75,000. Any higher property value is taxable.
With the amendment, homeowners in the targeted professions could receive an additional $50,000 exemption, which would apply to the property value between $100,000 and $150,000.
