Florida Amendment 3: What the Homestead Vote Would Change

On November 3, 2026, Florida voters decide Amendment 3, a constitutional amendment on homestead property tax exemptions (Florida Division of Elections). This is a plain walk through what the text actually says it would do. It is not advice on how to vote, and it is not a savings estimate for your house. For that, talk to a tax professional or your county property appraiser.

If you are financing a home and timing matters to you, especially if you are moving to Florida from out of state, the short version is this: the amendment would raise the homestead exemption in steps starting in 2027, and it keys part of that increase to whether you were already a Florida resident on December 31, 2026.

What is on the ballot

Amendment 3 began in the Legislature as HJR 1F (Florida Division of Elections). Like any Florida constitutional amendment, it needs at least 60 percent of the vote to pass (Fla. Const. art. XI, s. 5(e)). Election Day is November 3, 2026 (Florida Division of Elections). If it passes, it takes effect January 1, 2027 (enrolled CS/HJR 1F).

The exemption increase

The enrolled bill would raise a homestead owner's exemption from non-school property taxes in two steps: up to $150,000 of assessed value starting January 1, 2027, and up to $250,000 starting January 1, 2028. Starting January 1, 2029, that figure would adjust each year for inflation when the change in the Consumer Price Index is positive (CS/HJR 1F). The exemption from school district taxes is not part of this increase and stays at $25,000.

The date that matters for new Florida homeowners: December 31, 2026

Here is the part a mover should actually read closely. If you own and live in a Florida homestead on or after January 1, 2027, but you did not have a permanent Florida residence as of December 31, 2026, the bill phases you in differently. You would get $25,000 off school taxes and $50,000 off non-school taxes, and you would not get the full increased non-school exemption until the fifth year of your exemption (enrolled CS/HJR 1F).

Two things worth being precise about. First, the test in the bill is Florida residency on December 31, 2026, not owning a Florida home by that date. Second, the Legislature would still need to write the procedures for how this gets administered, and the bill says that happens "to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution." Starting January 1, 2030, a county or city could vote by a two-thirds margin to shorten that five-year wait for a critical local need.

This is separate from how the homestead exemption works today. Under current law, you have to hold title to a Florida home and make it your permanent residence as of January 1 to get your own homestead exemption, and a home bought after January 1 does not get the buyer's own exemption until the following January 1 (Fla. Stat. 196.031(1)(a)). For how that interacts with the tax bill you will actually see as a new Florida owner, including why your first-year number will not match the seller's, see why your Jacksonville property tax won't match the seller's.

The other side of the amendment: a lower cap on non-homestead property

Amendment 3 is not only about primary homes. For property that is not a homestead, things like a second home, a rental of nine units or fewer, or commercial property, the yearly cap on how much the assessed value can rise would drop from 10 percent to 5 percent starting January 1, 2027 (enrolled CS/HJR 1F).

What else is in it

The ballot summary also describes two other pieces. It would require counties and cities to spend property tax revenue only on specific categories: public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, employee retirement benefits, and operations and administration. And it would direct the Legislature to set a uniform way for local governments to raise their own homestead exemption up to full assessed value, with special districts able to do the same if their voters approve it (Florida Division of Elections ballot summary).

Why the ballot wording changed

One more detail worth knowing if you read about this amendment somewhere else first. The summary originally printed in the enrolled bill described the increase differently, including language about exempting "the first $250,000" and about anyone establishing residency "after January 1, 2027." After a legal challenge, Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language, Inc. v. Byrd, found that wording deficient, Florida's Attorney General rewrote the ballot statement on August 13, 2026 to correct it (Attorney General letter to the Secretary of State). The $150,000-in-2027, $250,000-in-2028 figures and the December 31, 2026 residency date above reflect that corrected version, which is what will appear on the ballot.

One more date worth circling

If you are closing on a home this winter in a flood-prone area, there is a separate deadline worth knowing about alongside the Amendment 3 vote: Congress extended the National Flood Insurance Program's authorization only to December 11, 2026 (FEMA). It is a different issue from the homestead exemption, but both are reasons to build extra time into a late-2026 closing.

The bottom line

Amendment 3 needs 60 percent approval on November 3, 2026 to pass. If it does, it raises the homestead exemption in steps starting in 2027, with a slower phase-in tied to whether you were a Florida resident by December 31, 2026. None of this changes what you owe this year, and none of it should drive a decision about when to buy or move on its own. For what it would mean for your specific situation, check with a tax professional or your county property appraiser.

If you are working out the financing side of a move to North Florida, that part I can help with directly: 904-389-4635.