Florida Amendment 3 2026: Additional Homestead Exemption Explained
Beth Helvey September 11, 2026
Beth Helvey September 11, 2026
Florida ballot, November 3, 2026
No jargon, no spin. Just what it does, who it affects, and what to know if you are buying a home this year.
Every Florida voter will see Amendment 3 on the ballot this November. It deals with property taxes, and it needs 60% approval to pass. If it passes, it changes different things depending on whether your home is homesteaded or not, and whether you already own or are still shopping. Here is the plain version.
Amendment 3 does three main things:
One thing stays fixed no matter what: the part of your exemption that applies to school taxes stays at $25,000. The rest of the exemption is what grows.
Homesteaded means the home is your permanent residence and you already have Florida's homestead exemption on it. If you are a permanent Florida resident as of December 31, 2026, and the amendment passes, you step straight into the new, larger exemption. No waiting period.
Your exemption grows from $50,000 today to $150,000 in 2027, then $250,000 in 2028.
The amendment takes effect January 1, 2027. You will see the new exemption on your August 2027 TRIM notice, and it will show up on the tax bill you get in November 2027, not before.
This covers rental property, second homes, vacation property, and commercial property. The big new exemption does not apply here, since it is only for a primary residence. What does apply to you is the lower assessment cap.
Right now, the assessed value of non-homestead property can climb up to 10% a year even if the market moves faster. Amendment 3 cuts that cap to 5% a year, which slows down how quickly your taxable value, and your bill, can rise.
You do not gain a new exemption. If you later move into the property and make it your primary residence, you would then be treated as a new homestead owner from that point forward.
This is the part that trips people up. The bigger exemption is not available to just anyone who buys a home after the amendment passes. It is only available right away to people who are already permanent Florida residents, meaning the home is their primary residence, by December 31, 2026.
If you buy and move in after that date, you start over as a new homestead owner. You get the current, smaller exemption at first, and you phase in to the full new exemption over five years.
Example: bought in January
Say you closed on your Florida home in January 2026 and it is your primary residence. You already qualify for the current homestead exemption, so you are a permanent resident well before the December 31, 2026 cutoff. If the amendment passes, you move straight to the $150,000 exemption in 2027 and the $250,000 exemption in 2028, the same as any long-time homesteaded owner. You do not wait five years.
Amendment 3 does not erase your property tax bill. School taxes are untouched, and for most homeowners that is the largest single line on the bill. Counties and cities can still raise money through fees for things like water, parks, and impact fees, even though this amendment restricts how they can use ad valorem tax revenue. Statewide, the change is expected to reduce local government revenue by roughly $12 billion a year, and some city and county officials have raised concerns about the effect on funding for services like law enforcement and fire response. Whichever way you plan to vote, it is worth weighing your own tax savings against the local services you rely on.
Exemption grows to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, automatically, no phase-in.
Start with the current, smaller exemption and phase in to the full amount over five years.
No new exemption, but the yearly assessment cap drops from 10% to 5%.
This is a plain-language summary, not tax or legal advice. Your county property appraiser's office can run the numbers for your specific property.
Mark your ballot on November 3, and if you are planning to buy a home this year, reach out to me about how the December 31 cutoff applies to you. If you are on the fence about buying this year, let's crunch the numbers and see if purchasing or waiting is more in your favor.
Beth Helvey
941.330.3600
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