Winter Springs voters will decide Amendment 3 when they vote on Nov. 3, a Legislature-backed proposal to expand the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes. It needs at least 60% of the statewide vote to pass. The city has posted estimates of the revenue it could lose, and residents quoted by the Orlando Sentinel disagree.
What the ballot says
According to the official summary filed with the Florida Division of Elections, the amendment would:
- Lift the homestead exemption that applies to city, county and other non-school levies to $150,000 starting in 2027, rising to $250,000 in 2028, with inflation increases after that.
- Require the Legislature to set a uniform process that counties and cities could use to raise the exemption as high as a home's full assessed value, and let special districts do the same with referendum approval.
- Make newcomers who establish Florida residency after Dec. 31, 2026, start with today's exemption and wait until their fifth exempt year for the larger one.
- Lower the yearly limit on how much assessed values can rise for property without a homestead exemption, from 10% to 5%.
- Restrict what counties and cities may fund with property taxes to a list that includes law enforcement and fire service, schools, roads and stormwater, natural resource projects, debt payments, employee pensions, and government operations.
If approved, it takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.
The Winter Springs numbers
Using 2026 tax roll estimates, the Seminole County Property Appraiser told the city it would lose $2.38 million in property tax revenue in fiscal 2027/28 under the $150,000 exemption and $4.14 million in fiscal 2028/29 under the $250,000 exemption, according to the city's referendum information page.
All city property tax revenue goes to the general fund, which pays for police, streets, parks, recreation programs and administration.
At an August city meeting covered by Spectrum News 13, city officials said the hit could equal 22% of the budget in 2027 and 38% the following year, and Mayor Kevin McCann said, "We're going to have to raise other fees."
