The campaign urging Florida voters to pass Amendment 3 has now raised more than $21.5 million, and for the first time some of that money came from outside the state Realtors group that launched it.
The National Association of Realtors gave $2,016,500 on Oct. 9 to the "Yes on 3" political committee run by Florida Realtors, Florida Politics reported Saturday. As of that date the committee had recorded $21,516,510 in contributions and had roughly $7 million left to spend, according to the report. Every earlier contribution had come from Florida Realtors.
Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It needs at least 60% of the vote on Nov. 3 to pass.
Polls short of the bar
Polling released this week shows the measure below that threshold. A survey by the South Florida firms EDGE Communications and MDW Communications put support at 50%, and one by McLaughlin & Associates put it at 53%, Florida Politics reported.
Who is for it, and who is against
Florida Realtors argues that rising home prices, insurance premiums and everyday costs are squeezing homeowners and that the amendment "would put money back in homeowners' pockets." The group notes that the larger exemption does not apply to school taxes, and that the measure would also lower the cap on yearly assessment increases for rental and commercial property from 10% to 5%.
"We've spent years working to help people buy homes. But buying the home is only half the challenge," Chuck Bonfiglio Jr., the group's 2026 president, said when the campaign launched.
Opponents include Florida TaxWatch, local chambers of commerce, the Florida Professional Firefighters, the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police and the Florida Sheriffs Association, which is running ads saying the proposal "rips out Florida's biggest source of public safety funding with no plan to replace it," according to Florida Politics. Several public employee unions and local officials also oppose it.
