Nearly five years after Seminole County bought a closed golf course to keep it from becoming a subdivision, the neighbors who pushed for that purchase are campaigning again, this time against a statewide ballot measure they say could slow the park they were promised.
The Save Deer Run Citizen's Action Group voted Aug. 31 to recommend that residents of the Deer Run neighborhood vote no on Amendment 3 in the Nov. 3 election, the group says on its website. Spectrum News 13 reported on the effort Monday.
What Deer Run is
Before the county stepped in, the owners of the closed course had sought to build homes on the land, and residents organized to push for a park instead. The county purchased the property in December 2021 and says its Parks and Recreation department will turn it into a passive park over several years, including converting the old clubhouse into a community center.
According to the county's project page, a design agreement for the clubhouse was approved Nov. 18, 2025, with design work set to begin in 2026.
What Amendment 3 would do
The Florida Legislature put Amendment 3 before voters. Its court-revised ballot title is "Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments."
It would raise the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments after that, and would cut the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property such as rentals and commercial buildings from 10% to 5%. It requires 60% voter approval and would take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
What each side says
Save Deer Run president Deborah Bauer told Spectrum News 13 she backs property tax reform in general but not this amendment. On its website, the group argues that the amendment would slow county capital projects, including the park, delay hiring of a staff member for the park and community center, and reduce mowing, weed treatment and drainage upkeep on land where homes have flooded before.
"We support the idea of property tax relief, but Amendment 3 is not the way to achieve this goal," the group wrote.
