By Jim Carchidi
August 4, 2026
Red flags are flying across Florida as state lawmakers prepare to place historic property tax cuts on the November ballot. Municipal leaders, school boards, police and fire departments are among the opposition to Property Tax Amendment 3 for its potential impact on local government funding. Concerns were justified on Aug. 3, when Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank ordered a rewrite of the ballot language, stating the current summary “does not state the basic legal purpose of the amendment.”
Windermere Town Council previously approved a resolution opposing the measure, sending concerns in writing to Tallahassee last month. City leaders hope to educate the public on what the tax cuts would mean for services and projects.
Beyond the household budget
Windermere's small town charm comes with less property tax revenue. Increasing costs for infrastructure and city services are tightening budgets, regardless of the town's size. Photos by Jim Carchidi
Amendment 3 eliminates property taxes for 60% of statewide homeowners by initially raising the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $250,000. A scheduled increase would eventually raise the exemption to $500,000.
The Windermere Town Council resolution states the proposed cuts “shift risk, not costs,” and leaves questions regarding alternative funding methods - such as increased sales taxes, user fees, and special assessments - and whether they will be enough to meet basic needs.
Windermere Town Manager Robert Smith told The Orlando Real that state grants and appropriations the town relies on for supplemental revenue have also been subject to cuts. And inflation has already prompted cutbacks on community event funding.
“We’re under two square miles,” he said. “We have dirt roads, we’ve got 3,081 residents, about 1,600 properties, and we're very conscious of how our money is spent.”
Smith, who has served as Town Manager for nearly 15 years, says the Amendment 3 cuts would initially remove more than $300,000 from the $4.6 million the town receives in ad valorem taxes. The deficit would increase to $650,000 during the 2027/28 fiscal year. And ongoing inflation would compound the impact. “We were paying Ocoee $870,000 for fire department services, now we’re looking at $1.1 million.”
The ordered rewrite of the ballot language was the result of lawsuits arguing the misleading nature of the amendment summary and the title, “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes.” The original ballot can be viewed here.
“People think, ‘this is going to impact my taxes or my household budget,’ I get that,” Smith said. “But you're not thinking of all the impacts it's going to have, wide range, on the community itself. It comes down to departments’ wants and needs. When it comes to new sidewalks and road repairs, there’s a lot that’s going to be put on hold.”
Public outreach
While municipalities across the state would be challenged by the property tax reductions, Smith says smaller towns are going to feel the biggest impact. In a West Orange Times report, Winter Garden City Manager Jon C. Williams said current property tax collections of $30,277,220 fund 93.9% of the city’s police and fire budgets. A homestead exemption of $150,000 drops tax collections to $29,194,952. The number then drops to $25,894,952 with a homestead exemption of $250,000.
Whatever the ballot language revision entails, Smith says residents need to be aware of the full scope of the amendment's economic impacts. Windermere leaders are looking to join other West Orange cities for a town hall discussion of Amendment 3 and its implications. Leaders hope to schedule the meeting in late September.
"Prices have been going up every single year, so we're going to be in a deficit," Smith said. "In two years' time, three years' time, the projects people want are just not going to be affordable for small towns."
Sponsor: The Orlando Real is sponsored by the Pozek Group — the #1 real estate team in Orlando and the Official Real Estate Team of the Orlando Magic.
About the Author
Jim Carchidi is an Orlando journalist and photographer with previous work at the Orlando Sentinel and Orlando Business Journal. He covers development, arts, culture, and local stories for The Orlando Real.
Posted by The Orlando Real on
Enjoy this blog post? Click here to subscribe for updates
Leave A Comment