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Florida ballot fight over homestead exemption heads toward Election Day

The proposal would raise the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, while cutting the non-homestead assessment cap to 5% from 10% each year.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Residential

HousingWire reports Florida’s upcoming ballot measure would expand the state’s homestead exemption starting in 2027 and 2028, increasing the exemption amounts while also reducing the non-homestead assessment cap. If approved, it would raise the homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028, with the exemption later indexed to inflation.

The amendment also would cut the assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5% annually, a change opponents say could shift the tax burden toward rental and commercial property. Backers frame the move as the largest homestead tax cut in decades, aimed at providing homeowners relief as property values climbed in recent years.

HousingWire says the measure follows a revised ballot title after a court challenge, and polls indicate support is below the 60% threshold needed for passage. Local officials have warned the negative fiscal impact on city and county budgets could be severe, while Gov. Ron DeSantis supported the change through a June special session after pushing for affordability-linked housing initiatives.

According to HousingWire, a key debate is how any savings for homeowners could translate elsewhere in local taxation. Neil Schiller, managing partner at Florida firm Government Law Group, said in an interview that the gap between what homeowners save and what they pay could be offset through other costs for residents, and he argued the effects would not be one-sided.

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