What Happens Now That Florida Amendment 3 Passed?

Published November 4, 2026

Florida voters approved Amendment 3 on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with 62.0% voting yes — 4,907,124 votes to 3,007,547 — clearing the 60% threshold a change to the state constitution requires. The results are unofficial until the state certifies them. Amendments 1 and 2, the other statewide measures, both failed. Amendment 3 is now the law going forward, and it sets up three things to know: a much bigger tax break for homeowners, a hard deadline for anyone planning to move to Florida, and an unanswered question for the state's renters.

What changes for homeowners

The homestead exemption is the slice of your main home's value that cities and counties cannot tax. Amendment 3 raises that exemption for non-school property taxes from roughly $50,000 today to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and from 2029 it adjusts for inflation. School taxes are not changed. The new exemption takes effect January 1, 2027, so it does not change the tax bill arriving this November.

Florida TaxWatch estimates the amendment will cut local taxes by $4.9 billion in its first year and $45.8 billion over five years. One more piece matters to landlords and second-home owners: the cap on how fast the taxable value of non-homestead property can rise each year drops from 10% to 5%, which softens tax spikes on rentals, vacation homes, and commercial property when market values jump.

The December 31, 2026 deadline

The most time-sensitive part of the amendment has nothing to do with current homeowners. To receive the larger exemption on the earliest schedule, you must be a Florida resident by December 31, 2026. People who move to Florida later do not lose the exemption forever, but they wait five years before the increased amount applies to them.

That creates a real planning question for anyone mid-move: a household that establishes Florida residency before New Year's Eve 2026 is on the fast track, while one that arrives in January is not — even though the exemption itself does not begin until 2027. If a Florida move is already in your plans for the next year, the timing of the move may now be worth as much as the timing of the purchase.

What about renters?

Renters receive no homestead exemption, because a rental home is not the landlord's main home — so there is no direct break in Amendment 3 for the state's renters. The open question is what happens when the exemption shrinks the pool of property cities and counties can tax. Local governments will set their 2027 budgets next year, and each will choose some mix of spending cuts, other fees, and higher tax rates.

Analyst Jared Walczak modeled the full-backfill scenario, in which cities and counties raise tax rates to replace the lost revenue entirely. In that model, the average apartment's property tax bill rises about $406 a year in 2028, or 14.8%, and a single-family rental's bill rises about $1,081. Landlords typically pass at least 60% of a tax increase through to tenants, which works out to roughly $240 a year on an average apartment's rent. That is a scenario, not a forecast: what renters actually pay depends on those 2027 budget decisions, and the new 5% cap on rental assessments offers landlords some protection in the other direction.

Meanwhile in Ohio: Akron bans rental application fees

Florida was not the only place voters rewrote housing rules on Tuesday. In Akron, Ohio, Issue 11 passed with 57.8% of the vote. It bans every fee a landlord can charge before a lease is signed — application fees, background check fees, credit check fees, administrative fees, and holding fees — and makes collecting one a criminal offense. Landlords must also offer renters a payment plan that spreads the security deposit over three or six months, and must tell renters that right exists; failing to notify them is criminalized as well. The rules cover all residential rentals, with no exemption for small landlords.

Issue 12 passed more narrowly, with 50.9%. It makes criminal history — with exceptions for sex offenses and arson — and source of income protected classes in Akron housing, meaning landlords generally cannot deny an applicant on those grounds. Both measures are amendments to Akron's city charter, placed on the ballot by citizen signatures gathered by the group Freedom BLOC, so City Council cannot simply repeal them. Opponents have said they plan to sue, and the results are unofficial until Summit County certifies them.

If you are weighing a move — to Florida before the deadline, or anywhere the local rules just changed — a local agent who knows the current rules can save you from expensive surprises. Our free AI agent match (/match) connects you with local experts, our mortgage calculator (/calculator) shows what a home would cost month to month, and our guide on how to find a real estate agent (/guides/how-to-find-a-real-estate-agent) walks through what to look for.

FAQ

When does Amendment 3 take effect?

January 1, 2027. It does not change November 2026 property tax bills.

How much will the average homeowner save?

It depends on the home's value and local tax rates. The exemption shields up to $150,000 of value from non-school taxes in 2027 and up to $250,000 in 2028, so homes assessed above those amounts get the full benefit.

I'm moving to Florida in 2027. Do I get the bigger exemption?

Not on the earliest schedule. You must be a Florida resident by December 31, 2026; later movers wait five years for the increased exemption.

Will Amendment 3 raise rents?

Not automatically. One analysis modeled about $406 a year in added tax on an average apartment if local governments raise rates to replace the full revenue loss, with landlords typically passing at least 60% to tenants. Actual rents depend on 2027 city and county budget decisions.

What exactly did Akron voters approve?

Issue 11 banned all pre-lease fees and requires landlords to offer security-deposit payment plans over three or six months. Issue 12 made criminal history (with exceptions) and source of income protected classes in housing.

We covered this story in Ep 65 of Brick by Brick, our real estate news podcast: Brick by Brick on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@Brick-By-Brick-26).