Ben Albritton says he will vote against Amendment 3; in June he voted to send the property tax measure to voters

Senate President Ben Albritton says he will vote against Amendment 3, the homestead exemption measure on Florida’s Nov. 3 ballot, the Florida Phoenix reported Oct. 20. The Phoenix reported that the statement appeared on the Florida Sheriffs Association’s social media page; it did not say when it was posted.¹

In the statement, as quoted by the Phoenix, Albritton said the amendment “would eliminate up to 30% of resources for Florida’s rural counties” and said he stands “with the Florida Sheriffs, first responders and my neighbors across rural Florida.”¹ SignalData could not open the original post. The Phoenix also reported that he sees the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, due to meet in 2027, as a better forum for a proposal this large.¹

His June vote

The Legislature placed the measure on the ballot as CS/HJR 1-F during a special session. The House passed it 75-26 and the Senate passed it 30-9, both on June 2, and it was filed with the Secretary of State on June 16.² The Senate roll call lists “President Albritton” among the 30 yes votes.³

A press release from Albritton’s office that day called the resolution a priority of Gov. Ron DeSantis. In it, Albritton thanked DeSantis for “leading the conversation on cutting property taxes” and described the Senate’s goal as an amendment that is “significant and straightforward.”⁴

Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who is also listed as a yes vote on the June 2 roll call, said Sept. 30 that she plans to vote against the amendment, Gulfshore Business reported. She said she voted to let voters decide.³⁵

What the amendment would do

The Department of State lists the measure as ballot number 3, sponsored by the Legislature, under the title “Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments.”⁶ Its ballot summary says it would:⁶

• raise the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, adjusted for inflation after that;
• require the Legislature to set a uniform process letting counties and cities raise the exemption up to a home’s full assessed value, and let special districts do so with voter approval;
• give people who were not Florida residents on Dec. 31, 2026 the existing exemption at first, with the larger one starting in their fifth year;
• lower the yearly cap on assessment increases for non-homestead property from 10% to 5%;
• limit county and city property tax revenue to listed purposes, while letting local officials approve other spending unless state law bars it;
• take effect Jan. 1, 2027.

It needs approval from 60% of voters to pass.¹

The state Revenue Estimating Conference, in its July 10 estimate, projected that if voters approve the measure, local governments would collect $4,929.5 million less in non-school property taxes in fiscal year 2027-28 and put the recurring annual reduction at $11,834.7 million. It estimated no effect on school taxes.⁷

The ballot language ruling

The ballot title voters will see is not the one the Legislature wrote. In a final order filed Aug. 3, Leon County Circuit Judge David Frank found the original title, “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes,” and its summary defective, left the measure on the ballot and directed the attorney general to prepare new language.⁸ The title on the Department of State’s record is the rewritten one.⁶ A SignalData search of the state appellate case system on Oct. 17 found no appeal arising from the case.⁹

What the records do not show

• SignalData did not see Albritton’s original post; his words here are as the Florida Phoenix quoted them.
• The records do not show the basis for the “up to 30%” figure in his statement.
• The state’s estimate does not say how local governments would adjust their budgets.