Most readers oppose Florida's property tax plan, poll finds

A Florida readers poll on support for Amendment 3, the GOP-led property tax overhaul showed the majority of residents oppose the measure, which would offer a significant tax cut but would potentially drain municipalities of money needed to fund essential services.

The poll by USA Today Network-Florida ran on news sites around the state. And while it's hardly scientific, it did find that 55.6% opposed the measure to 44.4% approving. There were 2,290 readers who took the poll, which ran from June 30 to July 8.

The result differs from a poll conducted by Tallahassee-based Sachs Media that found 64% would vote yes on Amendment 3, which raises the homestead exemption to $250,000 in two years - enough for it to surpass the 60% threshold needed to pass a ballot initiative.

However, that survey spoke to 850 registered voters in late June, showing them Amendment 3 as it is currently written. A lawsuit that is pending in Leon County Circuit Court has called the language unconstitutional, saying its biased and loaded wording is akin to a campaign mailer.

The Sachs poll reached out equally to Democrats and Republicans. Newspaper readers, according to Marquette Law School, skewers 26% Democrat, 22% Republicans and 13% Independents. Sachs only polled registered voters.

Florida property tax ballot measure faces many opponents

There hasn't been a lot of good news for proponents of Amendment 3 since the Florida Legislature put the measure on November's ballot. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he would not campaign for the measure because the Legislature had tweaked it from his original intent of eliminating property taxes altogether. The governor wanted to eliminate money that funds local school districts and to bump up the homestead exemption to $500,000.

Besides the court challenge on the language, there are two others that either attack the language as sloganeering or misleading. The lawsuits are expected to be combined into a single case with the next hearing scheduled July 29.

In the meantime, opponents to Amendment 3 are organizing. Floridians for Shared Prosperity, a political action committee, has formed with the slogan, "Save Our Services - No on 3."

Holly Bullard, chief strategy and development officer at the Florida Policy Institute think tank, is chair of the opposition effort. She said that readers of newspapers rejected the property tax measure is indicative of what residents think once they are educated on how it would affect local services from ambulance response times to summer camps and children's services.

"The struggle is that we need to connect with folks who do rely on these services, but don't necessarily read the newspaper," she said. "If Amendment 3 passes, Florida will change inextricably for the worse."

Fernand Amandi, Miami polling expert and political consultant, said that for the average Florida homeowner, Amendment 3 looks like relief as the state becomes less affordable every day.

"At first blush to a lot of people, especially those who are homeowners, it looks and sounds like what it's presenting itself to be: a significant tax break in the thousands of dollars that doesn't tread on public school budgets," he said. "When people are drowning financially, anything that looks like a financial life raft is going to be considered strongly before its discarded."

John Pacenti is the Government Impact Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida's best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Most readers oppose Florida's property tax plan, poll finds

Reporting by John Pacenti, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida / Florida Today

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This story was originally published July 13, 2026 at 5:16 AM.