Florida Realtors backs property-tax amendment on 2026 ballot

Florida Realtors, the statewide trade association representing more than 215,000 real estate professionals, has thrown its weight behind Amendment 3, a property tax relief measure set to appear on the November 2026 ballot. The organization's Board of Directors voted to support the amendment during its annual business meeting Aug. 23 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.

The endorsement signals a significant push by the state's largest real estate industry group to reshape property tax policy in Florida, where rising assessments and insurance costs have strained household budgets across the region and driven policy debates in Northeast Florida's fast-growing counties.

What's happening

Florida Realtors' Board of Directors approved several public policy priorities during the Aug. 23 meeting, which drew 690 directors attending in person and via Zoom. Among the policy motions voted on, the board backed Amendment 3, described in the meeting materials as aiming to provide property tax relief for Floridians.

The amendment is scheduled to appear on the November 2026 ballot. Specific details of the amendment's provisions—such as which homeowners would benefit, how much relief would be offered, or what revenue impact local governments might face—were not detailed in the meeting announcement.

In addition to the policy vote, the board approved the association's 2027 budget under the report of Treasurer Cyndee Haydon. Haydon also reported that paid membership totaled 215,490 through the end of July. The organization elected new leadership for 2027, including Haydon as vice president, Fernando Arencibia Jr. as treasurer, and Karen Johnson as secretary.

Directors also elected eight National Association of Realtors directors to three-year terms—Patti Ketcham, Carlos Gutierrez, Carlos Melendez, Stacy Stahl, Hollie Billero Buldo, Diana Galavis, Chris Atwell, and Mike McGraw—along with eight NAR director alternates to one-year terms.

President Chuck Bonfiglio Jr. introduced the 2027 Leadership Team and directors approved the association's standing committees for 2027. The board also approved moving MIAMI REALTORS + RWorld from districts D4 and D3 to D11. CEO Margy Grant delivered the State of the Association report, and directors received updates on charitable efforts including Homeownership for All, Silent Angels, the Florida Realtors Education Foundation, and the Disaster Relief Fund.

What property tax relief could mean for Northeast Florida homeowners

Property tax policy sits at the intersection of housing affordability and local government finance, a tension that has intensified across Northeast Florida as home values have surged in recent years. While Amendment 3's specific mechanisms have not been detailed publicly, property tax relief measures in Florida typically take one of several forms: expansions of homestead exemptions, caps on assessment increases for certain property classes, or portability adjustments that allow homeowners to transfer Save Our Homes benefits when they move.

For homeowners in Duval, St. Johns, Clay, and Nassau counties—where rapid appreciation has pushed assessed values higher even as insurance costs have soared—any meaningful reduction in the property tax burden could influence household budgets and buying power. St. Johns County, routinely ranked among Florida's fastest-growing counties, has seen home prices climb sharply in communities along the CR 210 corridor, Nocatee, and the World Golf Village area, making tax bills a more visible line item for new buyers and long-time residents alike.

The impact of property tax changes ripples through the real estate market in multiple ways. Lower property taxes can make homeownership more affordable on a monthly basis, potentially expanding the pool of qualified buyers. For sellers, the prospect of tax relief can be a marketing point, particularly in areas where buyers are weighing total cost of ownership against comparable markets in Georgia or the Carolinas. For real estate professionals—the 215,000-plus members Florida Realtors represents—tax policy shapes both transaction volume and the conversations agents have with clients about long-term affordability.

At the same time, property taxes fund the majority of county and municipal services that underpin quality of life and property values: schools, road maintenance, parks, fire rescue, and libraries. In St. Johns County, where school quality is a primary driver of in-migration, and in Clay County, where new schools are routinely opened to keep pace with subdivision approvals, any reduction in property tax revenue would require elected officials to find offsets—whether through spending cuts, fee increases, or shifts to other revenue sources.

The regional real estate market is already navigating a complex affordability landscape. Mortgage rates, homeowners insurance premiums driven by hurricane risk, and the supply of buildable land all factor into whether first-time buyers can enter the market and whether existing homeowners can afford to stay. Property tax relief, depending on its structure, could ease one pressure point—but the net effect on affordability will depend on how local governments respond to any revenue loss and whether the relief is broad-based or targeted to specific groups such as seniors, veterans, or lower-income households.

How the amendment will reach voters

Amendment 3 is scheduled to appear on the November 2026 ballot statewide. Florida constitutional amendments require approval by 60 percent of voters to pass. Ballot language, financial impact statements, and formal campaign finance disclosures will become public as the measure moves through the state's amendment process, typically managed by the Florida Division of Elections and reviewed by the Financial Impact Estimating Conference for fiscal analysis.

Voters in Northeast Florida will have the opportunity to weigh the amendment alongside other state and local ballot questions in November. Public forums, candidate debates, and informational sessions hosted by local leagues, civic groups, and government bodies typically ramp up in the months leading to a general election, offering residents a chance to hear arguments for and against tax policy changes.

Florida Realtors' endorsement provides organizational backing and a communications platform to reach real estate professionals and their clients. Trade association support can translate into grassroots advocacy, social media campaigns, and educational materials distributed through local realtor boards across the First Coast, including the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, which serves Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties.

The broader tax and affordability debate in Northeast Florida

The property tax relief debate fits into a wider conversation about how Northeast Florida pays for growth. As subdivisions advance on former timber and ranch land in Clay and Nassau, as Duval pushes downtown residential density and Westside industrial expansion, and as St. Johns continues to build schools and widen roads to keep pace with rooftops, the tension between keeping taxes low and funding infrastructure has become a staple of local budget hearings and commission meetings.

Homeowners, builders, and local officials routinely grapple with impact fees, community development district assessments, and utility connection charges—all mechanisms to shift growth costs from existing taxpayers to new development. Property tax policy, set largely at the state level through constitutional amendments and legislative action, shapes the baseline revenue picture that counties and cities work within. Any shift in that baseline—whether through expanded exemptions or assessment caps—will require local governments to adjust, and those adjustments will be felt in neighborhoods, schools, and service levels across the region.

Florida Realtors' decision to back Amendment 3 places one of the state's most influential industry groups squarely in the affordability debate as Northeast Florida continues to absorb new residents and navigate the costs of one of the nation's most dynamic growth corridors.