OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Facing millions in potential revenue losses, cities and counties across Central Florida are working to develop a plan ahead of a November vote on property tax reform.
Amendment 3 needs 60 percent approval to take effect.
It would begin by increasing the state’s homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, then to $250,000 in 2028.
Analysts say the proposal on the ballot could save homeowners an average of $3,000 every year, but cities and counties say that savings would force them to cut services.
On Monday, Osceola County leaders and leaders in the city of Oviedo met to develop plans in case Amendment 3 passes.
“I was elected in 2009 when the Great Recession happened, and I’m very familiar with local government being broke. And if Amendment 3 passes, that’s exactly what will happen once again,” said Chairman of the Osceola County Board of Commissioners, Brandon Arrington.
According to Osceola County, if Amendment three passes in November, the county stands to lose just over $79 million in revenue by 2028.
“With public safety making up about 70% of the overall county budget, there’s no way we cannot look at changes to our fire stations,” said Arrington.
Arrington told Channel 9 the county is already considering eliminating a fire station.
Funding for school resource officers, LYNX services in Poinciana, and road maintenance could also be cut.
To prepare, about $12 million in improvement projects are currently on hold, including those that would create new parking facilities, improve fire stations, and construct roads.
Arrington also warned the county’s ability to address road maintenance would be impacted.
“Instead of a 24-hour response time, you could be looking at a four month to maybe a 24-month response time to fix those potholes,” said Arrington.
The county decided Monday it would send residents a survey asking them to prioritize services to keep or cut.
“We’re really trying to come up with a long-term vision,” Arrington said.
A Sachs Media poll from August found about 63 percent of Floridians are in favor of Amendment three.
According to Orange County, if passed, the Homestead Exemption would create an estimated budget reduction of $275 million by 2028.
Public Safety revenue would not be exempt, with the county estimating that Orange County Fire Rescue’s revenue will be reduced by $46 million, or about 20 percent, beginning in 2028.
“We will scale down on every level of service. We may have to put restrictions on the type of calls we go to, but always try to preserve,” said former Orange County Fire Chief, Anthony Rios during a July budget workshop.
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek told channel 9, if passed, Amendment 3 would slash the city of Oviedo’s budget by 15- 25 percent.
To avoid any police and fire cuts, Sladek says they’d need to instead cut 70 city jobs.
“You can balance a budget by subtraction, which is cutting services, or by addition, by bringing back ways to get the revenue that may evaporate,” said Sladek.
Sladek said commissioners will consider implementing new fees or raising the tax rate to offset the cost.
“It would be a tax shift if we start adding things rather than simply subtracting services, but it’s a discussion council really needs to have collectively to figure out how we’re gonna move forward,” said Sladek.
Oviedo city leaders are meeting Monday at 5:30 for a workshop that will discuss property taxes.
Channel 9 will continue to provide updates both on air and online.
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