ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — On Wednesday, mayors from West Orange County met with the community at the Ocoee Lakeshore Center to discuss the potential impacts of Amendment Three.
The property tax proposal would increase the homestead exemptions from $50,000 to $250,000 by 2028.
Representatives from Apopka, Windermere, Winter Garden, Ocoee, and Oakland all attended the meeting to discuss what Amendment 3 would mean for West Orange County and to answer questions submitted by voters.
It comes as many Floridians remain undecided about the proposal.
“I’m gonna have to read over the amendment, try to find the fine print, and then make a decision,” said Brian Punch, who said he is still weighing the pros and cons.
Punch said he recently sold his homesteaded Clermont property and has not yet decided how he will vote in November.
A Sachs Media poll from August found about 63 percent of Floridians are in favor of Amendment three.
The proposal needs 60 percent approval to take effect and 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 the actual amount varies based on the value of your home.
Earlier this year, the state created a calculator that could estimate savings, but a third party says the state’s tool could be off by hundreds or even thousands.
The calculator from My Exemption Check, a private property tax consulting company, calculates the proposed exemption separately for 2027 and 2028. It uses county non-school tax rates and allows homeowners to enter the exact millage rate from their TRIM notice.
The company says the state’s amendment calculator includes a school tax reduction not found in the ballot language, while their calculator is based on the final amendment.
The CEO told Channel 9 his tool is not perfect either, but stated it is a better reflection of potential savings.
“My thing is you need to make an informed decision. I’m not going to say how you should vote,” said Casey Vockell, CEO of My Exemption Check, “You need to recognize what your savings are going to be, but also weigh, you know, what the damage is going to be.”
Channel 9 put an Oviedo address into both the state and the third-party calculators. The state calculator showed potential savings of nearly $3,000. Vockell’s tool showed savings of just over $1,600 annually.
“You need to know what you’re actually getting if it is approved, good, bad, or indifferent,” said Vockell.
Nathan Cassidy officially supports increased exemptions as the state committeeman for the Orange GOP, but he also says his decades of experience as a mortgage lender have informed his opinion on Amendment 3.
“One thing that’s really hurting families right now is if they’re buying homes, these large tax bills,” said Cassidy, “We’re going to see a lot of families being able to afford more homes and be able to live a little bit more comfortably when those tax breaks hit.”
Local governments say savings come with a cost. Orange County says more than half of its property tax collections fund public safety. Fire rescue and sheriff taxes would be reduced by about $118 million once the full exemption takes effect.
“When you’re talking about parks rolling back, when you’re talking about the sheriff not being able to answer as quickly or arrive as quickly, those are very scary, scary possibilities that we’ve never imagined,” said Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe.
Orange County says a significant reduction in public safety revenue could make it more challenging to maintain staffing levels, expand services to meet population growth, and invest in future needs.
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