Amendment 3 Passed: What It Means for Jacksonville Homeowners

Florida voters approved Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026. It had about 62% of the vote when the race was called, above the 60% that constitutional amendments need. The change starts January 1, 2027, and it mainly affects people who have a homestead exemption on the home they live in.

Here's a plain-English rundown: what passed, what changes and when, a worked example for a Jacksonville home, and what's still unknown. One note up front: the Legislature is expected to pass rules that fill in the details, so some of this could shift.

What passed on November 3

• Amendment 3 passed. It raises the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes and lowers the yearly assessment cap on non-homestead property.
• Amendments 1 and 2 did not reach 60%. Amendment 1 dealt with the state's rainy day fund. Amendment 2 dealt with a property tax exemption for farm equipment.
• Duval's 1-mill school tax was renewed with about 75% of the vote. It continues an existing tax rather than adding a new one, for another four years. One mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value, or about $100 a year per $100,000.

What changes and when

Your homestead exemption has two parts today. The first $25,000 applies to all property taxes, including school taxes. An additional amount, $26,411 for 2026, applies to assessed value over $50,000, for non-school taxes only. So today's non-school exemption is about $51,400.

Under Amendment 3, the non-school exemption becomes:

Starting in 2029, the $250,000 is adjusted for inflation each year. School taxes keep the same $25,000 exemption throughout.

People who had not maintained a permanent residence in Florida as of December 31, 2026 follow a different schedule for their first years. We cover that in our guide for people moving to Jacksonville.

A worked example, if 2025 rates stayed the same

Let's take a homesteaded home inside the City of Jacksonville (not the Beaches or Baldwin) with an assessed value of $350,000. We'll use the 2025 millage rates from the Duval County Property Appraiser: 6.3430 mills for schools and 11.3982 mills for everything else. A mill is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value.

That works out to roughly $1,120 less in 2027 and roughly $2,260 less in 2028 than under 2026 exemption amounts. For a cross-check, Florida TaxWatch estimated savings of about $1,035 in 2027 and $2,085 in 2028 using a statewide average rate of 10.5 mills.

This is an illustration, not a forecast. It assumes the assessed value and rates don't change, and it covers only the millage-based taxes above, not other charges on your bill.

Assessed value is not market value

The exemption comes off your assessed value, not what your home would sell for. For homesteaded homes, the yearly limit on assessment increases often keeps the assessed value below market value. Your assessed value is on your record at the Property Appraiser's site. For more on how this works, and why taxes can jump after a sale, see why property taxes jump after buying in Jacksonville.

Homes with lower assessed values save less. For example, a home assessed at $200,000 would have no non-school taxable value in 2028 under these rules. Its savings stop at the non-school taxes it pays today, roughly $1,690 a year at 2025 rates.

When you'll see it

The changes take effect January 1, 2027. The first place you'll see them is the TRIM notice in August 2027, which shows your taxable value and proposed rates. The actual tax bill arrives around the start of November 2027. Local governments don't expect a significant drop in property tax revenue until fall 2027.

Landlords and second-home owners

Rentals, second homes and commercial property don't get a homestead exemption. What changes for them is the yearly cap on assessment increases for non-school taxes, which drops from 10% to 5% starting in 2027. Per Kaufman Rossin's summary, non-homestead property would continue to pay school taxes on full market value.

What's still unknown

• The implementing law. The amendment directs the Legislature to set uniform procedures by general law. Details could change once that passes.
• Local millage rates. The amendment lowers taxable values. It doesn't set the rates. City of Jacksonville officials estimated the change could reduce city revenue by more than $300 million a year. A legislative analysis estimated local government revenue statewide would fall by nearly $5 billion in the 2027-28 fiscal year. How local budgets and 2027 rates respond hasn't been decided.
• How property tax money can be spent. Counties and cities must use property tax revenue only for purposes listed in the amendment, such as public safety, education, infrastructure, natural resources and debt payments.
• Portability. Under current law, you can move up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead. The summaries we reviewed don't address how that interacts with the new rules.

What to do now

1. Make sure your homestead exemption is on file. You must own and occupy the home on January 1, and the deadline to file is March 1.
2. Check your record on the Duval County Property Appraiser's website. Confirm the exemption shows and note your assessed value.
3. Read your August 2027 TRIM notice carefully. It's your first look at the new numbers and your window to raise questions.
4. Ask before you assume. For your own situation, confirm with the Duval County Property Appraiser or a tax professional. We can't give tax or legal advice.

The bottom line

Amendment 3 raises the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. School taxes are unchanged. How much you save depends on your assessed value and on rates that haven't been set yet. The most useful thing you can do today is make sure your homestead is filed and correct.

Buying or selling in Jacksonville and want to understand the tax picture on a specific home? We're glad to walk through it with you.