TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Floridians weighing a major property-tax amendment on the November ballot now have a new way to estimate what it could mean for their own household budgets.
A private calculator created by tax expert Casey Vockell, with My Exemption Check, lets homeowners plug in their taxable value and local millage rates to estimate potential savings if voters approve the proposal.
WATCH: How much would Florida’s property-tax amendment save you? New tool offers estimate
The amendment would raise homestead exemptions to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 by 2028. But unlike earlier proposals pushed by Governor Ron DeSantis, the legislature’s version does not apply to school taxes. Vockell says that distinction matters because school taxes make up a major share of many property-tax bills.
“There’s a lot about this that is extremely uncertain, and that’s just another layer of it that I want people to make an informed decision,” Vockell said.
In one example, Vockell’s calculator shows a Hillsborough County home assessed at $500,000 would save less than $209 per month by 2028.
“The impact to the local taxing authorities is going to be bad, but the benefit to the taxpayer is not going to be nearly as big as one might think,” Vockell said.
That debate is already playing out in local budget talks across Florida.
In Leon County, officials say the amendment could cost the county tens of millions of dollars and are already discussing possible stopgaps, including hiring freezes, delayed infrastructure expansion, voluntary separation packages and higher fees for parks, recreation and emergency services.
“No single revenue source can replace the pliability and revenue generation provided by property taxes,” Leon Assistant County Administrator Ken Morris said at a meeting this week.
Other local officials are warning voters to think about the services tied to those dollars.
“This great reduction in property taxes, they need to understand — services will be reduced as well,” Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano said.
Supporters of the amendment argue local governments can handle the reduction. DeSantis has pitched the plan as needed relief for homeowners squeezed by rising costs, while Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia says cities and counties have overspent.
“The numbers work,” Ingoglia said. “The only people who are complaining about it are the people who actually have to cut back. We are on the side of the taxpayers here.”
But critics argue the savings calculator can only show part of the picture, because local governments may respond in ways that reduce or erase the savings.
“If cities and counties raise millage, well, then your savings aren’t going to be there,” said Jeff Brandes with the Florida Policy Project. “If cities and counties shift to non-ad valorem, then your savings aren’t going to be there. If they raise other fees and other taxes, then your savings aren’t going to be there. This is the fundamental question that we’ve been asking since the beginning, which is, is this a tax cut or a tax shift?”
The amendment needs 60% voter approval to pass in November. Its fate remains unclear, but the question for voters is becoming sharper: how much money would they save, and what might their communities lose in return?
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