Big cities would be on the hook for the rest of the state at the discretion of state lawmakers and the Governor.
The post Gov. DeSantis says state can fund ‘bedroom communities’ if Amendment 3 passes appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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Gov. Ron DeSantis says the state can provide funds to “bedroom communities” in an implementation session that would be required if Amendment 3 passes.
That would give the state increased oversight and control over local governments. Commuter counties with less commercial development and more revenue from homestead property taxes would be most adversely affected in proportion, according to some estimates.
The impact on these areas could be considerable if the proposal to increase the homestead exemption to $250,000 by 2028 gets the necessary 60% support.
St. Lucie County could be hit hardest, with a 35% revenue loss. Clay, Baker, Citrus and Hernando counties could all face losses of more than 30%. Flagler, Volusia, Hernando and Sumter counties all would see at least two-thirds of homes potentially impacted.
During comments in Crystal River, DeSantis expressed openness to a funding formula, similar to the support he has proposed for rural fiscally constrained counties that he calls “budget dust.” He said the money could be in the form of “grants” for “critical needs,” rather than “backfilling” the lost revenue writ large.
“I want to help rural areas and bedroom communities, like Citrus and Hernando counties. Because they are bedroom communities, homestead exemptions make up a bigger portion of their budget than they would in Miami-Dade or Broward. I understand that — although you do have good tourism, it’s just different, right? You don’t want to be as commercial as Miami, which is a good choice. I don’t think you should be; I like the natural feel,” DeSantis said Wednesday.
“There are plenty of them out there. We already have 32 rural counties that are fiscally constrained, and I would say we probably have another half-dozen to a dozen bedroom communities — some in the Tampa Bay area, a couple in Northeast Florida — that rely much more heavily on property tax revenue. We will help. We will absolutely help.”
Florida actually has 29 fiscally constrained counties: Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Highlands, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla and Washington.
Under the amendment, local governments would be limited in what they can fund with remaining ad valorem revenue to categories including public safety, infrastructure, schools, natural resource projects, debt service, pensions and government operations. County constitutional officers — such as Elections Supervisors, Clerks of Court and Property Appraisers — as well as County and City Commissions, would also be funded.
Larger urban counties would face the biggest hit in raw dollars, according to the Florida Association of Counties. Miami-Dade would experience a $445 million revenue decrease as soon as Fiscal Year 2028-29. Hillsborough could lose $353 million, Broward roughly $326 million, Duval $277 million and Orange $253 million by the same point.
Polling shows the proposal is struggling to gain sufficient support.
A St. Pete Polls survey released Wednesday revealed 44% support for the amendment with 39% opposition.
The amendment has 40% support among the 46% of those polled who had voted. It does better among those who still plan to vote, at 48% support.
Perhaps the Governor’s pitch will help close the gap between what he wants and what the people of the state would prefer.
The post Gov. DeSantis says state can fund ‘bedroom communities’ if Amendment 3 passes appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
