11 School Board members come out against Amendment 3

Eleven School Board members from eight counties have come out against Amendment 3, saying the property tax cut would hit school resource officers, Children’s Services Councils and the nonprofits that work with their Districts.

The amendment does not touch the school portion of a homestead tax bill. The members say the programs their schools rely on are paid for from the rest of it.

The amendment would raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. State economists project it would cut local non-school property tax revenue by $11.86 billion a year once fully phased in, with no replacement funding. It needs 60% to pass. Gov. Ron DeSantis, gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds and the Republican Party of Florida back it, and Florida Realtors is funding the Vote Yes on 3 political committee.

The statement went out through the Save Our Services — No on 3 campaign. Public schools depend on county governments, Sheriffs and nonprofit partners, the members said, and all three are paid for by the local property taxes the amendment would cut.

Many school resource officer programs are cost-sharing deals between a School District and the county Sheriff or a city Police Department. Florida law has required a safe-school officer on every public school campus since 2018. If the Sheriff’s share of the money goes away, the mandate stays and the District pays the rest out of its own budget. The Florida Sheriffs Association and the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police both oppose Amendment 3 on public safety grounds.

Children’s Services Councils and trusts operate in 14 counties, most funded by a voter-approved property tax, and pay for after-school care, summer programs, tutoring, mental health services and early childhood programs. The Florida Policy Institute estimates the councils would lose about $278 million over the next two fiscal years if Amendment 3 passes, roughly 15% of their revenue. They cannot raise their millage to cover it because the caps are set in statute or in the ordinances that created them.

Local nonprofits that provide tutoring, mental health, disability and family support services work under contract with counties, cities, and those councils. If the grants shrink, the members said, kids go without or Districts get asked to pay for services they are not funded to provide.

Signing on are Tom Edwards and Liz Barker of Sarasota County, Angie Gallo and Stephanie Vanos of Orange County, Heather Felton of Manatee County, Tina Certain of Alachua County, Maura Bulman of Broward County, Cindy Pearson of Duval County, Robin Dehlinger of Seminole County, and Joseph Geller and Luisa Santos of Miami-Dade County.

“Amendment 3 would rob too many kids of the support they need to succeed in school. Teaching a child is more than just providing a desk and a lesson plan, we also need to make sure that child is fed, rested, safe, and ready to learn,” Geller said. “Florida’s working families deserve tax relief, but Amendment 3 isn’t the answer. It takes too much away from our kids.”

“Amendment 3 robs our kids of the programs that help them be ready to learn when they’re in the classroom,” Gallo said. “We owe it to Florida’s children to give them the best shot at a good education, and this amendment just takes too much away from them. I oppose Amendment 3 because we need responsible, sustainable solutions that make Florida more affordable for everyone without hurting our communities.”

“Florida risks becoming the state that defunded our own public safety, healthcare, infrastructure, parks, libraries, and programs that help our children learn,” Felton said. “That’s not who we want to be, and it’s horrible for the kids.”

“Life in Florida is too expensive and we all deserve relief from this affordability crisis, but Amendment 3 is not the answer,” said Jackson Peel, Communications Director for Save Our Services. “Amendment 3 is a scam and a tax shift that will raise our costs and cut our services.”

The latest St. Pete Polls survey for Florida Politics has Amendment 3 at 44%, with 39% opposed and 17% undecided just days before Election Day. Voters who have already cast ballots oppose it 45% to 40%.