Volunteers with Florida Rising, a progressive nonprofit that organizes residents to take political action on state and local issues, knock on doors in Jacksonville, Fla., to encourage residents to vote no on an amendment that would cut property taxes. Malcolm Jackson for NPR hide caption
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The ramp was steeper than she expected, but Rachel Dues was not going to stop. Not mere steps away from what she believed to be the most important thing she would do this year.
Dues, 54, gathered herself then pushed hard, propelling the wheelchair that carried her injured niece to the polls.
"You're gonna get in there. I don't care how," Dues said, her voice breathless with effort. She was speaking as much to herself as she was to her niece, 21-year-old Rochelle Covington, who asked to come along to vote.
"By any means necessary," Dues said, giving the wheelchair another shove.
For Dues, this year's midterm election feels existential. Gas prices have soared, her rent is up, and some days it feels like simply buying groceries or paying her electricity bill could push her over budget.
While political candidates all over the country have paid lip service to issues of affordability, here in Florida, the question of how to make life more affordable is literally on the ballot.
A massive property tax cut has been put to voters in the form of Amendment 3, a ballot measure that asks Florida residents to vote on increasing the amount of money that can be exempted from homestead taxes. The proposal would increase the allowable amount from $50,000 to as much as $250,000 over the next two years, cutting billions of dollars in revenue from local governments' budgets. If the measure passes, some jurisdictions could functionally eliminate all non-school homestead property taxes over time.
That could mean thousands of dollars in annual savings for some homeowners — something supporters have called a game-changer for Florida residents stretched thin by a strained economy. But in an already tax-averse state — Florida famously does not have individual income or estate taxes, among others — local governments have limited revenue streams from which to pull funds for public services, and property taxes have been a lifeline.
Rachel Dues, a volunteer with Florida Rising, worries about the prices of rent, food, electricity and gas all increasing this year. Malcolm Jackson for NPR hide caption
Critics have cautioned that the proposed tax exemption will have dire consequences: cuts to public services and infrastructure, eroded social safety net programs and a domino effect that could drive up costs elsewhere should city and county governments attempt to recoup lost revenue.
"One of the things our members are always knocking on doors and asking is: affordability? For who?" said Steven Johnson, an organizer with grassroots nonprofit Florida Rising, which organizes residents to get involved in political action on state and local issues.
Florida isn't the only place where politicians have explored ways to cut, or even eliminate, property taxes — 11 states have reined in property taxes so far in 2026, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. But Florida's proposal, which is more expansive than many others, puts the question directly to voters.
How they vote, experts said, could set the stage for what's to come in Florida and around the nation.
A disabled veteran, Dues works as a notary and closing agent on home sales. For her, she said, the Amendment 3 vote is personal.
"Lucky for me I'm a resourceful person, but I rely on things like food pantries and other services to get by," Dues said. "Now I'm wondering, what am I going to do if they get rid of all that? What can I do?"
Since it was introduced, Florida's proposed Amendment 3 has been pitched to voters as an affordability fix for homeowners.
While the state already has laws limiting how much can be taxed of a home's assessed value — and how much that amount can grow each year — this amendment would, in some cases, virtually eliminate all property taxes due on a homeowner's primary residence.
Backers like Florida's Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, and the Florida Realtors trade association have said property taxes have grown out of control and local governments are flush with excess revenue as a result.
"Homeowners have funded the incredible increase in revenue that is now at record growth, and as property values have increased that growth has translated into significant revenue gains for local governments," said Margy Grant, the CEO of Florida Realtors, which as of the end of October put $19.5 million into the 'Vote Yes on 3' campaign. "This is about making sure that Floridians who want to stay in their homes and are seeing this rising cost get to stay in their homes."
Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at an event on Sept. 1 in Tampa. He and the Florida Realtors trade association have encouraged voters to approve Amendment 3. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
In the campaign to persuade Floridians to vote yes, ads highlight just how expensive daily life has gotten.
"Everything keeps going up!" the Vote Yes on 3 website exclaims. "Cost of living. Inflation. PROPERTY TAXES. What if there was a SOLUTION that could help?"
"Florida families are paying more for nearly everything, whether it's groceries, fuel, insurance, utilities and housing," Grant said. "This is tax relief money that stays in a Floridian's pocket instead of going to the government."
Property tax revenue collected by local governments in the state has nearly doubled from around $32 billion in 2019 to almost $60 billion in the last fiscal year, according to the governor's office. Much of that growth, experts said, was driven by a post-pandemic real estate boom with out-of-state residents moving in and low interest rates driving new property sales.
The question of how law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services will be affected by these potential tax cuts have fueled headline-grabbing debates across the state. Some public officials have insisted emergency services will be able to weather any cuts, while others, including the Florida Sheriffs Association, warned they would suffer.
Amendment 3 proponents said these warnings have been overblown.
"That is just a talking point of the opposition," Grant said.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who supports the measure, wrote in a post on X that "every county has waste to cut," and argued that the amendment would force local governments to eliminate waste rather than essential services.
But local leaders said services other than police, fire and EMS are likely to be hit even harder: Funds for libraries, public transportation, infrastructure, homelessness prevention, small business supports, after-school programs for kids and more could be eliminated.
Mike Weinstein, Jacksonville's chief administrative officer and a former state legislator, speaks in 2024. Weinstein, a Republican, says Amendment 3 would devastate public services in Jacksonville. Bob Self/Florida Times-Union/USA TODAY Network via Reuters hide caption
The amendment was put to voters "very, very quickly and without understanding the unintended consequences," said Mike Weinstein, Jacksonville's chief administrative officer and a former state legislator. "There's a small segment of homeowners that will benefit from this. But the majority of people — renters, business owners, everyone else, and even many homeowners — won't see any benefit from this amendment at all." (The amendment would limit which homeowners qualify for the increased exemption based on when they purchased their home.)
According to an analysis by the state's Office of Economic and Demographic Research, the amendment would cut local revenue in the state by nearly $12 billion on a recurring basis. In Jacksonville, the Florida Policy Institute found , that could mean losing as much as $372 million over the next five