Increasing the Homestead Exemption

[marcuscnelson]

City Councilman Rory Diamond is posting on Facebook one idea per day this month for cutting programs he appears to dislike.

[marcuscnelson]

The State of Florida has launched a new website in defense of the increased exemption.

https://www.saveourhomesfl.com

The site includes a calculator where one can enter an address and see how much that location's property taxes might decrease, as well as various promotional materials claiming to debunk myths regarding the impact on local services.

[thelakelander]

I'm wondering: is the proposed downtown Publix eligible for any funding from the state or federal governments because it's the only full service supermarket in a large area that a lot of people consider a "food desert"?

There's an Aldi, Whole Foods and Fresh Market in the vicinity. Technically, downtown is not a food desert.

[thelakelander]

If this passes, I would seriously consider leaving the city, and the state. There comes a point where you start to feel complicit sticking around. Smarter people than me have already pointed out the obvious in this thread - this "tax savings" would be deeply regressive, and the fees and cuts that would have to be enacted to make up for the shortfall would decimate the city's lower classes who we've already been failing for decades. Downtown revitalization is a first-world problem that should be 50th on our list of concerns with a cut this deep. Parks, libraries, public health, public transit, social services, police & fire, and countless other recurring services would be neutered. And at the same time, hikes in sales taxes, garbage fees, vehicle registrations, and all the other things would disproportionately hit the city's disadvantaged. Everyone wants to complain about public welfare, but it's never going to go away if we keep stacking the cards against those at the bottom.

It's unfortunate that the people who come up with this crazy stuff are typically the same ones that can't make it on their own in the private sector, so they make their living by sucking on the public teet.

[fsu813]

"[Republican Council member] Lahnen said even if the city were to zero out all of its spending on nonprofits — a category that includes UF Health Jacksonville, Kids Hope Alliance, public service grants and arts and cultural grants — the city still would have to make 22% across-the-board cuts for non-public safety departments."

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2026/06/03/jacksonville-mayor-higher-homestead-exemption-will-hit-core-services/90383879007/

[fsu813]

The argument against this is easy and potent. Depictions and descriptions of all your favorite/dependable services and amenities being shuttered, while simultaneously paying outrageously high new fees and taxes on other things.

All it takes is funding to spread the messaging...... hopefully it's there to spend.

[Charles Hunter]

The argument against this is easy and potent. Depictions and descriptions of all your favorite/dependable services and amenities being shuddered, while simultaneously paying outrageously high new fees and taxes on other things.

All it takes is funding to spread the messaging...... hopefully it's there to spend.

Does anyone know of any PACs or other groups dedicated to opposing this travesty?

[Charles Hunter]

From the law enabling the referendum, these are the functions where counties can spend ad valorem taxes:
(a)(2)    Ad valorem taxes levied by counties and municipalities shall be used only to:
    a.    Provide for public safety, including law enforcement, fire service, and emergency medical services;
    b.    Provide funding for education and public schools;
    c.    Finance or refinance infrastructure, including road and bridge construction and maintenance and stormwater control;
    d.    Finance and refinance natural resource projects including flood control measures;
    e.    Issue local bonds for uses consistent with this paragraph and to make debt service payments for existing obligations;
    f.    Meet obligations for retirement benefits of local government employees;
    g.    Fund the operations and administration of county officers and commissioners, and municipalities, and the expenditures approved by county officers, or county or municipal governing bodies

I don't see housing assistance, development incentives, feeding people, or the other functions that MAGA sees as woke.

[Aristocles]

There's an Aldi, Whole Foods and Fresh Market in the vicinity. Technically, downtown is not a food desert.

The food desert's north of downtown, with Springfield having only one grocery store on a side street. But Aldi is on the border of that area, okay I guess, no food desert.

I heard that North Dakota defeated a similar proposal 2 to 1 in 2024, with the reason being that the proponents never gave an alternative means to fund services.
I also took a look at the proponents' website (and couldn't get it to work for my address, wouldn't ya know it!). I read through their "myth vs. truth" section. Not too persuasive. But what really got me ticked was the comment about a fund in Tallahassee for "essential services". Meaning, the State of Florida is engaging in a power grab. This proposal is building in local government funding shortages, forcing local governments to go to Tallahassee asking for money. Which Tallahassee will give if the local governments agree to further Tallahassee's interests. Big loss of local control that could severely hurt communities.
So, what needs to be done: get everyone with a dog in the fight - the EMS workers, city/county employees, renters associations, business owners (they'll be forced to pay increased taxes on their non-homestead properties), and anyone else who'll be adversely affected - to demand an alternative fundraising mechanism or encourage people to vote against it. My guess is the State won't have an alternative, and they'll sound like Rory Diamond by saying something to the effect of "governments can do with less." Whether or not that's true is a side issue because THIS IS NOT A TAX CUT OR EVEN ABOUT GOVERNMENT WASTE. It's a cosmetic measure designed to fool people into thinking "they're not going to pay taxes anymore" while giving Tallahassee ridiculous power over local governments.
I believe that, if this strategy is followed, this thing won't hit 60%.

[Aristocles]

The argument against this is easy and potent. Depictions and descriptions of all your favorite/dependable services and amenities being shuddered, while simultaneously paying outrageously high new fees and taxes on other things.

All it takes is funding to spread the messaging...... hopefully it's there to spend.

Does anyone know of any PACs or other groups dedicated to opposing this travesty?

...
So, what needs to be done: get everyone with a dog in the fight - the EMS workers, city/county employees, renters associations, business owners (they'll be forced to pay increased taxes on their non-homestead properties), and anyone else who'll be adversely affected - to demand an alternative fundraising mechanism or encourage people to vote against it. My guess is the State won't have an alternative, and they'll sound like Rory Diamond by saying something to the effect of "governments can do with less." Whether or not that's true is a side issue because THIS IS NOT A TAX CUT OR EVEN ABOUT GOVERNMENT WASTE. It's a cosmetic measure designed to fool people into thinking "they're not going to pay taxes anymore" while giving Tallahassee ridiculous power over local governments.
I believe that, if this strategy is followed, this thing won't hit 60%.

These are some of the interests that should be opposed to this travesty.

[jaxoNOLE]

First, let's gut-check the math that's being used to support the tax reduction/elimination. In Jacksonville's case, the Florida DOGE report identified property tax receipts had increased 57% from 2020 to 2025, allegedly outstripping both population growth and inflation.

Population growth in Duval over the five year period is estimated at roughly 10%. Inflation was 24.5% (let's say 25%). Multiplied together, that's ~38%. So in the simplest, nuance-free terms, property tax has outstripped the combined effect of population growth and inflation.

Restoring property taxes to a level proportionate with population and inflation growth would require a 15% cut to 2025 levels. With a $2B annual city budget, that's about $300M -- roughly the same amount the city auditor is projecting the city will lose by FY 2029.

I think exclusively messaging how catastrophic the cuts to core services will be misses the mark. People are going to say, "wait, we had parks and libraries and police and fire back in 2020." What's missing is an explanation for why the cost of providing core services has risen faster than the simplified population growth * inflation formula would suggest.

I'm all for the idea of incremental reform that protects long-term residents and owners of lower-valued properties. E.g., award a $500K exemption after 20-30 years of paying property tax in any FL locale. But these huge, immediate, broad exemptions disproportionately reward recent COVID-era transplants from high COL locales who bought at inflated values (and who are responsible for pushing property values higher) and then slams the door shut behind them with the 5 year waiting period. No thanks.

[Aristocles]

I think exclusively messaging how catastrophic the cuts to core services will be misses the mark. People are going to say, "wait, we had parks and libraries and police and fire back in 2020." What's missing is an explanation for why the cost of providing core services has risen faster than the simplified population growth * inflation formula would suggest.

According to an article in the Tallahassee Democrat dated Sept. 24, 2025, "government costs have increased through inflation, equipment prices, maintenance, and vendor expenses". Inflation you've already covered. Now I have a hard time believing that equipment prices, maintenance, and vendor expenses by themselves can make up the rest of the difference, which does make me think there's waste going on. But the remedy for this is to address the waste, not make it difficult for local governments to raise legitimately needed money. Maybe Rory Diamond is right, governments can do with less, but I still see that as a side issue. The one in the many, so to speak, as I'm seeing it is Tallahassee wants to get veto power over local governments' budget items by making it necessary for cash-strapped local governments to ask Tallahassee to cover budget shortfalls.

[fsu813]

The argument against this is easy and potent. Depictions and descriptions of all your favorite/dependable services and amenities being shuttered, while simultaneously paying outrageously high new fees and taxes on other things.

All it takes is funding to spread the messaging...... hopefully it's there to spend.

Also:

Business organizations have often pitched local quality of life as an important piece of enticing business relocations......... divesting in services and amenities for ad hoc austerity doesn't exactly fit into that pitch.

[Aristocles]

City Councilman Rory Diamond is posting on Facebook one idea per day this month for cutting programs he appears to dislike.

I checked out his Facebook page and saw the things he proposes to cut. What I'd like to see is him post: "Cut it from the Jacksonville City Budget No.___, Paying Gateway Jax is a taxpayer gift to large politically connected developers! $98,580,000"
Interesting. If I remember correctly, Councilman Diamond voted in August of 2024 for the incentives. The incentives package passed 18-0, with only Councilman Salem abstaining. Now he's for a measure the substance of which contradicts that vote.
(Yes I'm aware those incentives are a done deal. But what I'm pointing out is he was in favor of that which he must now know he'll make extremely difficult to impossible.)

[Charles Hunter]

An interesting clause in the referendum bill

Article VII - Finance and Taxation
Section 4 (d)
All persons entitled to a homestead exemption under Section 6 of this Article shall have their homestead assessed at just value as of January 1 of the year following the effective date of this amendment. This assessment shall change only as provided in this subsection.

"Just value" is also "market value," meaning that the savings we have all been enjoying under the current Save Our Homes limit on annual increases (3%) in "taxable value" will be gone. Our Taxable Value will equal the Market Value as of January 1, 2027 if this thing passes.

If you have owned your home for a long time, there is probably a pretty big gap between your taxable value and the market (just) value. There will be long-time homeowners who will face higher tax bills in the first ($150,000 exemption) year; and even some in the second year ($250,000 exemption). Also, since the school homestead exemption stays at $25,000, many homeowners will pay higher school taxes.