Amendment 3 in Palm Beach County: The Polls Say It's Close, and Early Voting Is Open

Justin R Harris

11 minutes ago

3 min read

Early voting is open in Palm Beach County, and Amendment 3, the property tax measure, is on every ballot. After weeks of town halls and budget warnings, the newest numbers tell a simple story: this race is close, and the amendment needs 60% of the vote to pass.

What the polls are showing

Statewide polls released in late September and October put support anywhere from 42% to 63%:

James Madison Institute / Targoz (Sept. 28 to Oct. 4): 63% yes, 21% no.
NBC 6 / Mason-Dixon (Sept. 28 to Oct. 1): 55% yes, 26% no, 19% undecided.
Associated Industries of Florida: 53% yes, 19% undecided. It did not reach 60% in any of the state's media markets.
Stetson University: 51% yes, 25% no, 24% undecided.
EDGE Communications / MDW Communications: 50% yes, 27% no, 23% undecided.
St. Pete Polls for Florida Politics (Oct. 5 to 7): 42% yes, 35% no, 23% undecided.

Only one of those polls clears 60%. UCF political scientist Aubrey Jewett summed it up to the Sun Sentinel: "It's probably going to be close."

The number to watch is the undecided column. In most of these polls, roughly one voter in five has not made up their mind. That group decides whether Amendment 3 passes.

The same ballot has a separate school question

Palm Beach County voters will also see a referendum to continue the 1-mill property tax for public schools. Residents have paid it for the last four years, and renewing it keeps it at the current level. CBS12 put the cost at about $386 a year on the county's average $386,000 home, with half of the money going to teacher pay.

Amendment 3 does not change school property taxes, so these are two separate questions. Read both before you vote.

What Amendment 3 does

Raises the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then adjusts it for inflation starting in 2029.
Leaves the school tax exemption at the current $25,000.
Cuts the annual assessment increase cap on non-homestead property, including commercial property, from 10% to 5%.
Sets constitutional limits on how counties and cities can use property tax revenue.
Needs at least 60% of the vote to pass, and would take effect January 1, 2027.

Why we are still voting Yes

The other side of this debate deserves a fair hearing. County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo has estimated Palm Beach County could lose nearly $250 million a year once the amendment is fully in place, and last week we covered the projected hit to Fire Rescue. If some of that lost revenue comes back as new fees, part of the savings shrinks.

But Palm Beach County homeowners and business owners have absorbed years of rising assessments. Danielle Blake, Chief of Advocacy for MIAMI REALTORS, told the Palm Beach Post that passage would "free up discretionary income" for homeowners covering the full cost of owning a home.

For commercial owners and tenants, the 5% cap matters as much as the homestead exemption. Most tenants on NNN leases pay their share of property taxes through operating expenses, so a tighter cap on non-homestead assessments means more predictable occupancy costs for the businesses that lease space here.

How to vote in Palm Beach County

Request a mail ballot by Thursday, October 22 at 5 p.m.
Early voting runs through Sunday, November 1. Sites and hours are posted at votepalmbeach.gov.
Mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. A postmark alone is not enough.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, with polls open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Want to see your own numbers first? The Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's Amendment 3 calculator at pbcpao.gov estimates the change for your homestead.

Questions about what Amendment 3 means for a property you own or a space you lease? Talk to RH Realty.