If you own a home in Homestead, Miami-Dade, or anywhere in South Florida, the single biggest thing happening to your property tax bill isn’t a rate change or a reassessment — it’s a question that’s going to be on your ballot this November. On June 2, 2026, the Florida Legislature passed a constitutional amendment nicknamed “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” and it’s now headed to voters on November 3, 2026.
If it passes, it could dramatically cut — and for a lot of homeowners, effectively eliminate — the non-school portion of your property tax bill. That’s real money. But there are a few things you need to understand before you vote, and one deadline that matters if you or someone you know is thinking about establishing Florida residency.
Here’s the plain-English version.
First, the most important thing: this isn’t law yet
Nothing about your property taxes has changed. This is a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution. For it to take effect, at least 60% of Florida voters have to approve it on November 3, 2026. Until then, your taxes are calculated the same way they always have been.
So when you hear “Florida is eliminating property taxes,” take a breath — it’s not that simple, and it’s not automatic. What’s true is that a serious, DeSantis-backed measure is on the ballot, it cleared the Legislature, and if voters say yes, the changes start phasing in on January 1, 2027.
What the amendment would actually do
The proposal was built by consolidating nearly a dozen competing property tax ideas into one measure. Here are the pieces that matter most to a homeowner.
A much bigger homestead exemption on non-school taxes. Right now, your homestead exemption is $50,000. The amendment would raise the non-school portion in two steps: to $150,000 in 2027, then $250,000 in 2028, with annual inflation adjustments after that. For a large share of South Florida homes, a $250,000 exemption would wipe out most or all of the non-school local property taxes — the county and municipal portion of your bill.
Your school taxes stay the same. This is the part people miss. The existing $25,000 school-tax exemption is unchanged, and the new, bigger exemption applies only to non-school levies. School district taxes are usually the largest single line on a Florida tax bill, so this amendment reduces your bill — it doesn’t zero it out for most people. Anyone telling you “no more property taxes in Florida” is skipping over the school piece.
A tighter cap on non-homestead properties. If you own a rental, a vacation home, or commercial property, the annual cap on how much its assessed value can rise would drop from 10% to 5% starting in 2027. That’s meaningful for second-home owners and small landlords across South Florida.
The December 31, 2026 deadline nobody’s talking about enough
Here’s the piece that matters most if you’re buying, selling, or helping family relocate.
The bigger exemption is designed to reward people who are already Florida residents. If you establish your Florida primary residency by December 31, 2026, you’d qualify for the expanded exemption right away when it phases in. Anyone who establishes residency after that date would start with the smaller exemption and phase up to the full amount over a period of years (reporting has put it at roughly four to five years — the exact language is worth confirming before you plan around it).
Translation: if someone in your life has been “thinking about moving to Florida,” the calendar just became part of the decision. Getting homesteaded before year-end could be worth tens of thousands of dollars over the first several years of ownership. That’s exactly the kind of thing worth a quick conversation now rather than in January.
What this means for your actual tax bill
The honest answer is: it depends on your home’s assessed value, your city and county millage rates, and how much of your bill is school versus non-school. Two homes on the same street can see very different dollar savings. That’s why a blanket number in a headline (“save $X!”) isn’t trustworthy — your number is specific to your property.
What we can say is that for most homesteaded South Florida homeowners, the direction is clearly down on the non-school side, and for lower-assessed homes the non-school portion could get close to zero. The trade-off voters are weighing is what a $4.6 billion first-year revenue reduction (growing to $8.4 billion) means for local services like police, fire, and infrastructure — which is why you’ll see a real public debate between now and November.
What to do right now
You don’t need to overhaul anything today, but a few smart moves:
If you already own and live in your Florida home, make sure your homestead exemption is properly filed and current — you can’t benefit from a bigger exemption if you never claimed the basic one. If you’re planning a move to Florida, understand the December 31, 2026 residency timing before you set your closing date. And if you own rentals or a second home, know that the tighter 5% assessment cap could change your numbers starting in 2027.
Most of all, look up the numbers specific to your property before you vote in November — your county property appraiser is the source for your assessed value and exemption status, and a CPA is the right person for tax questions. Don’t rely on a headline figure.
Frequently asked questions about Florida’s 2026 property tax changes
Is Florida eliminating property taxes in 2026? Not automatically. Florida voters decide on November 3, 2026 whether to approve the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” amendment, which needs 60% approval. If it passes, it sharply raises the homestead exemption on non-school taxes — but it does not eliminate property taxes entirely, because school taxes remain in place.
What is the Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes amendment? It’s a proposed Florida constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot. If approved, it raises the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and lowers the annual assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%.
Will my Florida property taxes go to zero? Probably not entirely. The larger exemption applies only to non-school taxes, so for many homes the county and city portion could drop sharply or reach zero. But school district taxes — usually the largest part of a Florida bill — stay the same, and your exact result depends on your home’s assessed value.
Do I have to move to Florida before December 31, 2026? If the amendment passes, establishing Florida primary residency by December 31, 2026 lets you qualify for the full expanded exemption right away. People who establish residency after that date start with a smaller exemption and phase up over several years, so timing matters if you’re relocating.
Is the Florida property tax amendment law yet? No. It passed the Florida Legislature on June 2, 2026, but it is not law. It must be approved by at least 60% of voters on November 3, 2026 to take effect, with changes phasing in from January 1, 2027. Until then, Florida’s current property tax rules still apply.
Get your free 2026 Florida Homeowner Property Tax Guide
We put together a plain-English guide that walks through exactly how the November ballot measure would affect a South Florida homeowner — the exemption phase-in, the residency deadline, what to check on your own tax bill, and the questions to ask before you vote. Enter your info below and we’ll send it right over. If you’d like, we’ll also walk you through how to read your own tax bill and point you to the right official sources for the numbers — and talk through what the change could mean if you’re weighing a move, a sale, or helping family relocate. (For your specific tax figures, your county property appraiser and a CPA are the right sources — that’s not a number we hand out.)
[ Download the 2026 Florida Homeowner Tax Guide → ]
Norman & Consuelo Hodge · Real Hodge Group · Serving Homestead, Miami-Dade & South Florida · (305) 999-5171
This article is for general educational purposes and reflects proposed legislation that is not yet law. It is not tax, legal, or financial advice, and Real Hodge Group does not calculate individual property tax amounts or provide tax advice. Property tax outcomes depend on your specific property and local rates, and the amendment must be approved by voters to take effect. Please confirm details with the official ballot language, your county property appraiser, and a qualified tax professional before making decisions.
