Florida Amendment 3 and Davie Property Taxes, Explained
What is Florida Amendment 3 and how would it change Davie property taxes?
Amendment 3 is a proposed change to Florida property tax law on the 2026 ballot, and it needs 60 percent approval to pass. If voters approve it, Davie homeowners gain a larger homestead exemption on non school taxes and landlords see the non homestead cap fall from 10 percent to 5 percent, per the Florida House analysis. It is not law today.
If you own a home in Davie, or you own a rental here and live somewhere else, this is the property tax question on the ballot that actually touches your bill. It is easy to read a headline and assume your taxes are about to drop. The honest answer is more specific, and it depends entirely on whether you hold the property as your homestead or as non homestead.
Here is what I tell Davie owners who ask me about it: treat every figure below as proposed, not settled. This is also a different question from whether Florida will eliminate property taxes entirely, which is its own separate idea. Amendment 3 does not erase your bill. It changes two specific rules, and only if voters say yes.
What Amendment 3 would change for Davie homeowners
For a primary residence, the Florida House bill analysis describes a new homestead exemption on non school taxes of the first $150,000 of assessed value in 2027, rising to the first $250,000 in 2028 and indexed to inflation after that. That is a large jump from what exists now. Today the homestead exemption is up to $50,000, and it is set in current Florida law, not in this amendment.
One catch matters for anyone relocating here. The bill analysis sets a five year phase in for owners who are not permanent Florida residents as of December 31, 2026, so a new arrival would qualify for the larger exemption starting in the fifth year. If a Davie move is on your horizon, your residency date becomes part of the math. That is one more reason to plan the cost of owning in Davie before you sign anything.
What Amendment 3 would change for Davie landlords and second home owners
This is the part most coverage skips, and it is the part that matters if you own a Davie rental, a second home, a commercial parcel, or vacant land. The Florida House bill analysis would cut the annual non homestead assessment cap from 10 percent to 5 percent on county, city, and special district taxes. The cap does not touch school district taxes, which stay uncapped under the same analysis.
In plain terms, the taxable value of a non homestead property can still rise every year, but under the proposal it would rise more slowly. A slower climb in assessed value is a slower climb in the tax bill. That is the whole benefit for investors, and it is real, but it is narrow.
What a rental does not get is the bigger homestead exemption. That break is for primary residences only, per the bill analysis. A Davie rental gets the slower cap and nothing more, which is worth modeling against your expected rental yield rather than assuming a windfall.
There is a real debate about who benefits. The state’s own estimate in the bill analysis puts the recurring revenue reduction to local non school budgets at roughly $11.86 billion, and some Florida lawmakers have publicly questioned whether landlords would pass any savings on to renters. I keep that neutral for clients on both sides of the lease. The measure changes assessed value math, not what any single owner chooses to charge.
What is true today, before any vote
It helps to separate the proposal from the rules already on your bill. Three current facts do not change unless voters pass Amendment 3, and they are the baseline in the Davie property tax guide.
1. The Save Our Homes cap limits how much your homestead assessed value can rise each year to the lesser of 3 percent or inflation, under current Florida law.
2. The homestead exemption today is up to $50,000, split between a portion that applies to all taxes and a portion that excludes school taxes, per the Florida Department of Revenue.
3. The non homestead cap today is 10 percent a year on non school levies, the exact figure Amendment 3 would cut, as the Florida House analysis confirms.
The measure cleared the Legislature in June 2026 and went to the ballot, as the official bill record shows. The ballot wording was also revised in August 2026 after a court ruling ordered a rewrite, so the version you read at the polls is the updated one.
The timeline that actually affects your Davie tax bill
Even if Amendment 3 passes, nothing changes on your current bill. The bill analysis sets the effective date at January 1, 2027 if 60 percent of voters approve. You would first see the effect on your August 2027 TRIM notice, the proposed tax notice the Broward County Property Appraiser mails, and then on the tax bill that follows in November 2027.
How to figure out what Amendment 3 would mean for your property
You do not need to guess. Walk it in order.
1. Confirm whether the property is your homestead or non homestead. If you live there as your primary residence and filed for the exemption, it is homestead. A Davie rental or second home is non homestead.
2. Pull your current assessed value and exemptions from the Broward County Property Appraiser. That is the number the caps act on, not your market price.
3. Separate the school portion from the non school portion of your bill, because the new exemption and the lower cap both apply to non school taxes only, per the bill analysis.
4. If you are relocating, note your Florida residency date, since the larger exemption would phase in over five years for anyone not a resident by December 31, 2026, under the bill analysis.
5. Compare the result against what you pay now using a Davie cost of ownership breakdown, then confirm anything specific with the county.
Your actual savings, if the amendment passes, depend on your assessed value, your exemptions, and whether you hold the home as a residence or a rental. That is exactly the kind of number I run with Davie owners before they buy, sell, or change how they hold a property. Every situation is different, and the only way to know your figure is to run it against your parcel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Amendment 3 lower property taxes for Davie landlords?
Not directly, and not through the homestead exemption. What it does, if voters approve it, is cut the yearly non homestead assessment cap from 10 percent to 5 percent on non school taxes, which the Florida House bill analysis describes as slowing how fast your taxable value can rise. Your rental still gets a tax bill. It just climbs more slowly.
Is Amendment 3 already law in Florida?
No. It is a proposed constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that needs 60 percent approval to pass, and it would only take effect on January 1, 2027 if it does. Until then, the current $50,000 homestead exemption and the 10 percent non homestead cap still apply, per the Florida Department of Revenue.
How much would the homestead exemption go up if it passes?
For a primary residence, the bill analysis sets a new exemption on non school taxes of the first $150,000 of assessed value in 2027 and the first $250,000 in 2028, indexed to inflation after that. That is a large increase from the current exemption of up to $50,000, which is set in existing law.
When would I actually see the change on my tax bill?
Not on your current bill. If Amendment 3 passes on Election Day 2026, the effective date is January 1, 2027, and you would first see it on your August 2027 TRIM notice from the Broward County Property Appraiser, then on the bill that follows in November 2027.
Does Amendment 3 apply to my Davie rental or only my house?
Both, but differently. Your primary residence would get the larger homestead exemption, while a Davie rental or second home would get the lower 5 percent assessment cap instead, according to the bill analysis. The bigger exemption is for homesteads only.
Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert
If you are buying, selling, or deciding how to hold a property in Davie before this vote, the smart move is to run your own numbers rather than a headline’s. Anthony Spitaleri is a Davie native and a Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker, and he built livingindavieflorida.com to answer exactly these questions. Schedule a strategy call and get your parcel looked at directly.
Anthony Spitaleri
Living in Davie Florida
954-235-5783
Davie, Florida
livingindavieflorida.com
Written by Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate with Coldwell Banker and a Davie native. More about Anthony
