Florida’s Amendment 3 promises homeowners a bigger homestead exemption: $150,000 for non-school property taxes in 2027, rising to $250,000 in 2028. For plenty of families across the Suncoast, that’s real relief on a bill that keeps climbing. Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell wants you to see the other side of the ledger before you vote on November 3.
His office is funded almost entirely by property taxes, more than 99%, and 84% of that money goes to personnel. With the higher exemption in place, he’s projecting a $26 million shortfall in fiscal year 2028 and a $47 million gap in fiscal year 2029. To put it in perspective, he says that’s roughly the cost of 275 deputy positions, though he notes cuts wouldn’t automatically trigger layoffs. He also used the moment to defend his salary formula and the $7.5 million refurbished Black Hawk helicopter, two items that draw scrutiny whenever budgets get tight.
Prummell says he supports property tax relief, just not the way this came together in a three-day special session. He’d rather see the impact studied by Florida’s Taxation and Budget Reform Commission in 2027 before local governments have to absorb the change. From Punta Gorda to Englewood, this is a kitchen-table issue: what we save on taxes versus what we spend on safety. Where do you land on Amendment 3?
