Fort Lauderdale fears deep cuts from property tax amendment

Fort Lauderdale city commissioners received news they were dreading on Tuesday. The state Legislature will let voters decide in November whether to approve a constitutional amendment that would drastically restructure Florida’s property tax system.

“The free state of Florida has become the free city of Fort Lauderdale,” Mayor Dean Trantalis said. “You can live here for free now, everybody.”

If at least 60 percent of voters approve the constitutional amendment, the state’s homestead exemption would increase to $250,000, saving millions of Floridians thousands on their 2028 property taxes. But the tax cuts would mean that the City of Fort Lauderdale, where over 45 percent of properties are homesteaded, may lose a projected $17 million in the 2028 fiscal year, about 7 percent of the city’s ad valorem revenue, city staff said at a conference meeting. That figure balloons to $27.3 million the following fiscal year.

Fort Lauderdale commissioners discussed the potential loss in revenue and how it may affect the city’s budget and services just hours after Florida lawmakers voted along party lines to approve the ballot measure, an idea Gov. Ron DeSantis heavily pushed.

The process to approve the ballot measure was rushed through in just a week, leaving lawmakers little time to analyze what the effects may be, especially on local governments. City managers statewide warn that parks, summer camps and other local services may be cut. Rep. Toby Overdorf, the Palm City Republican who sponsored the amendment in the House, said cities that rely heavily on property taxes could have to make “hard choices,” like giving up their police departments to local sheriffs or dissolving their cities entirely, the Miami Herald reported.

If passed, the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” amendment would raise the current $50,000 homestead exemption on primary residences to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.

Now the race is on for supporters and critics to convince voters to either pass the tax change or scrap it.

Fort Lauderdale City Manager Rickelle Williams told the commission that her staff has already developed an “educational campaign” on how the proposed tax cuts will affect the city. “Now that it has passed and all the details are more solidified, we will finalize that collateral to be shared with the commission and with the public,” she said. “... We are fully prepared to engage in outreach and educational opportunities with the public.”

Trantalis said the commission needs to have a “robust discussion” soon on how the city plans to deal with the potential loss in revenue. “What are our options? Can we raise taxes if necessary, or should we? Do we cut departments?” he said.

Fort Lauderdale officials are already anticipating a roughly $20 million deficit in 2028, when a federal grant that allowed for the hiring of additional firefighters runs out.

This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 5:39 PM.