Library advocates are opposing a sweeping property tax proposal that Florida voters will decide on November’s ballot, saying it could drastically reduce library books, programs and even lead to closures.
This would make it tougher for students who rely on libraries for literature they may not have access to in schools, since a Florida law has led to thousands of books being swept off school library shelves in the last three years.
The property tax measure, also known as Amendment 3, would bring drastic reduction to property tax revenue on homeowners, but local governments have warned that this could mean peril for many local programs that rely on those revenues.
The Keep Libraries Funded Florida Coalition launched a website Sept. 7 to inform residents of how the projected cuts could negatively impact free library services across the state, which could include books and materials but also other resources like technology access and children’s tutoring programs.
The Miami Dade County Library System is projecting a $20 million cut in the first year, which could lead to branch closures, lowered operating hours, employee layoffs and program cuts, according to a Sept. 7 press release. The Miami-Dade Public Library System includes about 50 branches, but expects about 10 to close if the amendment passes, said Marylynne Schwartz, president of Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library, the fundraiser for the public library system.
The existing property tax measure includes a clarification that protects revenues funding school districts, but Schwartz said that libraries aren’t a clear-cut exemption from revenue losses. Closures could be really problematic for the community, since the county is so large and could make it tough for residents to get to farther locations, especially students who rely on after-school tutoring or seniors who struggle with transportation.
“The library is about so much more than books,” Schwartz said. “It’s one of the few spaces left in a community where you don’t have to spend money, and the breadth of programming and the amount of programming that the library offers if absolutely unrivaled.”