Water watchdogs are raising alarms about Amendment 3, the statewide ballot initiative initially championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would slash property tax funding for local governments.
The measure would also cut funding for Florida’s five water management districts, which are responsible for stopping floods, securing the drinking water supply, preventing toxic algae blooms and overseeing millions of acres of public land. About 30 percent of the districts’ budgets, on average, come from property taxes – although the exact percentage varies widely by district.
“I think it’s pretty scary,” said Julie Wraithmell, executive director of Audubon Florida, an environmental nonprofit. “It’s an element of the tax reduction that a lot of folks aren’t picking up on.”
Cuts to the water management districts would come alongside more widely publicized cuts to local governments’ health, public safety and other programs.
At the same time, cities and counties have been enjoying higher tax revenues from growing property values and ongoing development, which is what sparked the push to pass Amendment 3.
“Now is actually a time when the districts desperately need to be able to make new investments to ensure that they can deliver the same level of service, and instead they may have to make do with even less,” Wraithmell said.
If approved by 60 percent of Florida voters, Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption on property taxes, shielding $250,000 of property value from tax instead of the current $50,000. Across the board, Florida property tax revenues are expected to fall by up to $12 billion a year if the amendment passes.
The water management districts have been tight-lipped about how they would handle the lost revenue and which services they’d be forced to cut.
“If Amendment 3 passes, it would not affect the district’s budget until the following fiscal year,” said Ashley Evitt, a spokesperson for the St. Johns River Water Management District. “At that time, the district would evaluate any potential impacts and address them through its regular budget planning process.”
Read the full news article on the Citrus County Chronicle