For a buyer moving to Parkland from another state, the date that may matter most on Florida's November 3 ballot is December 31, 2026. Amendment 3 would raise the non-school homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. Under the amendment's own summary, though, anyone who is not a Florida resident on December 31, 2026 would get the existing exemption when they qualify. The larger exemption would start only in their fifth year of exemption.
The residency cutoff is the first sign of how the measure would work in Parkland. In a city where almost every taxpayer is a homesteading resident, the cost of city services that the amendment removes from homesteads would be spread across the residents, owners and fee payers left on the rolls. Parkland's tax base has almost nothing else to absorb it.
The cutoff that sorts neighbors into two groups
Here is the summary language voters will see:
Persons who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026, will receive the existing homestead exemption upon qualifying for a homestead exemption, with the increased homestead exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution.
The closing qualifier matters. A rule that treats new arrivals differently from existing residents may face constitutional questions. The ballot summary says so itself by making the provision conditional. An October 7 analysis by the accounting firm Kaufman Rossin adds a second wrinkle for relocating households. Rushing a Florida domicile claim before the cutoff could prompt the former state to challenge the household's income-tax residency. The same analysis notes that second homes don't qualify for a homestead exemption at all.
As written, this is a timeline question for a buyer relocating to Parkland. Two families in comparable homes on the same street could carry different non-school exemptions for several years. The only difference would be which side of a single date each family's Florida residency fell on. This post explains how the rule works. It isn't tax or legal advice, and a household's own situation is a question for a tax professional.
Why Parkland can't send the bill anywhere else
Statewide, the Revenue Estimating Conference projected on July 10 that the amendment would cut local revenue by a recurring $11.8347 billion. For Broward County as a whole, its estimate is $1.1932 billion a year.
Parkland's exposure comes from the makeup of its tax base. At a September budget discussion reported by ParklandNews, Finance Director Kelly Schwartz described the city's revenue base:
- Property taxes provide 61% of Parkland's general-fund revenue.
- About 97% of the city's taxable real property is residential.
- 82% of residential parcels carry a homestead exemption.
Taken together, these three figures explain the effect. A city with a large commercial tax base can absorb a homestead cut partly through its office parks and shopping centers. Parkland has very little of either on the tax roll. When most taxable value sits in homesteaded houses, a bigger homestead exemption shrinks the city's taxable base directly. The rest of the base is made up mostly of non-homestead residential property.
Schwartz estimated the city could lose $4.3 million in property-tax revenue in fiscal year 2028 and $8.5 million in fiscal year 2029. She said staff can't yet calculate later years. In an August report, ParklandNews published the state conference's municipal-category figures for Parkland. They show $4,597,068 in FY 2027-28, $9,531,290 in FY 2028-29 and $11,437,383 by FY 2031-32. That category may include municipal-dependent special districts, so it is not a final city deficit forecast. Back in June, the Sun Sentinel reported a Broward Property Appraiser estimate of $4.24 million in lost Parkland revenue at the $150,000 stage, across 10,053 homesteads. The three estimates use different methods, but they agree on scale. Parkland's tentative FY2027 levy is $39,176,896, so the projected losses are a large share of what the city raises from property tax.
Where the money would come from instead
The city has been open about its options. In the same ParklandNews account, staff listed possible cuts. City events, senior programs and annual aid to private charities could be eliminated. Capital projects could be delayed, vacant positions left unfilled, and landscaping and field maintenance reduced. The city could also look at leasing or privatizing city facilities.
The revenue options matter more for a buyer. Commissioners discussed three:
- A higher millage rate on the taxable value that remains.
- Higher fees for city services and facilities.
- Special assessments, which are charged as line items outside the millage.
ParklandNews summarized the effect directly. These actions "could shift more costs to property owners whose taxable value remains subject to city taxes."
These options would hit residents unevenly. A higher millage applies only to taxable value after exemptions, so non-homestead owners and newcomers still on the old exemption would carry more of it. Special assessments are a different case. The Broward County Tax Collector classifies non-ad valorem assessments as charges based on services provided, and homestead exemptions don't reduce them. A homesteader who gains a larger exemption would still pay any new assessment in full.
For context, the city has held its rate at 4.2979 mills for a seventh straight year in the FY2027 budget presented in September. Rising taxable values are expected to bring in about $1.6 million more. Schwartz said projected public-safety and fire costs will rise by more than that. Commissioners called police, fire-rescue, safety and security the top priorities. Schwartz noted that Amendment 3 provides no replacement revenue and doesn't specifically protect those budgets.
Which lines on a Parkland bill the exemption reaches
A Parkland tax bill combines several taxing authorities. The Broward County Property Appraiser lists Parkland's aggregate rate for tax year 2025 at 18.3944 mills. The amendment applies only to non-school levies, so a large part of that total stays outside its reach.
| Bill line | FY2026-27 rate in published documents | Does the new exemption apply? |
|---|---|---|
| Broward County Public Schools | 6.4527 mills, proposed July 23 | No. School taxes are excluded. |
| Broward County | 5.6658 mills, in a resolution marked proposed | Yes |
| City of Parkland | 4.2979 mills, proposed | Yes |
| Children's Services Council of Broward | 0.4500 mills, adopted Sept. 17 | Yes |
| South Florida Water Management District | 0.2301 mills, tentative | Yes |
| Water-control and improvement districts such as North Springs, Pine Tree, Cocomar | Varies by parcel | Yes on millage, but special districts would need a referendum to go to full exemption |
| Non-ad valorem assessments | Flat charges, not millage | No |
Some of these rates were still proposed or tentative in the documents available, and the special-district lines differ from parcel to parcel. A general "typical Parkland bill" would mislead more than it informs. On any Parkland parcel, though, the larger exemption would reduce only the non-school millage lines, while school taxes and flat assessments would be billed as before.
The amendment would also let counties and municipalities raise the homestead exemption up to full assessed value, through a procedure the Legislature still has to write. Special districts could do the same only after a referendum. Schwartz said that procedure doesn't exist yet.
The gap that survives either way
Some of the biggest differences between Parkland bills come from rules the amendment keeps in place. The text retains the homestead assessment cap at the lower of 3% or CPI. The Florida Department of Revenue set that Save Our Homes cap at 2.7% for 2026 assessments. When a home sells, the protected difference ends, and the house is assessed at just value the following January 1.
For a move-up seller staying in Florida, portability still applies. According to the Broward County Property Appraiser, up to $500,000 of the accumulated difference can move to a new homestead, provided the new exemption is obtained within three tax years. A buyer coming from out of state has no differential to bring.
So a relocating buyer in 2027 would start with an assessment reset to market value and no portability. They would also have the smaller exemption until year five, and they would share in any fees or assessments the city adopts to cover its revenue gap. The same amendment also lowers the annual assessment cap for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%. That slows assessment growth for rental and second-home owners, even as a higher millage could raise the rate applied to those assessments.
FAQ
What does Amendment 3 need to pass? Florida constitutional amendments require at least 60% voter approval. If it passes, the amendment takes effect January 1, 2027.
Is the ballot wording the same as earlier versions? No. Florida Politics reported in August that a circuit judge ordered the title and summary rewritten, and the amendment stayed on the ballot. A Sun Sentinel opinion piece on October 11 said a state-funded explanatory website was still showing the rejected language. The Division of Elections booklet carries the revised text.
Does the amendment change school taxes in Parkland? No. The increased exemption applies only to non-school levies.
If you're timing a Parkland purchase or sale around the December 31 cutoff, or want to see how a specific property's tax lines compare with its neighbors', the Steven Kaminer team can walk you through the parcel records before you make an offer. Request a complimentary home valuation or speak with our team today.
