Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday, Nov. 4, he will call Florida lawmakers into a special legislative session before year's end to implement Amendment 3, the property tax overhaul voters approved the day before.

"We've got to do it," DeSantis said, according to the Jacksonville.com. "It has to be implemented by Jan. 1, per the amendment."

The measure passed statewide with about 62% support, clearing the 60% threshold required for constitutional amendments. As we reported Nov. 4, Jacksonville faces a significant revenue hit from the changes.

What the amendment does

Amendment 3 raises Florida's homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, with future increases tied to inflation, according to Jacksonville.com. It also lowers the annual assessment cap on non-homestead properties, including businesses, apartment complexes and second homes, from 10% to 5%. School district taxes are excluded.

For Mandarin homeowners, the changes could mean thousands of dollars in annual savings. Supporters, including DeSantis and Florida Realtors, argued the measure will provide meaningful relief to homeowners facing high housing costs and inflation, Jacksonville.com reported. Some homeowners could see most of their local property tax burden eliminated, aside from school taxes.

What the special session must decide

The session will require an outgoing governor and a lame-duck Legislature to write the rules for what Jacksonville.com called one of the most significant tax policy changes in modern Florida history. Lawmakers must decide how Amendment 3 will be implemented, whether local governments will receive state help to offset revenue losses and how to prevent cities and counties from replacing property taxes with new fees.

State economists have projected local governments statewide could lose roughly $12 billion annually by 2031 under the measure, according to Jacksonville.com. Counties and municipalities have warned the losses could force cuts to parks, libraries, transit systems and public safety services.

DeSantis said he wants lawmakers to establish "a pool of funding" that could provide grants to local governments, particularly smaller rural counties worried about maintaining sheriff's offices and other essential services. A "taxpayer's bill of rights" could also be on the table, he said, according to Florida Politics.

The governor also said he wants the legislation to limit local governments from "doing an end run around the amendment and taxing them in other ways."

Timing still uncertain

DeSantis said legislative leaders will largely determine when the special session convenes. No date has been announced.

"I'm basically on lame-duck duty at this point," he joked. DeSantis leaves office in January, when Governor-elect Byron Donalds takes over.

The session gives DeSantis one final opportunity to shape a proposal he spent more than a year championing, according to Jacksonville.com. He called Amendment 3's passage "the beginning of our property tax elimination efforts," News4Jax reported.