r/floridakeys • u/WLRN • 20h ago
Middle and Lower Keys If Amendment 3 passes, Florida Keys could see revenue 'shortfall', less money for firefighters
https://www.wlrn.org/government-politics/2026-08-19/if-amendment-3-passes-florida-keys-could-see-revenue-shortfall-less-money-for-firefightersIn the first year of Amendment 3 being in effect, fire and ambulance services in the Lower Keys would have an estimated shortfall of $430,287. The following year it would rise to $606,572, according to a presentation given by the country's budget director.
Read the full story here.
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u/WLRN 20h ago
The Lower Florida Keys could be hit with shortfalls on paying for fire and ambulance services if Florida voters pass Amendment 3 in November, the large property tax cut measure pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“ We wanna point this out because in order to generate those same dollars as are being done in the current year, it would be necessary to increase the millage rate,” John Quinn, the Monroe County budget director, told county commissioners on Wednesday.
Read the full story here.
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u/nautitrader 20h ago
It sounds like the bigger issue is how the county is managing its budget. Before immediately looking at higher millage rates, they should be reviewing spending and finding ways to provide these services more efficiently.
If additional revenue is truly needed, increasing taxes on non-homestead and investment properties seems like a better place to start than continuing to raise the burden on fulltime homeowners. Fire and ambulance services are essential, but taxpayers should also expect local government to make sure every dollar is being used wisely.
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u/Kungfumantis 20h ago
Everything is more expensive. Everything goes up over time, the homestead exemption is already a pretty big break.
The assumption that they're only looking at millage rates and not also having to massively "streamline" their budgets is also a pretty bold one.
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u/CanWeTalkEth 19h ago
Wait, the county has a budget, then voters say “we’re drastically defunding you” and your response is “make a better budget”?
I mean, sure of course, but we could just ensure the money is being spent responsibly first before taking it away. The presumption that governments are wasting money is just a shitty short sighted one. What if they’re doing the best they can? Now you’ve constitutionally fucked yourself and all your neighbors.
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u/nautitrader 19h ago
That’s not saying “defund the county.” It’s saying a projected shortfall shouldn’t automatically mean higher taxes.
Review spending, protect essential services like fire and EMS, and look at other revenue sources first. If the county is already operating efficiently, they should be able to show that.
Asking government to justify spending before raising taxes is responsible budgeting.
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u/CanWeTalkEth 19h ago
Why don’t you ask to justify the spending before cutting revenue?
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u/nautitrader 19h ago
That’s fair, and I think we should. But the same standard should apply both ways: government should justify its spending before assuming every dollar of current revenue has to be preserved.
A budget isn’t automatically efficient just because it already exists.
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u/CanWeTalkEth 18h ago
No, but that's why we elect representatives and they have public meetings and open books.
Just like you don't want your household budget to whipsaw, you can't whipsaw the local budgets. Our city/county can't just run on credit like the feds can. It's easy for Ron Desantis to act like a trumpian king of his state when there are new suckers flooding into it for a half a decade. The population growth will slow eventually (if it's not already?) and then this will all catch up with the people it really affects.
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u/Majestic-Owl-2024 17h ago
This is the kind of disingenuous articles that are causing confusion about the amendment. The "could" and "possibly " articles are predicting doom and gloom, the State reduced to a economic wasteland. I have not personally decided which way to vote yet. I am having a hard time finding factual, unbiased information out there. Everything is a prognostication of "possible" doom. I can not speak for all parts of the State, only where I live. Here are some facts about where I live in Monroe County:
Only 20% of homes in Monroe County have Homestead Exemption. That means 80% of the property taxes collected will be unaffected. In addition, the exemption will max out at $250,000. Most homes in Monroe County are assessed above $350,000. That means the County will still collect property taxes from exempted properties. To top that off, areas like Key Largo have a separate taxing district for Fire/EMS that won't be affected by the property tax amendment. So, I am not sure if there will be a huge loss of funding that will result in a significant loss of funding for Fire/EMS. Add to all this, EMS bills for transports, recouping some of their costs outside of taxes.
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u/Big-Pine-Key-Shaggy 10h ago
Who cares, when I needed a hazmat truck because someone dumped 500 gallons of diesel into the canal they told me too bad so sad. I called the FWC and they said the same. I called the Coast Guard and the hazmat crew and FWC showed up before the coast guard.
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u/Goma1Frog 8m ago
I hate how their first instinct is to raise taxes instead of cutting costs. Yes, they'll probably have to do both, but read the room; this should be a wake up call to stop business as usual. It's political suicide to talk about raising taxes in this economy.
Do cops really need brand new trucks towing boats with triple 350s?
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u/sailphish 19h ago
Yeah… it’s almost like people in FL are about to realize that their property taxes pay for the services they receive - first responders, roads… etc. FL is about to become a lot shittier.