What to know about the ballot question on property tax in Florida

Florida voters have the opportunity this November to hand homeowners more savings on their tax bills. Should they?

Amendment 5, placed on the ballot by Florida lawmakers, would in most years increase the value of a tax break known as the homestead property tax exemption by adjusting its value to match inflation.

In other words, as the cost of living increases, so would the tax break afforded to those eligible for homestead exemptions: residents who own their homes and live in them.

“It will benefit Floridians, especially the ones that have issues with paying for their homes — the seniors and people who have lower incomes,” said state Rep. Alina Garcia, a Miami Republican who co-sponsored the bill to put Amendment 5 on the ballot. “It’ll benefit them because taxes are probably out of control because property value is out of control.”

But critics of the proposal say its passage would help homeowners at the expense of other Floridians.

The Florida League of Cities raised concerns about the proposal during this year’s legislative session. Casey Cook, chief of legislative affairs for the League of Cities, said business owners, renters and local governments will take a hit if Amendment 5 passes.

“Another way to put it is that one person’s tax cut is another person’s tax increase, and we think that homeowners already have a really good deal in the