At 11:03 p.m. on April 14, 1912, the Titanic was 37 minutes away from disaster.
At that moment, a change in course of barely three degrees would have been enough to avoid the iceberg in its path entirely. The catastrophe was not inevitable. The warning signs existed, the danger was real, and a small correction could have changed history.
Florida faces a similar moment today.
A proposed constitutional amendment is being promoted as property tax relief. But beneath the promise lies a much larger question: how will communities fund public safety, infrastructure, parks, libraries, and other essential services when billions of dollars in local revenue disappear?
The 3 Degrees Campaign is not about preserving the status quo. It’s about making a prudent course correction before Florida collides with unintended consequences that will be difficult and very expensive to reverse.
A three-degree change today can prevent a much larger crisis tomorrow.
[Data nuts, click here for "The Tax Shift" analysis from "Vote No on 3".]
Florida residents shouldn't have to choose between lower tax pressure and safe, functioning communities. We can do both, if we change course before writing a financial iceberg into the Constitution.
About Us
We’re not against property tax relief.
We’re citizens against unintended consequences, especially those we see coming.
Relief without the iceberg.
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Florida homeowners deserve real property tax relief. But this amendment does more than offer relief. It puts local solutions on a collision course with a financial iceberg, limiting the ability of counties and cities to respond to the real costs of public safety, infrastructure needs, storm recovery, and services that support our quality of life.
Once those restrictions are written into the Constitution, communities lose flexibility. Local leaders may be forced to cut services, delay repairs, shift costs, or seek revenue in less transparent ways.
The issue is not whether property taxes should go down. The issue is whether Florida should permanently restrict local communities from solving local problems.
The 3 Degrees Campaign supports responsible tax reform that protects homeowners without weakening the services families depend on every day.
Vote NO on Florida’s Property Tax Amendment. Don’t trade relief for a financial Titanic.
Alternatives to Catastrophe
​Florida can provide real property tax relief without forcing counties, cities, and public safety agencies to absorb the loss. The problem with the proposed amendment is not relief. It is relief without a responsible replacement plan.
The 3 Degrees Campaign supports exploration of reforms that protect homeowners while keeping essential services funded. Florida should not have to choose between lower tax pressure and safe, functioning communities. We can do both.
Although we're not championing any specific policies, a few alternatives to the proposed catastrophe come to mind as starting points for adaptation to meet local needs:
Tourism tax flexibility
Allow counties to use a limited share of Tourist Development Tax revenue to offset property tax reductions or fund services heavily used by visitors, such as law enforcement and emergency response.
Short-term rental impact fees
Allow local governments to levy a dedicated fee on short-term rental units to offset public safety, code enforcement, sanitation, infrastructure, and neighborhood impacts.
Growth-pays-for-growth reform
Strengthen impact fees, mobility fees, and development agreements so new development pays more of the infrastructure, road, water, sewer, fire, EMS, and school-capacity costs it creates.
Anti-speculation vacancy fee
Permit local governments to charge a fee on long-term vacant investment properties, especially in high-cost housing markets, with revenue dedicated to housing, code enforcement, and public services.
Luxury homestead tier
Create a higher millage tier or replacement fee for high-value non-homestead residential properties above a threshold, while protecting ordinary homeowners and long-term residents.
Second-home surcharge
Permit a locally approved surcharge on non-homestead residential properties, especially second and third homes, with revenue dedicated to replacing property tax reductions.
Surcharge for investment properties
Apply a modest surcharge to sales of non-homestead, investor-owned, or luxury properties, with proceeds dedicated to local revenue replacement or housing affordability.