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(Tallahassee, FL) - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has made some changes to the property tax ballot referendum's wording after a judge found the original to be biased.
Instead of "Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes," the new title is "Increased Homestead Exemption: Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homesteaded Property Assessments."
Uthmeier also removed the part promising that property taxes would be fully eliminated in the future.
In a statement Uthmeier said: “Under Florida law, we don’t have the ability to rewrite the full amendment, just the ballot summary and title consistent with the court’s ruling. The amendment could certainly have been rolled out with greater transparency and the meaningful involvement of key stakeholders, including our law enforcement agencies. No one wants to defund our incredible sheriffs, yet there were no discussions to involve them in this process. If it does not pass, I look forward to working with the legislature and our law enforcement leaders on comprehensive tax relief that protects public safety.”
The AG submitted a re-written proposed property tax amendment summary and title after a judge ruled that the original version was too misleading and set a 10-day deadline to reword it before ballots are printed.
To pass, the ballot measure requires 60% voter favorability in November.