What Amendment 3 Means for Florida Vacant Land Buyers
Florida voters approved Amendment 3 on November 3, 2026, with about 62% voting yes, above the 60% needed to change the state constitution. The results were unofficial when this post was written, and certification was still pending.
The amendment does two main things. One of them matters a lot if you own a home. The other one matters if you own vacant land.
This post is general information, not tax or legal advice. Check the math with your county property appraiser before you rely on them.
The short version
If you own vacant land in Florida, and it is not your homestead, the yearly cap on how fast its assessed value can rise for non-school taxes drops from 10% to 5%.
That change takes effect January 1, 2027. You will first see it on your August 2027 TRIM notice, and on the tax bill mailed in November 2027. Your November 2026 bill is still under the old rules.
What changed, and what did not
The non-homestead cap: 10% to 5%
Most vacant land is non-homestead property. That means no homestead exemption applies to it, and the county caps how fast its assessed value can rise each year.
This means your assessed value is allowed to grow only half as fast as before, for the non-school part of your bill. Over a few years, that slower growth adds up, in terms of increases in your tax bills.
Under the old rule, the county could raise the non-school assessed value on vacant land by up to 10% in one year. Under the new rule, it can only raise it by up to 5% in one year. That is a tighter limit, and a tighter limit is better for the owner.
School taxes are not covered
School taxes are the big exception. The 5% cap does not apply to them. Your school tax is still based on market value, and the school exemption stays at $25,000.
It caps assessed value, not your tax rate
The cap limits how fast the assessed value can climb. It does not set the tax rate. Your county, city, and other taxing authorities can still change their millage rates, and non-ad valorem fees, like fire fees, are separate.
A sale resets the value
When a property changes hands, it is reset to just value, which is market value, as of January 1 of the following year. The cap helps you while you hold the lot. It does not lock in the seller's assessed value after you buy.
What that looks like on a real lot
Take a lot assessed at $10,000. Say the market value rises 8% in a year.
Under the old 10% cap, the non-school assessed value could rise the full 8%, to $10,800. Under the new 5% cap, it stops at $10,500. That is $300 less in assessed value.
At typical non-school tax rates, that $300 difference is only a few dollars in tax for that year. The saving grows over years if values keep rising, but it is not a big cut in year one, and it is not a tax freeze.
What about the bigger homestead exemption?
You will hear a lot about the other half of Amendment 3. For a primary home, the homestead exemption for non-school taxes rises to up to $150,000 in 2027 and up to $250,000 in 2028.
That does not apply to vacant land on its own. It only helps once you build a home on the lot, live there as your primary residence, and qualify for homestead with your county property appraiser.
If you buy a lot now and plan to build and homestead later, ask the county property appraiser what you will need to do, and when, to qualify.
What to do as a buyer or owner
Look at your TRIM notice in August 2027. That is the first place the new cap will show up. Check the market value, the assessed value, and any exemptions in your name.
Check assessed value against just value. The cap only matters if the assessed value is below the market value and rising. If they are already the same, the cap does not lower your bill.
Do not plan your budget on a tax cut. Plan on taxes rising more slowly for the non-school part, and on school taxes still following the market.
If you finance a lot with us, remember taxes are part of the monthly payment. We collect taxes monthly, and the amount can adjust if the county tax amount changes a lot. A slower rise in assessed value should make that part steadier, not disappear.
For more on how Florida land taxes work in general, read our post Florida Vacant Land Property Taxes, Explained. If you are weighing cash against owner financing, read Can You Finance Vacant Land in Florida?
The bottom line
Amendment 3 is can be good news for vacant land owners, but it is not the tax break that you see for homestead properties.
If you are looking at a lot, buy it for the lot, the price, and the terms, not for a tax saving. The cap is a small help with holding costs, not a reason to pay more.
See our current lots on our homepage, and message us if you want to talk through a specific lot and what its taxes look like today.