St. Johns County property owners will get a chance to question officials about a ballot measure that could cut county tax revenue by up to $192 million a year.

County Administrator Joy Andrews and Office of Management and Budget Director Wade Schroeder will lead a town hall on Amendment 3 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the St. Johns County Auditorium, 500 San Sebastian View, St. Augustine. The event will be livestreamed on the county's GovTV, YouTube and Facebook pages, and a recording will be posted afterward.

Residents who want to submit questions in advance can do so by 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, through the county's online Amendment 3 question form. Questions not addressed during the town hall will be answered and posted to the county's Amendment 3 webpage after the event.

What Amendment 3 would do

The proposed constitutional amendment, CS/HJR 1-F, cleared the Florida Legislature on June 2 during a special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to St. Johns Community. It will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot and needs 60% statewide voter approval to take effect.

If approved, the amendment would raise the homestead exemption used to calculate county, municipal and special district property taxes. The exemption would rise to $150,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2027, then to $250,000 beginning Jan. 1, 2028. The amendment would also cut the annual assessment cap on non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.

Projected revenue hit

At the Sept. 15 final budget hearing, Schroeder told commissioners the county could lose an estimated $68.3 million in property-tax revenue in fiscal year 2028, about 16% of the county's proposed property taxes for FY 2027. By FY 2029, the loss would climb to $136.1 million, or roughly 32%.

According to the county, citing estimates from the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR), the annual reduction could reach $191.6 million by FY 2032.

County already preparing

The county has been planning since May. Staff reviewed 380 services across 18 departments, audited 1,137 existing fees and proposed several dozen new ones, according to a Sept. 11 county announcement. About $100 million in capital improvement projects have been placed on hold, and $8.6 million in positions and vacant-position funding has been flagged for reassessment after the election.

The FY 2027 recommended budget sets aside $31.2 million in emergency reserves and another $30 million in General Fund reserves earmarked for financial resiliency.

"Preparing now allows us to make thoughtful decisions, protect essential services, avoid committing resources that may not be available in the future, and stay cognizant of any project that could add a recurring cost burden," Andrews said in the Sept. 11 announcement.

The county has said it does not advocate for or against the amendment. Residents can find more information and submit questions at the county's Amendment 3 webpage.