This November, Floridians will vote on a ballot amendment that would cut property taxes for homeowners. But with those tax cuts come budget cuts, and Edie Ousley is sounding the alarm.
"Amendment 3 is a tax scam engineered by Tallahassee politicians selling a free lunch," Ousley said.
Ousley, a spokesperson for the Vote No on 3 campaign, spoke to the News Service of Florida about what could be at risk in small Florida cities and counties if their ad valorem revenue drops.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: Many municipalities survive on property tax revenue. If this ballot amendment passes, can you explain what will happen to small and rural cities and counties?
OUSLEY: Amendment 3 will gut emergency response and public safety in small towns and rural counties — and there's no way to consistently backfill the lost revenue. Most homes in these areas are homesteaded, so when the primary tax base disappears, so does the money for police, fire, EMS and local roads. Some counties may be forced to consolidate or eliminate services entirely — meaning a resident of Liberty County could have to drive to Leon County just to get basic services. The modest savings Amendment 3 offers to a few isn't worth losing a community over, and to be clear, many of the already fiscally constrained small and rural counties will likely go bankrupt as dramatic cuts in revenues simply cannot be made up enough to even keep the lights on.
Q: We've heard a lot about public safety, what about public health? How will a drop in property taxes affect public hospitals in Florida?
OUSLEY: Public safety is the largest line item in over 80 percent of Florida communities, so it's the first thing cut when tax revenue drops — slower 911 responses and fewer firefighters and sheriff deputies on the road. Public hospitals will feel it too. Florida's population is growing and aging, straining health services that are already stretched thin — some communities have already lost psychiatric care and labor and delivery units. Amendment 3 accelerates that erosion.
Q: Let's talk about the environment. How could reduced property taxes affect efforts to protect Florida beaches, springs and wetlands?
OUSLEY: Amendment 3 threatens Florida's environment directly. Flooding in neighborhoods, managing growth and protecting local waterways and springs will all – by necessity – get deprioritized when budgets are slashed. Water management districts, for example, rely on ad valorem revenue too. So at the exact moment Floridians need funds to protect against flooding, improving beach protection and putting an end to harmful algal blooms, that funding will also dramatically shrink.
Q: Who are the proponents of this ballot amendment, and what problems do they think it will solve if it passes?
OUSLEY: Amendment 3 is a tax scam engineered by Tallahassee politicians selling a free lunch. The reality: essential services get cut while renters, new homebuyers and small local businesses pick up the tab through higher taxes and fees — while wealthy homeowners pocket the break.
Q: How do you think Floridians will vote this fall?
OUSLEY: Poll after poll shows that once voters understand that Amendment 3 means gutting public safety, bankrupting rural counties, and fewer roads, parks and libraries — while the tax burdens shift onto them and the wealthy walk away with the savings — support collapses. These facts were borne out in a recent UNF poll that showed when the facts get out, Amendment 3 fails.