Country Club Living - Palm Beach North - October 2026

O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 | C O U N T R Y C L U B L I V I N G - PA L M B E A C H N O R T H 7 Amendment 3: BeforeYouVote, KnowWhat ItMeans - By Noel Martinez, President & CEO, Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce - - Photo provided by Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce - L ast month, I wrote about Florida’s property tax debate and why I believe it deserves our attention. With Amendment 3 now headed to voters in November, I want to continue that conversation. Let me start with something we can probably all agree on: nobody likes paying property taxes. With the cost of housing, insurance, and just about everything else continuing to rise, I completely understand why property tax relief sounds appealing. For many homeowners, it could provide meaningful savings at a time when household budgets are being stretched. But before we vote, I think we need to understand the entire picture. Amendment 3 would increase the homestead exemption for non- school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. It would also lower the annual assessment cap on many non- homestead properties, including businesses, from 10 percent to 5 percent. There is real tax relief in this proposal. But there is also another side we need to understand. Property taxes are one of the primary ways our cities and counties pay for the services we use every day. Police and fire protection. Roads. Infrastructure. Stormwater systems. Parks. Emergency response. Planning and permitting. Transportation. Those things matter to residents, but they also matter tremendously to our business community. Think about why people and companies choose to invest in a community. Taxes certainly matter. But so do safe neighborhoods, good infrastructure, reliable public services, and a great quality of life. We need to be thinking about both sides of that equation. That is where I believe voters need to do their homework. If local governments collect significantly less property tax revenue, what happens next? What services get reduced? What projects get delayed? Do other fees or assessments go up? How do rapidly growing communities continue investing in the infrastructure needed to support that growth? I don't pretend to have all the answers to those questions. Frankly, I don't think anyone does yet. There are also fair arguments on the other side. Supporters believe local government revenues have grown too quickly as property values have increased and that homeowners deserve meaningful relief. The proposal also includes provisions designed to provide relief to businesses and protect them from simply absorbing the cost. Those arguments deserve consideration too. My concern is that something this important can easily get reduced to a simple question: Would you like to pay less in property taxes? Of course we would. But that's not really the question voters are being asked. We're being asked to make a significant change to Florida's Constitution and to the way our communities are funded. That deserves more than a headline, a campaign commercial, or a social media post. So, my ask is simple: before Election Day, take a few minutes to understand what Amendment 3 really does and what it could mean for your family, your business, and your community. The Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping our community understand this issue. Visit the Advocacy page on our website (pbnchamber.com) to access our Amendment 3 Resource Page, where you can review the ballot language, learn more about the proposal, and better understand its potential impact on our local communities. Read it. Ask questions. Talk to your local elected officials. Listen to those who support the amendment and those who have concerns. Then make your decision. Whatever you decide, make sure it's an informed vote. Because this isn't just about what we pay in property taxes. It's also about how we fund the communities we want to build. Community