‘Property Tax Amendment 3: Understanding Impacts & Unintended Consequences’ topic of Sept. 30 program
Registration due by Sept. 25
The Committee of the Islands and the League of Women Voters of Sanibel have announced a briefing on the upcoming Florida ballot measure, Amendment 3, which proposes changes to property tax calculations for homesteaded properties.
This program, entitled “Property Tax Amendment 3: Understanding Impacts & Unintended Consequences,” will be held at the Sanibel Community House, 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 30. The program will also be livestreamed via Zoom through the League of Women Voters of Florida.
This is a free program, but registration is required no later than Sept. 25. To register, visit https://events.humanitix.com/coti-lwv-amendment-3.
The speakers for this program will be Holly D. Smith, Sanibel Councilwoman and immediate past president of the Florida League of Cities, and John Lai, President and CEO of the Sanibel-Captiva and Ft. Myers Chambers of Commerce.
Smith traveled the state as the League analyzed the potential Constitutional amendment’s impact on Florida municipalities and other stakeholders. She has led numerous briefings statewide on its implications for municipal revenue and local governance. Now that the amendment’s wording has been finalized following court rulings, Smith will share with the audience the broader impact to Florida counties and municipalities, and, in her role as city councilmember, specifics on how the proposed amendment would affect Sanibel should it pass.
“Amendment 3 will change how cities and counties are funded across every corner of Florida. Voters deserve to understand exactly how, before they head to the polls. My goal isn’t to tell anyone how to vote. It’s to walk through this complicated issue so voters can weigh the tradeoffs for themselves,” Smith said.
As a business leader in Sanibel and Captiva and regionally through the Ft. Myers Chamber, Lai brings an important perspective to the potential economic impacts of Amendment 3. Reductions in ad volorem taxes will likely cause municipalities to seek alternative sources of revenue that could impact businesses and nonprofits. The workforce that organizations count on could also be impacted through increased rents to offset expenses placed on non-homesteaded rental properties.
“The chambers feel it exceedingly important to present information that is necessary to sift through all of the potential unintended consequences and provide as much perspective as possible. This event allows the discussion from both the business community and city perspective,” Lai said.