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HJR 213FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026dead
High Impact

Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Property Taxes and First Responder Funding

Original title: Modification of Limitations on Property Assessment Increases

March 13, 2026

property taxconstitutional amendmentlocal governmentpublic safetytax assessment(adopted)

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The Frame

What this does

The measure would permanently cap how much property tax assessments can rise for homeowners and businesses while simultaneously restricting the ability of local governments to reduce spending on emergency services, potentially limiting local budget flexibility.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Florida homeowners

Their property tax assessment increases would be subject to new, lower percentage caps.

Local governments

They would be restricted from reducing total funding for law enforcement, fire, and emergency services below specific historical levels.

First responders

Their departmental funding levels would be protected by a new constitutional floor.

What changed

Last recorded activity March 13, 2026.

What's next

Introduced.

Background

  • HJR 213 was a legislative proposal introduced in the 2026 Florida session that ultimately failed to advance past the second reading calendar. context

Summary

This resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to change how property tax assessments are calculated and to mandate minimum funding levels for local police, fire, and emergency services. If passed by voters, it would limit annual assessment increases for various property types and prevent local governments from cutting public safety budgets below historical levels.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

The measure would permanently cap how much property tax assessments can rise for homeowners and businesses while simultaneously restricting the ability of local governments to reduce spending on emergency services, potentially limiting local budget flexibility.

Frequently Asked Questions

How would this change my property tax bill?
It would cap the annual increase of your property's assessed value for non-school taxes, potentially slowing the growth of your tax bill compared to current law.
Can my city or county cut police or fire department budgets?
Under this proposal, local governments would be legally barred from reducing total funding for these services below the higher of their 2025-2026 or 2026-2027 budget levels.
When would these changes take effect?
The provisions are set to take effect on January 1, 2027, if approved by voters.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Voting Record

Motion succeededlower1/27/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable With Committee Substitute (Ways & Means Committee)

Total

19

Yes

11

No

4

Present

0

Not Voting

4

Abstain

0

Motion succeededlower1/22/2026openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable With Committee Substitute (State Affairs Committee)

Total

26

Yes

17

No

7

Present

0

Not Voting

2

Abstain

0

Motion succeededlower11/20/2025openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable (Select Committee on Property Taxes)

Total

37

Yes

24

No

10

Present

0

Not Voting

3

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Constitutionalizing Local Budgeting

The bill attempts to move local budget priorities (specifically for first responders) into the state constitution, effectively removing local control over those specific line items.

Florida LegislatureLocal governments

Connected Entities

bill_numberHJR 213“The primary legislative vehicle for the proposed constitutional amendment.”Map →
organizationFlorida Legislature“The body proposing the constitutional amendment.”Map →
date2026“The legislative session or effective year associated with the bill.”Map →
locationFlorida“The state where the constitutional changes would apply.”Map →
organizationUnited States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics“Source for the Consumer Price Index data used to calculate assessment caps.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance90
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy75
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz20
    Current news / social attention level

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