In November, millions of Florida voters may very well decide the next president of the United States. Amid the excitement of the race for the White House, some of the deeply impactful (and in some cases, deeply troubling) amendments to Florida’s Constitution -- which will also appear on November’s ballot -- may be overlooked.

They shouldn’t be.

Amendment 4 -- a particularly complex and confusing brand of “tax reform” -- will be on the ballot. The devil is in the details on this one. Amendment 4 would do little for Florida’s full-time homeowners but will mean tax breaks for out-of-state snowbirds at the expense of the Sunshine State’s year-round residents.

Amendment 4 would broaden the homestead exemption to investment properties and second homes. Unfortunately, that means that a greater share of the property tax bill is likely to be paid by Florida’s full-time residents. The fact that special interest groups have labeled Amendment 4 “tax reform” just means somebody else benefits and year-round Floridians pay for it.

Amendment 4 would mean Florida’s year-round homeowners may very well end up shouldering the burden for the hefty tax breaks of out-of-state snowbirds, real estate flippers and the like. These days, too many Florida homeowners are struggling to make ends meet and shifting a greater percentage of the property tax burden onto year-round Floridians isn’t the right approach.

Florida’s local taxpayers don’t want a one-size-fits-all approach to how our communities manage their budgets. Elected officials on both sides of the aisle campaign for re-election on their record of fiscal responsibility. But too often, they pass new backdoor tax mandates onto local towns and taxpayers -- which can lead to higher property tax rates for Florida homeowners. Amendment 4 is likely to have this effect.

Too many amendments driven by focus-grouped sound bites rather than sound policymaking have left Florida’s property tax code convoluted and confusing. Unfortunately, Amendment 4 makes the problem worse while threatening to push a heavier share of the tax burden onto Florida’s year-round residents. We shouldn’t be giving tax breaks to snowbirds that lead to tax hikes for full-time Florida residents.

Voters should say “NO” to special breaks for out-of-state residents paid for by Florida’s full-time homeowners. Voters should say "NO” to Amendment 4.



Christopher L. Holley is the executive director of the Florida Association of Counties.