Editors Note: This is the first of a three article series on Amendment 3, from the Lake Wales Perspective

By Maria Iannucci

Property taxes; almost everyone pays them, one way or another. Homeowners get or see a bill every year; those who rent pay it indirectly every month. 

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, voters will get to decide. But it’s important to understand the potential ramifications of your vote. We recently sat down with Lake Wales city leaders to understand their perspective and learn about what the outcome of this election could mean for local citizens.

There’s been much discussion about Amendment 3, which proposes an increase in the homestead exemption, and a lower cap on increases for non-homestead property assessments. 

Before we can discuss what local leaders have to say about this amendment, it’s important to understand how the verbiage for Amendment 3 will read on the ballot in November:

Amendment 3

INCREASED HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION; LOWER CAP ON INCREASES IN NON-HOMESTEAD PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS.

This amendment increases the homestead exemption, for all non-school taxes, to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, and adjusts for inflation thereafter.

It requires the Legislature to prescribe a uniform procedure for counties and municipalities, for their respective levies, to increase the homestead exemption up to full assessed value, and allows special districts, subject to referendum approval, to do the same.

Persons who are not Florida residents on December 31, 2026, will receive the existing homestead exemption upon qualifying for a homestead exemption, with the increased homestead exemption beginning with the fifth year of exemption, to the extent permitted by the U.S. Constitution. This amendment reduces the annual cap on assessment increases for non-homestead properties from 10% to 5%.

This amendment requires counties and municipalities to use property taxes solely for public safety, education and schools, infrastructure, natural resources, bond debt service, retirement benefits for employees, and operations and administration.

Other expenditures may be approved by county officers or county or municipal governing bodies unless prohibited by general law, notwithstanding Article VII, Section 9(a) of the Florida Constitution, which allows counties and municipalities to levy property taxes for their respective purposes. This amendment takes effect January 1, 2027.

YES — Approve the amendment.

NO — Reject the amendment.

To discuss these points in more simple terms, the homestead exemption in Florida for those who own a permanent residence would increase from $50,000-$150,000 in 2027, and to $250,000 in 2028. This would be specific to the non-school property taxes currently being paid.

For other properties owned in the state of Florida outside of the above description, the passing of Amendment 3 would lower the annual limit on assessed value increases, such as rentals and commercial properties, from 10% to 5%.

If Amendment 3 is passed, restrictions on how counties municipalities across the state use property tax revenues will affect local government budgets and would potentially affect Services in public safety, including law-enforcement and fire services, with a few exceptions.

In this, the first of three articles in a series on Amendment 3, Lake Wales Police Department Chief Chris Velasquez shares his perspective as to how the outcome of the vote could affect the citizens of Lake Wales in the future.

Lake Wales Police Chief Chris Velasquez 

When asked for his perspective on Amendment 3, Chief Velasquez said that public safety will continue to be a priority, regardless of the outcome of the election. 

“There’s potential for it to impact every city and county throughout the state,” Velasquez said. “Our concern is that people are looking at the immediate dollar amount that could reduce their taxes, but they’re not considering the potential reduction in services that could happen.

“Fire and police public safety are always going to be the priority of every municipality. We are always going to provide the very best service, no matter what. We may have to look at some of our programs that are not part of our core function and determine how we are going to fund those.”

Velasquez noted the increase in costs of goods and services, from fuel and vehicles, to technology and equipment, would make a major revenue cut to the agency a potential challenge. 

“Over the next two years, we could see a $3.5 million dollar reduction in revenues if the amendment passes,” Velasquez said. “Public safety is, always has been, and always will be expensive, and it’s worth it. I make it a point to make sure that if we’re going to spend taxpayer’s money that we are spending it the right way.

“If Amendment 3 is passed, it’s not going to impact, and we will not let it impact, our response to life safety,” Velasquez said. “We have mutual aid agreements within the county, and we partner with each other. We are going to respond if we’re needed.”

The chief voiced concerns about what decisions may be necessary if revenues to the department are cut.

“If drastic cuts to revenue are made, the potential impacts that could result may require more drastic measures,” Velasquez said.

One such option could be online report taking, where citizens could begin going online to request a call for service. The chief says he is not currently considering this option, and says he understands that, “When people call us, when they need us, they want to see us and they want to talk to us. But to give somebody an email address or a link to a website?”

He admits it’s not an ideal choice.

Velasquez says the budget for 2027 has been set: $8,923,703. “And if you look over the last five years, I’ve kept it relatively flat,” says Velasquez. “Everything’s getting more expensive, which is the same problem we have on the private side.”

We asked Velasquez about growth in the City of Lake Wales, and how the steady increase in population, paired with a potential reduction in revenue, could affect services. 

“We are always proactive and vigilant about keeping people safe,” he says. “We’re going to continue to push that. While our community grows, some people may think that the crime rate will grow. But, ultimately, we find that most people that live in our community are inherently good, and do not contribute to the crime rate. They are overwhelmingly law-abiding people. They don’t require a lot of service; when they do require it, they want it as quickly as possible, and we will continue to provide that.

“When a neighborhood develops and new residents move into it, the people that move in…are typically law-abiding; they’re employed, they have a mortgage, and they want the same thing that we all want in our community. They want to be safe and don’t generally cause problems.”

Velasquez expresses confidence in the capacity of city government and Lake Wales City Manager, James Slaton, to prepare Lake Wales for the future. 

“The city manager is very forward thinking, as are the folks in Planning and Development,” he says. “There’s a tremendous amount of planning that goes on behind the scenes so that we are prepared for future development, long before it gets to the final stage of possible approval.”

The police chief says that, ultimately, it comes down to being respectful of taxpayer dollars, and the people who help to fund public safety.

“We are always looking for ways to be as efficient as we possibly can,” Velasquez says. “It’s the public’s money, and we don’t spend it recklessly.”

When it comes to the potential ramifications for private households if the amendment passes, Velasquez asks citizens to remember that the tax dollars they pay for necessary services is money well-spent.

“We will continue to give the community the very best we possibly can, but it can certainly make it more difficult to provide services from a public safety standpoint if our funding is reduced.”

Lake Wales Police Department Lieutenant Dale Hampton, who has worked in law enforcement at the agency for 22 years, says that his desire is to promote understanding of what the police department provides to the citizens of Lake Wales.

“We are not here as law enforcement to tell people how to vote on Amendment 3,” says Hampton. “Our responsibility is to explain and educate citizens on what public safety costs, and to ensure the community understands what services we do provide to them on a daily basis.

“We want residents to understand that public safety is more than just the officers they see out on the road answering calls. It’s the detectives behind the scenes investigating cases, or frauds, or traffic enforcement, training that goes on daily, technology, vehicles, equipment, our communication with dispatch, and all the administration behind the scenes supporting and making sure daily operations happens smoothly.

“As a law-enforcement agency, it’s our responsibility to make sure that the tax paying dollar is ultimately spent well to continue to provide the best public service that we can.”

Chief Velasquez says he’s committed to the citizens of the City regardless of what happens on November 3. 

“We are going to work hard and keep people safe, no matter what happens.”