The Florida Fire Chiefs’ Association (FFCA) has become the first major statewide first-responder organization to formally oppose Amendment 3, adding a public-safety voice to the growing coalition fighting the November property-tax measure.
The fire chiefs join an alliance of political committees opposing the proposal, including:
And there are three separate lawsuits against the amendment, including one by former state senators Jeff Brandes, a St. Petersburg Republican, and Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, arguing that the ballot’s title and summary are political and misleading.
What Amendment 3 would do
The amendment would substantially increase Florida’s homestead exemption and cut in half the cap on annual assessment increases for rental housing, commercial buildings, offices, shopping centers and other non-homestead property.
According to the Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research, Amendment 3 would reduce local-government property-tax revenues by an estimated $4.6 billion in 2027-28 and $8.4 billion in 2028-29, with losses continuing to grow in subsequent years.
Fire chiefs cite public safety concerns
The FFCA said it supports tax relief in principle but cannot support the amendment because it creates “substantial uncertainty” about future funding for fire protection, emergency medical services and disaster response.
The association agrees with other opponents who argue Amendment 3 threatens essential local services because it does not identify a sustainable replacement revenue source. The fire chiefs warned that emergency services could be jeopardized without a long-term funding plan to offset lost revenue.
Gov. Ron DeSantis was the driving force behind the property-tax overhaul, but he has declined to take a leading role in the campaign to pass the amendment.
“What the Legislature did wasn’t my proposal,” DeSantis said last month in explaining why he would not lead the effort.
That has left Amendment 3 without a prominent statewide campaign organization advocating for its passage, while opposition continues to grow.
First statewide public safety group to take sides
While Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has warned that the proposal could undermine counties’ ability to provide essential services, including emergency response, neither the Florida Sheriffs Association nor the Florida Police Chiefs Association has announced a formal position.
The FFCA is the first statewide first-responder organization to formally join the “no on 3” campaign.
The association has more than 2,200 fire chiefs as members. Their opposition highlights a growing imbalance in the Amendment 3 campaign. While opposition continues to grow, no comparable statewide coalition in support of the measure has emerged.
Bonita Springs Fire Chief Gregory DeWitt is listed as the organization’s board member representing the Southwest Florida region.
Who’s fighting fires in Southwest Florida?
LEE COUNTY
Lee County has multiple fire districts and fire departments.
COLLIER COUNTY
These fire districts and departments operate in the Collier County:
Two other ballot measures could impact SW FL firefighters
Unrelated to Amendment 3, November’s ballot will also include a measure that, if passed, would merge the Iona McGregor and Fort Myers Beach fire districts in Lee County.
In Collier County, voters who reside in the Greater Naples fire district will decide in the Aug. 18 primary whether to elect commissioners at large rather than by subdivisions within the district’s jurisdiction.
PROPOSED IONA MCGREGOR BEACH FIRE MERGER IN LEE COUNTY
State Rep. Adam Botana, a Republican from Lee County, said he sponsored a bill to put the proposed Fort Myers Beach-Iona McGregor merger to the voters because he thinks it will save taxpayers money.
A study shows that it might not be a good idea and could wind up costing taxpayers more money.
The merger calls for the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District to be abolished, and its board of fire commissioners, territories, assets and liabilities be transferred to the Iona McGregor Fire Protection and Rescue District.
“Obviously the fire commissioners are not very happy about it because this is a job that they will be losing…It’s not going to hurt the firefighters, it’s going to help them,” Botana said.
A study, however, said that the merger is not necessary.
An analysis of the two fire departments and the effects of such a merger would indicate that there are “no compelling reasons to merge the two districts” for either financial or operational purposes, according to J. Angle Group, a consulting company that conducts project-based analyses for emergency service organizations.
Joel Guzman, the deputy chief of administration for the Iona McGregor Fire District, said that a merger would not achieve the goals of the district.
PROPOSAL TO CHANGE HOW GREATER NAPLES FIRE COMMISSIONERS ELECTED
When Greater Naples residents head to the polls for the Aug. 18 statewide primary election, they will vote on a proposed change to the electoral process for Greater Naples fire commissioners.
Currently, the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District’s Board of Fire Commissioners is elected by two geographic subdivisions.
The East Naples division votes on two commissioners, the Golden Gate division votes on two commissioners and one seat is filled by an at-large vote.
A yes vote in the referendum would make all five commissioner seats elected at large.
An at-large vote means all eligible voters within the district boundaries vote, rather than just a subdivision of the district.
James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com. Follow on X: @CallTallahassee.
Tayeba Hussein is a breaking news reporter at The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at thussein@usatodayco.com
Alexa Ryan is a reporter at The News-Press & Naples Daily News. Reach her at alexa.ryan@naplesnews.com
Cindy McCurry-Ross is executive editor at The News-Press and an editor for Naples Daily News. Reach her at cmcross@usatodayco.com
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida fire chiefs warn of risks in Florida Amendment 3
Reporting by James Call, Tayeba Hussein, Alexa Ryan and Cindy McCurry-Ross, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By James Call, Tayeba Hussein, Alexa Ryan and Cindy McCurry-Ross, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News | USA TODAY Network
