A Leon County judge is set to decide whether the ballot title and summary for a proposed Florida property tax amendment must be rewritten, after a group of former officials sued the state over the measure’s wording, raising the possibility of further delays to a tax relief plan already headed for the ballot.
The lawsuit was filed by Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language, a group that includes former state Sen. Jeff Brandes of St. Petersburg, former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson, and several former South Florida mayors. The group stops short of asking the court to remove the amendment from the ballot altogether. Instead, it wants the title and summary rewritten, arguing the current wording is politically charged.
At issue are the amendment’s title, “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes,” and language stating that the measure would protect funding for essential public services while cutting property taxes. Plaintiffs contend the summary doesn’t sufficiently spell out potential effects on local government budgets or note that the legislation doesn’t lock in funding levels for schools, first responders, and other programs.
Fort Lauderdale attorney Jamie Cole, who represents the plaintiffs, said he expects the court to move quickly. “There’s no testimony, there’s no witnesses,” Cole said. “The judge is basically going to look at the ballot title, look at the summary and say, ‘Is it fair? Is it neutral? Is it accurate?’”
Supporters of the amendment have framed it as a straightforward effort to ease the tax burden on Florida homeowners, and the challenge comes as the state faces a late-August deadline for the Secretary of State to certify ballot language. Any appeal could further compress that timeline, adding uncertainty for voters hoping to weigh in on tax relief this election cycle. The case is one of several pending legal challenges to the amendment; a separate lawsuit seeks to remove the measure from the ballot entirely.
Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater & Tampa Bay, FL news at PIE-Sun.com
Leave a Reply