On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, Mike Hardymon sits on the front porch of his Melbourne home in Brevard County to talk about property taxes.
He’s just off Eau Gallie Boulevard, a busy state road, so the conversation competes with the sound of traffic, the roar of his neighbor’s lawn mower, and the rumbling of the train on the tracks. Against this busy backdrop, the gentle clinking of the American flag against Hardymon’s flagpole signals a cooling but intermittent breeze.
At 57, Hardymon has lived in Melbourne most of his life. Looking out onto his well-manicured lawn, he says he and his wife bought this house about 25 years ago.
Lately, he says, they’ve been feeling the pressure of increasing costs.
“I've seen this place grow, but I've never seen the taxes go up like they have recently,” he said. “At one point in time, I told my wife, I said, ‘We're gonna have to leave. Taxes are gonna get so expensive here that we're not gonna be able to live here anymore.’”
Online records for Hardymon’s home are on the Brevard County Tax Collector’s website dating back to 2005. These show that, between 2005 to 2021, his property taxes increased by 6.6%, but from 2022 to 2024 alone, they increased by 9.3%.
Hardymon said these expenses can get tough when also considering skyrocketing inflation, which peaked in Florida at 9.1% in June of 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before 2022, on average, that number sat closer to 2.1%.
Although the Bureau shows that inflation in Florida is still one of the highest in the nation, Hardymon said he feels like he and his wife are now in a better place now. He said he’s glad they aren’t young and trying to build their lives in today’s economy.
“The amount of money that you have to be making — just to get by. I got a son, and I don't see him leaving my house,” he said. “There's absolutely no way that he can get out on his own because the prices are so much, let alone taxes.”
This year, the Florida Legislature proposed an amendment to the state constitution that could change the way municipalities collect property taxes. Amendment 5 will be on the November ballot, asking voters to decide if tax exemptions on homes should be tied to inflation.
Aubrey Jewett, doctor of political science and a professor at University of Central Florida, said that to understand what this means, voters need to know its context and history.
“When you start talking about the nuts and bolts of this and the details of this, it sounds pretty complicated and pretty complex, and that's because it is,” he said.”
How it works
Every year, properties are appraised by cities and counties and then taxed based on their assessed value. These property taxes help municipalities fund basic, public services, such as road construction and maintenance, water and waste management, first responders, and parks and recreation, to name a few.
Property taxes are paid by anyone who owns real estate — not just homes. All land investments, including vacant lots and inherited real property, whether as an individual or a business, and whether the owner resides in the property or acts as landlord.
But in Florida, people who live in the homes they own as their primary residence can get tax breaks called homestead exemptions. The two most homeowners qualify for lower the assessed value of your home by $50,000 which, in turn, decreases property taxes.
The first is an exemption of $25,000 and applies to the portion of property taxes that help pay for local schools. This was approved and enacted in 1934, back when it was a $5,000 exemption, until it was changed in 1980 under the Truth in Millage Act.
In the 90s and 2000s, Florida’s population and property value “boom” inspired more changes. The “Save Our Homes” amendment built upon this, primarily adding a 3% cap on the increase of a home’s assessed value and “portability,” which allows a homeowner to transfer beneficial homestead assessment differences in case they purchase a new home and move.
Eventually, the second $25,000 exemption was enacted. This one comes off the property taxes that do not impact school districts and only applies to properties that are worth $50,000 or more.
If passed, Amendment 5 could allow for an even larger tax break by changing this second exemption from its current flat rate and tying it to fluctuations in yearly inflation.
“If you vote ‘Yes’ on this, and it passes, it potentially is going to mean that homeowners will pay slightly less in property taxes each year, because the value of the Homestead Exemption will go up as inflation goes up,” Jewett said. “A ‘No’ vote would mean that the current system stays in play, which just means that second $25,000 (exemption) is going to stay $25,000, no matter what inflation does in the future. So, you'll still have an exemption; it just won't be worth as much over time with inflation.”
Supporters and critics of the proposed amendment are split down party lines.
Consider the arguments
Republicans like State Senator Debbie Mayfield of Brevard County proposed a YES vote, saying that homeowners need a break from unhinged inflation costs.
“The bottom line is, do you think the counties and the cities need the additional money, or do you think homeowners need the additional money so that they can continue to put food on the table for their kids?” Mayfield said. “It’s just a matter of philosophy. I mean, can you spend your money better than the government can spend your money?”
But some Democrats and local leaders have expressed concerns, saying municipalities will need to make up for that missing revenue. State Senator Geraldine Thompson said local governments might resort to raising millage rates to cover the shortfall.
Thompson said that could potentially null any savings homeowners get, while also affecting some more vulnerable members of the community who don’t even own homes. She said landlords will likely pass on the costs of higher taxes to renters.
“If there is an increase in taxes, it's going to impact everyone, including renters, who would not benefit from the homestead exemption. So, that's a point that people really need to understand,” she said.
According to Jewett, there are pros and cons to the amendment. On one hand, homeowners could save money they need. As a homeowner himself, he finds this appealing.
On the other hand, tax cuts mean less money for local governments. He said people might be choosing between giving up the tax break or giving up the city and county services they’re accustomed to — they can't have it both ways.
“Our local residents want a certain level of services. They want roads built and maintained. They want sewer systems that work. They want water that comes on when they turn the tap. They want Parks and Recreation, right? They want all these things. And in order to do it, we gotta pay for it,” Jewett said.
Voting responsibly
With other highly controversial amendments up for election this year, Jewett said the spotlight is not on Amendment 5, so many voters might not yet fully grasp or even know about it.
All the same, he said, it might be one of the most important ballots to fill out this year, with the potential to impact Floridians for generations.
“It’s not as spicy as abortion rights and recreational marijuana,” Jewett said. “But if it passes it certainly could impact a lot. It could impact the fairness of the tax system; it could impact the ability of some homeowners to keep their homes; it could impact city and county services.”
Back on Hardymon’s porch, after a long talk on policies and current affairs, the Brevard County resident says he knows who’s getting his vote for president, but when it comes to Amendment 5, he’s still undecided.
“A lot of the politicians say, ‘Oh, vote this way because this is going to save you on taxes. We're going to bring in so much revenue with this.’ Okay, but what kind of problems are you causing with it? What is that going to cost us? And are you bringing in enough revenue to cover that cost?” Hardymon said.
Hardymon’s final take is that he still needs to do a lot of research before heading to the polls. The way he sees it, that’s the only responsible way to do it.
“We should know a lot more of what we are actually voting for,” he said. “If I don't know what I'm voting for, more than likely, I won't vote on it. Because I don't want to commit to something that I don't know nothing about.”
The amendment will need at least 60% of the vote to either pass or fail.
Lillian Hernández Caraballo is a Report for America corps member.
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