Citrus County Budget Workshop: Property tax Amendment 3 - October 6, 2026

The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners held a budget workshop on October 6, 2026, to examine the potential local-government effects of Florida Property Tax Amendment 3. Staff explained that the proposal would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, phase in further homestead tax elimination, and reduce the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5%. Using 2026 taxable values, staff estimated a countywide property-tax reduction of about $46.8 million annually once the larger exemption takes effect; the projected 2028–29 impacts included $36.6 million for the General Fund, $5.4 million for transportation, $3 million for fire rescue, $1.5 million for libraries, and $300,000 for the health department. These were preliminary estimates that did not account for future construction and growth. Commissioners and staff discussed possible service and staffing reductions, fee or millage changes, MSTUs/MSBUs, local-option sales taxes, and road assessments. The discussion highlighted a road-resurfacing backlog exceeding $700 million and the tradeoffs of deferring maintenance or capital projects.

No votes, contract awards, or bid approvals were taken. Commissioners asked staff to develop additional analyses, including growth and revenue scenarios, the effects of exemptions, potential funding structures for roads and law enforcement, and options for reviewing contracts and services for rebidding, outsourcing, or other efficiencies. The county administrator said staff was reviewing capital projects and contracts, while cautioning that deferred maintenance can increase future costs. The Clerk reported that her office had reduced the cost of its Red Flag Reporting contract by moving to a different fraud-software service that provides the same service; no replacement vendor or contract amount was stated. Potential changes to fees, assessments, and service funding were discussed but not adopted.