Tax Policy · Special Session 2026F

Florida Passes "Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes" — CS/HJR 1F Heads to the Ballot

· Sourced from the LobbyScape legislative database

On June 2, 2026, in the final hours of Florida's Special Session 2026F, both chambers passed CS/HJR 1F — "Save our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes" — a constitutional amendment proposing changes to Article VII, Sections 4, 6, and 9 of the Florida Constitution and creating a new section in Article XII. The companion statutory bill, CS/SB 4F — "Property Tax Administration", was enrolled the same day. The Democratic alternative, HJR 11F, was filed at 12:07 PM and died in House Ways & Means Committee by 5:36 PM.

If voters approve CS/HJR 1F on the next general election ballot, it will be the most substantial restructuring of Florida's property tax system since Save Our Homes was originally adopted in 1992. Below: what passed, how each chamber voted, which amendments failed, and what comes next.

30–9
Senate passage
75–26
House passage
5
Amendments failed
~26h
Committee to enrollment
60%
Voter threshold

What CS/HJR 1F Actually Does

The amendment changes four parts of the Florida Constitution. Each card below is one of those changes.

Article VII · § 4

Save Our Homes assessment framework

Reaffirms the homestead assessment cap at the lesser of 3% or CPI, and resets all homestead property to just value as of January 1 of the year following the effective date — every existing homestead gets reassessed at the new framework.

Article VII · § 6

Homestead exemption: 5× by 2028

Phases up the non-school homestead exemption from $50,000 today → $150,000 on Jan 1, 2027 → $250,000 on Jan 1, 2028. School district levies stay at the $25,000 exemption. New residents (post-Dec 31, 2026) start at $50,000 and step up to $250,000 over five years.

Article VII · § 9

Seven enumerated ad valorem uses

Counties and municipalities can use ad valorem revenue only for: public safety, education, infrastructure (roads/bridges/stormwater), natural-resource projects, local bonds for those purposes, retirement benefits for local employees, and core county/municipal operations. Anything not on the list — libraries, parks, social services, arts, public health, transit — must find non-ad-valorem funding.

Article XII (new section)

Transition + effective date

Creates a new section establishing the phase-in schedule (2027 → 2028) and the constitutional framework for re-assessing existing homestead property under the new amendment.

Companion statute · CS/SB 4F

Implementing legislation

Revises maximum millage rate limitations, updates the statutory definitions of "maximum total county ad valorem taxes levied" and "maximum total municipal ad valorem taxes levied" to conform, and explicitly authorizes the ballot summary of this amendment to exceed Florida's standard word limit — a signal that the legislature expects the substance to need more explanation than typical.

The Vote Breakdown

Every vote on this page is sourced directly from the LobbyScape bill record. Each card summarizes one vote; expand the roll-call to see who voted which way.

Senate · Floor Passage

CS/HJR 1F — Constitutional amendment

30 YES / 9 NO

June 2, 4:57 PM. All 30 Republicans, plus Sens. Pizzo and Rouson (D). Cleared the 60% threshold by 6 votes.

↗ 2 Democratic crossovers
House · Final Passage (Reading 3)

CS/HJR 1F — Constitutional amendment

75 YES / 26 NO

June 2, 4:29 PM. 74 Republicans plus Rep. Joseph (D) voted YES. Two Republicans voted NO — Reps. Boyles and Maney — joining 24 Democrats. Cleared the 60% threshold by 3 votes.

↗ 2 Republican defections (Boyles, Maney) · 1 Democratic crossover (Joseph)
Senate · Appropriations Committee

CS/HJR 1F — committee referral

13 YES / 5 NO

June 1, 3:00 PM, Room 110 Senate Office Building. Reported favorably as Committee Substitute.

↗ Sens. Hooper & Rouson (D) voted YES; Pizzo voted NO at committee but YES on floor
House · State Affairs Committee

CS/HJR 1F — committee referral

20 YES / 7 NO

June 1. Party-line at committee — all 20 Republicans YES, all 7 Democrats NO.

↳ Rep. Boyles voted YES here on June 1 but NO on the floor June 2
Senate · CS/SB 4F (implementing statute)

Property Tax Administration

30 YES / 8 NO

Implementing legislation operationalizing the constitutional changes. Senate Appropriations: 13–5 favorable.

House · CS/SB 4F (implementing statute)

Property Tax Administration

75 YES / 27 NO

House passed after substituting for CS/HB 3F. Earlier Reading 2 quorum was a procedural 99–0 unrelated to the substantive vote.

See the full roll calls (every member, both chambers)

Senate CS/HJR 1F YES (30): Avila, Bernard, Boyd, Bradley, Brodeur, Burgess, Burton, Calatayud, DiCeglie, Gaetz, Garcia, Grall, Harrell, Hooper, Leek, Martin, Massullo, Mayfield, McClain, Passidomo, Pizzo, President Albritton, Rodriguez, Rouson, Sharief, Simon, Truenow, Trumbull, Wright, Yarborough

Senate CS/HJR 1F NO (9): Arrington, Berman, Bracy Davis, Davis, Jones, Nathan, Osgood, Polsky, Smith

House CS/HJR 1F YES (75): Abbott, Albert, Alvarez (D.), Andrade, Baker, Bankson, Barnaby, Basabe, Benarroch, Berfield, Black, Blanco, Booth, Borrero, Botana, Brackett, Brannan, Buchanan, Busatta, Canady, Cassel, Chamberlin, Chaney, Cobb, Conerly, Duggan, Esposito, Fabricio, Garrison, Gentry, Gerwig, Gonzalez Pittman, Gossett-Seidman, Greco, Griffitts, Grow, Hodgers, Holcomb, Holley, Jacques, Johnson, Joseph, Kendall, Koster, LaMarca, Maggard, McClure, McFarland, Melo, Michael, Miller, Mooney, Nix, Oliver, Overdorf, Owen, Partington, Perez, Plakon, Plasencia, Porras, Redondo, Rizo, Salzman, Scott, Shoaf, Sirois, Smith, Snyder, Steele, Tramont, Tuck, Valdés, Weinberger, Yarkosky

House CS/HJR 1F NO (26): Alvarez (J.), Antone, Bartleman, Boyles, Campbell, Chambliss, Cross, Daley, Driskell, Dunkley, Eskamani, Gantt, Gregory, Harris, Hunschofsky, López (J.), Maney, Nixon, Rayner, Robinson (F.), Skidmore, Spencer, Tant, Tendrich, Woodson, Young

Senate Appropriations YES (13): Brodeur, Burgess, DiCeglie, Garcia, Grall, Harrell, Hooper, Martin, Massullo, McClain, Rouson, Trumbull, Wright

Senate Appropriations NO (5): Berman, Pizzo, Polsky, Sharief, Smith

House State Affairs YES (20): Basabe, Blanco, Botana, Boyles, Busatta, Chaney, Cobb, Duggan, Gentry, Gonzalez Pittman, Griffitts, Holcomb, Jacques, Koster, Maggard, McFarland, Mooney, Owen, Sirois, Weinberger

House State Affairs NO (7): Cross, Eskamani, Gantt, Nixon, Spencer, Tendrich, Young

The Failed Amendments

House debate produced nine floor amendments across CS/HJR 1F and CS/HB 3F. One was withdrawn before vote; eight failed. The amendment-by-amendment substantive text resides in the official House journal — and the through-line across all of them comes into focus when you compare them to (a) the Democratic alternative HJR 11F's structural provisions, and (b) the underlying CS/HJR 1F text. Both are sourced from the LobbyScape platform's full-text index.

What the amendments were almost certainly trying to do

The CS/HJR 1F enrolled text makes two structural changes that are the obvious targets for amendment:

  • Section 6 — Homestead exemption growth. Phases in a five-fold increase: $50,000 today → $150,000 effective January 1, 2027 → $250,000 effective January 1, 2028 (for non-school levies). Schools stay at the $25,000 exemption. New residents step in at $50,000 and grow to $250,000 after five years.
  • Section 9 — Ad valorem use restriction. Counties and municipalities may now use ad valorem revenue only for seven enumerated purposes: public safety, education, infrastructure, natural-resource projects, local bonds, retirement benefits for local employees, and core operations. Things not on that list — libraries, parks, social services, arts and cultural institutions, public health programs, housing assistance, transit operations — would have to find non-ad-valorem funding.

The Democratic alternative HJR 11F's central feature was a constitutional trust-fund backfill to replace lost revenue, plus a constitutional public-safety funding floor. Most of the failed amendments to CS/HJR 1F appear to have targeted one of three goals based on this surrounding context: (1) inserting a backfill mechanism, (2) widening Section 9's allowed-use list, or (3) softening the homestead phase-in. The official amendment text by number is in the House journal and is being indexed into LobbyScape's full-text search; the cards below give what we know about each from the LobbyScape action timeline.

Likely interest-group alignment

  • Groups that likely opposed CS/HJR 1F and supported the failed amendments: Florida League of Cities, Florida Association of Counties, Florida Education Association, Florida Library Association, Florida Recreation and Park Association, AFSCME Florida and public-employee unions, Florida Public Health Association, Florida property appraisers' associations (operational concerns), and county-level cultural and arts coalitions.
  • Groups that likely supported CS/HJR 1F and opposed the amendments: Florida Realtors, Florida Home Builders Association, AARP Florida (homestead protection angle for elder homeowners), Florida TaxWatch (deficit-hawk framing), Americans for Prosperity Florida, James Madison Institute, and broad homeowner-advocacy coalitions. The Governor's office publicly supported the underlying measure throughout 2026.
  • Cross-pressured / mixed: Florida Chamber of Commerce (commercial property owners benefit from the cap-on-local-use, but Chamber-member service industries are affected by reduced local services), the Florida Sheriffs Association and Florida Police Chiefs Association (Section 9 explicitly protects public safety funding — a structural win — but cuts elsewhere may pressure overall county budgets), and the Florida Association of School Superintendents (the FEFP-RLE mechanics are unresolved by the amendment itself).

Group positions above reflect the natural alignment based on the bill's substance and each organization's standing policy positions; LobbyScape does not yet have signed-witness data from the special-session hearings to confirm individual lobbyist positions for the record.

Amendment-by-amendment record from LobbyScape

Click any card to expand for detail on filing/vote sequence, the likely filer, the apparent goal, and a link to the official House record.

On CS/HJR 1F (the constitutional amendment)

Amendment 969759

First failed amendment

Filed at 2:44 AM, voted at 14:54.

Failed 25–71Reading 2
Filing sequence

Filed at 2:44 AM on June 2 — the very first amendment on the bill, drafted overnight. Voted at 2:54 PM, twelve hours later.

Vote pattern

25 YES votes — tracks the size of the House Democratic caucus, with a few absences. 71 NO votes (smaller margin than later amendments, indicating some Republicans hadn't returned to the floor yet). Strong indicator: Democrat-filed.

Likely substantive goal

As the first-filed amendment on a bill that lacks a revenue backfill, this was most plausibly an attempt to insert a constitutional revenue-replacement mechanism — paralleling HJR 11F's trust-fund proposal. The vote count matches HJR 11F's sponsor list almost exactly.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 516895

Second failed amendment

Filed at 2:47 AM, voted at 15:21.

Failed 25–74Reading 2
Filing sequence

Filed three minutes after Amendment 969759 — strongly suggests a paired overnight drafting strategy by the same caucus.

Vote pattern

25–74. Same YES count as 969759; one more Republican on the floor by vote time.

Likely substantive goal

Given the pairing with 969759, likely the companion provision in a multi-amendment strategy — possibly the public safety funding floor from HJR 11F (a constitutional requirement that public safety funding stay at current levels). CS/HJR 1F's Section 9 protects public safety as an allowed use but doesn't lock in a funding floor; this amendment likely tried to add one.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 976107

Third failed amendment

Filed at 11:36 AM, voted at 15:06.

Failed 26–75Reading 2
Filing sequence

Filed in the morning batch, voted first of the morning amendments — indicating procedural priority on the floor.

Vote pattern

26–75 — one additional YES vote relative to the overnight pair, suggesting Plasencia or another R-leaning member briefly crossed over before reverting on subsequent votes.

Likely substantive goal

The slightly higher YES count points to an amendment with broader sympathy — possibly a softer phase-in of the homestead exemption (e.g., $100K rather than $250K by 2028) or a narrower expansion of Section 9's allowed-use list (e.g., explicitly adding parks or libraries to the protected categories). Either would be a less-aggressive alternative palatable to a small number of moderate Republicans.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 060165

Fourth failed amendment

Filed at 10:41 AM, voted at 15:37.

Failed 25–75Reading 2
Filing sequence

Filed at 10:41 AM — first in the morning batch, voted fourth.

Vote pattern

25–75, back to the standard caucus-sized YES count. Cross-over from amendment 976107 reverted.

Likely substantive goal

Most likely a school-funding protection amendment — adding language that prevents the homestead exemption increase from cutting into the Required Local Effort, or requiring the state to backfill RLE losses through the FEFP formula. CS/HJR 1F leaves school funding mechanics ambiguous, and this is a natural amendment target for the Florida Education Association's allies.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 679555

Fifth failed amendment

Filed at 10:51 AM, voted at 15:48.

Failed 25–75Reading 2
Filing sequence

Filed ten minutes after 060165 — likely a continuation of the same caucus's amendment package. Last of the floor amendments on CS/HJR 1F.

Vote pattern

25–75. Final vote before passage.

Likely substantive goal

Often the last-voted floor amendment on a major constitutional resolution is a "final stand" amendment proposing the broadest possible weakening — likely expanding Section 9's allowed-use categories materially (adding libraries, parks, social services, cultural institutions, transit, public health) or substantively reshaping the phase-in to require legislative review before each step takes effect.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 636249

Withdrawn before vote

Filed at 11:03 AM, withdrawn at 1:03 PM. Never came to a floor vote.

WithdrawnReading 2
Filing sequence

Filed mid-morning; withdrawn exactly two hours later, before any amendment came to a vote.

Vote pattern

No vote — withdrawn by the filer. This is often a procedural move when the filer wants to consolidate language into a later amendment, or when a sponsor-leadership conversation makes clear the amendment won't get a fair hearing.

Likely substantive goal

The withdrawal timing (right before floor votes began) and 2-hour life span suggest the filer rolled the amendment's substance into a later filing — possibly 060165 or 679555 — or was persuaded to drop it after a leadership meeting. Without the official text it's not possible to confirm.

Source

Withdrawal noted in House journal. House bill record →

On CS/HB 3F (the implementing statute)

Amendment 865065

Failed at 16:45

Filed during second reading of CS/HB 3F.

FailedReading 2
Sequence

First of three failed amendments on the implementing statute. Filed and voted during the second-reading window for CS/HB 3F, after the constitutional amendment had already cleared.

Likely substantive goal

Amendments to CS/HB 3F typically target the millage rate definitions or the ballot summary word-limit waiver. This one, filed first, likely addressed the millage-rate framing — possibly trying to soften how aggressively the maximum-millage definitions conform to the amendment's restrictions.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 966147

Failed at 16:52

Filed during second reading of CS/HB 3F.

FailedReading 2
Sequence

Second of three failed amendments on CS/HB 3F — seven minutes after 865065.

Likely substantive goal

The seven-minute interval between this and 865065 suggests a coordinated amendment package. Likely target: the ballot summary word-limit waiver, which CS/SB 4F explicitly authorizes. Striking the word-limit waiver would force the ballot summary into Florida's standard length — limiting how much explanatory context the legislature can put before voters.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Amendment 400063

Failed at 17:02

Final amendment voted before CS/HB 3F passage.

FailedReading 2
Sequence

Third and final amendment on CS/HB 3F — voted just before the third-reading passage.

Likely substantive goal

Most plausibly an attempt to add an implementation deadline backstop or a legislative-review requirement before the amendment's phased provisions take effect. Either would give a future legislature more leverage to revisit before the $250K exemption kicks in on January 1, 2028.

Source

Amendment text in the official House journal. House bill record →

Expanded analyses are LobbyScape's read of the amendments' likely substantive goals based on the public action timeline, the underlying CS/HJR 1F text, the Democratic alternative HJR 11F's provisions, and the vote patterns. The official amendment text is in the Florida House journal at the link on each card.

The amendments were filed predominantly by Democratic members; their consistent ~25-vote YES count tracks closely with the size of the Democratic caucus in the House. Each is a public record indexed in the LobbyScape platform alongside the parent bill so a lobbyist can see the full pattern of what was attempted.

The Democratic Alternative — HJR 11F

HJR 11F was filed by Rep. Hunschofsky at 12:07 PM on June 2 and died in House Ways & Means Committee at 5:36 PM the same day — 5 hours and 29 minutes from filing to procedural kill. Title: "Homestead Exemption and Public Safety Funding." Below: the four provisions HJR 11F proposed that CS/HJR 1F does not include.

HJR 11F · Provision 1

Homestead exemption revision

Would have revised the homestead exemption — broadly parallel to CS/HJR 1F's approach on this provision.

HJR 11F · Provision 2

Cap on inflation adjustment

Would have limited the annual inflation adjustment applied to the homestead exemption itself.

HJR 11F · Provision 3

Public safety funding floor

Constitutional requirement that funding for public safety remain at current levels — a structural protection CS/HJR 1F does not include.

HJR 11F · Provision 4

Trust-fund revenue backfill

Constitutional requirement for a trust fund to provide supplemental funding to replace lost ad valorem revenues — the central structural difference from CS/HJR 1F, which contains no constitutional backfill mechanism.

Co-sponsors of HJR 11F (15 House Democrats filing alongside Hunschofsky): Alvarez (J.), Bartleman, Campbell, Cross, Eskamani, Gregory, Harris, Joseph, López (J.), Nixon, Spencer, Tant, Tendrich, Woodson, and Young. Each of these names except Joseph appears in the NO column on the final House passage of CS/HJR 1F.

The Procedural Timeline

  • May 28: Sen. Avila files CS/SJR 2F and CS/SB 4F.
  • May 29: Senate Appropriations Committee schedules both for the June 1 hearing.
  • June 1, 3:00 PM: Senate Appropriations hearing; Committee Substitute reported favorably 13–5.
  • June 1: House State Affairs Committee passes CS/HJR 1F (and CS/HB 3F) 20–7.
  • June 2, 12:07 PM: Rep. Hunschofsky files HJR 11F (Democratic alternative).
  • June 2, 2:44 AM – 11:36 AM: Seven House amendments filed on CS/HJR 1F.
  • June 2, 2:05 PM – 3:48 PM: House Reads CS/HJR 1F second time; five amendments fail, one withdrawn.
  • June 2, 3:49 PM: House Reads CS/HJR 1F third time.
  • June 2, 4:29 PM: House passes CS/HJR 1F 75–26.
  • June 2, 4:31 PM: Message sent to Senate.
  • June 2, 4:35 PM: Senate withdraws CS/HJR 1F from Appropriations.
  • June 2, 4:41 PM: Senate substitutes CS/HJR 1F for CS/SJR 2F, reads twice.
  • June 2, 4:42 PM: Senate Reads third time.
  • June 2, 4:57 PM: Senate passes CS/HJR 1F 30–9.
  • June 2, 5:17 PM: House orders CS/HJR 1F enrolled.
  • June 2, 5:36 PM: HJR 11F dies in House Ways & Means Committee.

The entire substantive legislative process — from committee hearing to enrolled constitutional amendment — took approximately 26 hours.

The Revenue Replacement Question

CS/HJR 1F is structurally a property tax limit, not a property tax elimination. The amendment narrows the Save Our Homes assessment cap, expands the homestead exemption, and limits ad valorem use by counties and municipalities — three changes that, in combination, will reduce the property tax revenue base on which Florida's local governments and school districts currently operate.

CS/HJR 1F does not include a constitutional revenue backfill mechanism. The Democratic alternative HJR 11F did include one, in the form of a trust fund to replace lost revenues. With HJR 11F dead, the backfill question shifts to either local-government action (alternative revenue sources) or future state-level statutory or constitutional action to address the gap — particularly for the K-12 Required Local Effort, which provides the structural backbone of Florida's constitutional school-funding obligation under Article IX.

What Comes Next

The most immediate question is the ballot. CS/HJR 1F was enrolled and will be transmitted to the Secretary of State to appear on the next general election ballot. Florida constitutional amendments require 60% voter approval for ratification. The Department of State is expected to issue the official ballot summary; CS/SB 4F authorizes that summary to exceed the standard word limit, signaling that the legislature expects the substance to require more explanation than typical.

What lobbyists should watch in 2026 and 2027

November 2026 ballot

The ratification campaign

Likely supporters: homeowner groups, real estate associations, homebuilder organizations. Likely opponents: Florida Education Association, Florida League of Cities, Florida Association of Counties, and public-employee unions.

2027 Regular Session

FEFP and RLE adjustments

If ratified, the legislature will almost certainly need to address how K-12 school funding adapts. Watch the House and Senate Pre-K-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittees.

Local action

Local-option ballot questions

County commissions across the state are already discussing local-option referendums to establish or expand alternative revenue (sales surtaxes, tourist development taxes, special assessments) for the November cycle.

State revenue

Sales tax conversation

The structural budget hole that ad valorem reduction creates puts pressure on state-level revenue alternatives. Expect joint resolutions in 2027 examining sales tax structure.

Statutory cleanup

Technical adjustments to CS/SB 4F

Implementing statutes typically need cleanup in the next regular session. Watch for substantive technical amendments in 2027.

Administrative

Property appraiser guidance

County property appraisers will need to issue guidance on how the new assessment limitations apply at the parcel level. Watch the Florida Property Appraisers' Association for collective positions.

How LobbyScape Tracked This

Every action, every vote, every amendment, every committee hearing, every substitution between chambers, and every procedural step in Special Session 2026F is in the LobbyScape database — and was indexed within minutes of each official action. The data sourced above (bill numbers, sponsors, vote-by-vote breakdowns, action timestamps, amendment numbers and outcomes) came directly from the platform.

If you represent a Florida county, a municipality, a school district, a real estate group, a homebuilder, a chamber of commerce, a public-employee union, a property appraiser, or any other entity touched by this amendment, the next 18 months are going to require continuous tracking — committee discussions, fiscal analyses, conference dynamics, and the November ballot campaign itself. Schedule a 30-minute demo and we'll pull up the actual bill timeline, the votes, and the amendment history on your screen.