Moving to Florida After Amendment 3: What the December 31, 2026 Residency Rule Costs You, County by County

Amendment 3 passed on November 3, 2026, and it does two things at once for anyone who plans to make Florida home. It makes the homestead exemption much larger for people who are already permanent Florida residents, and it makes people who arrive later wait for it. The line between the two groups is December 31, 2026. If you are moving to Florida in 2027 or later, or you are trying to decide whether to rush a closing before New Year’s Eve, this is the rule that will shape your property tax bill for the next several years.

The short version: for the 2027 tax year the non-school homestead exemption rises to $150,000, and from 2028 it is $250,000, indexed to inflation starting in 2029. School taxes keep the $25,000 exemption. Homeowners who are permanent Florida residents by December 31, 2026 qualify for the larger amounts. Owners who establish Florida residency on or after January 1, 2027 start with the existing exemption of up to $50,000, and the larger exemption first applies on January 1 of the fifth year after they have held a Florida homestead exemption for four years, according to the property appraiser FAQs published in Polk and Seminole counties. In a typical Northeast Florida county home, that wait is worth roughly $1,400 to $2,300 a year in our estimates below, or about $5,500 to $9,200 over four years.

The detail most people miss: the cutoff is written around residency, not around your closing date. That changes who should hurry and who should not.

What Amendment 3 changed, in plain numbers

Florida’s homestead exemption has two parts today. The first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all property taxes, including school taxes. A second exemption of up to $25,000 applies to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000, and it is exempt from non-school taxes only. That is the “$50,000 homestead exemption” most people hear about.

Under the amendment, as summarized by Florida Realtors on November 4, 2026 and by the Seminole County Property Appraiser:

• January 1, 2027: the homestead exemption from non-school property taxes rises to $150,000.
• January 1, 2028: it rises to $250,000.
• January 1, 2029: the maximum begins adjusting each year for inflation.
• School taxes: unchanged. The $25,000 exemption from school taxes stays as it is.
• Save Our Homes and portability: unchanged. The 3% (or CPI, if lower) cap on homestead assessment increases and the ability to transfer up to $500,000 of that benefit to a new Florida homestead stay as they are.
• Non-homestead property: the annual cap on assessment increases for non-school taxes on second homes, rentals and commercial property falls from 10% to 5%.
• First bills: the November 2027 tax bills are the first to show the change, according to the Seminole County Property Appraiser.

For a fuller walkthrough of the vote and the effect on county budgets, see our page on what Amendment 3 passing means, and to run your own numbers, use the Amendment 3 property tax calculator.

The December 31, 2026 residency rule, read carefully

Here is how the property appraisers describe the newcomer rule. Polk County’s Amendment 3 FAQ, under the heading for new Florida residents on or after January 1, 2027, says the homestead exemption begins with the amount established for new Florida residents, $50,000, adjusted annually by CPI beginning in 2028. The larger exemption becomes available after the owner has maintained a Florida homestead exemption for four years, and it first applies on January 1 of the fifth year. Seminole County’s page uses the same structure and lists December 31, 2026 as the residency cutoff for the larger exemption amounts. Florida Realtors adds that the later-arrival rule is “subject to federal constitutional requirements,” which signals that the details could still be tested or refined.

Three things follow from that wording.

1. Residency, not the deed, is the test

The newcomer language keys on when you establish Florida residency. A person who has lived in Florida as a permanent resident since 2024, renting the whole time, and who buys a first home in March 2027, is not a newcomer under that reading. When that buyer files for homestead for January 1, 2028, the appraiser FAQs indicate the $250,000 non-school exemption applies, not the $50,000 starting amount. Confirm this with your county property appraiser when you file, because implementing legislation can add rules on how prior residency is documented.

2. Closing before December 31 does not make you a resident

The reverse is also true. An out-of-state buyer who closes on a Florida condo on December 30, 2026, but keeps a home, a job, a driver license and a voter registration up north, has bought a second home. Second homes do not get a homestead exemption at all. Rushing a closing without actually moving does not buy the larger exemption. It does put the home on the non-homestead track, where the new 5% non-school cap will slow future assessment growth.

3. Florida’s January 1 rule still applies

Homestead status in Florida is set as of January 1 of each tax year. You must own the home and make it your permanent residence on January 1, and you apply with the county property appraiser, generally by March 1. That is where the closing date does matter, but only for one year. A permanent resident who closes by December 31, 2026 and lives in the home on January 1, 2027 can be on the 2027 roll with the $150,000 non-school exemption. A permanent resident who closes in February 2027 pays the 2027 bill without a homestead exemption and starts on the 2028 roll, at the $250,000 level. The difference is one tax year, not four.

A timeline for someone who moves in 2027

Here is how the wait plays out for a family that moves from Ohio in June 2027, buys a home in Clay County that summer and lives in it from then on. This is our reading of the appraiser FAQs; your county appraiser makes the final call.

• 2027 tax year: no homestead exemption, because the home was not their permanent residence on January 1, 2027. The 2027 bill is figured at full assessed value.
• 2028 tax year: they file for homestead by March 1, 2028. Their exemption is the starting amount for new residents, about $50,000 (CPI adjustments begin in 2028).
• 2029, 2030 and 2031: still on the starting amount. Together with 2028, that is four years of holding a Florida homestead exemption.
• 2032 tax year: January 1 of the fifth year. The larger non-school exemption applies for the first time.

Save Our Homes still protects them from the first homestead year. Their assessed value can rise no more than 3% a year (or CPI, if lower) once the homestead is in place, which is the same protection longtime residents have. What they miss is the extra $200,000 of non-school exemption during those four years.

What arriving after the cutoff costs, county by county

To put a number on the wait, we priced a home at each county’s typical value two ways under 2028 rules: once for an owner who was a permanent resident by December 31, 2026 (school exemption $25,000, non-school exemption $250,000) and once for a newcomer on the starting exemption (school exemption $25,000, non-school exemption $50,000). The yearly gap is the extra non-school tax the newcomer pays; the four-year figure is that gap times four. We held values flat and ignored the newcomer’s CPI adjustment, so treat these as illustrations, not tax bills.

Typical home value: Zillow Home Value Index, latest month in our county cost data (built November 4, 2026). Millage: county-typical FY2025–26 total and non-school millage from our verified millage file; rows marked * use county-average millage from Florida TaxWatch with an estimated school split, so verify those with the county property appraiser. City and special-district millage varies within each county. Estimates only; not a tax bill.

Three patterns stand out. First, the dollar cost of waiting is driven by non-school millage more than by home prices, so Volusia, Broward, Pinellas and Duval sit near the top while Collier, Nassau and St. Johns sit lower despite higher home values. Second, almost every typical home in the table is worth well over $250,000, so newcomers in these counties lose the full $200,000 of extra exemption each year. Third, these are four-year figures at today’s values; as Florida values and the inflation-indexed exemption rise, the real gap is likely somewhat larger.

A Duval reality check: Duval County Property Appraiser Joyce Morgan told News4JAX on November 4, 2026 that the median homesteaded single-family home, valued at $290,000, saves $1,632 in 2027 and $2,674 in 2028. Our Duval yearly gap of $2,304 uses a county-typical non-school millage of 11.52 mills; the appraiser’s figure reflects her office’s own millage assumptions, and for Duval specifics her number is the one to quote. See the Duval County property tax page for the full rate breakdown.

Who should hurry, and who should not

You already live in Florida, but you rent

You are probably in the strongest position of anyone. If you are a permanent Florida resident before the end of 2026, the appraiser FAQs indicate you are not a newcomer, whenever you buy. Make sure your paper trail shows it: a Florida driver license, vehicle registration, voter registration and a Florida address on your federal tax return are the kinds of proof appraisers ask for on homestead applications. Closing by December 31 adds one year of the $150,000 exemption (the 2027 bill), which is worth having but is not worth overpaying for a house.

You are moving to Florida in the next eight weeks anyway

If your job transfer, retirement date or school year already puts you here before New Year’s, the question is not the closing, it is whether you truly establish permanent residency by December 31. That means changing your life over, not just your mailing address. Talk with a CPA or Florida attorney about your old state’s residency rules too, because some states look hard at people who claim to have left.

You are buying a second home or an investment property

The homestead changes do not apply to you, but the 5% cap does. From 2027, the non-school assessment on a second home or rental can rise no more than 5% a year instead of 10%. Our non-homestead cap calculator shows how that compounds.

You are moving in 2027 or later

Plan for the four-year wait in your budget rather than trying to beat the date. File for homestead the first January you qualify, because the four-year clock runs from when you hold the exemption. Use the county table above, or the homestead deadline checker, to see what the wait means in your county. If you are comparing counties, the county move calculator now prices property tax under the 2026, 2027 and 2028 exemption rules side by side.

You already own a Florida homestead and are moving within the state

You are a resident, so the newcomer rule does not apply to you. Portability still lets you carry up to $500,000 of Save Our Homes benefit to the new home if you buy within the window, and the larger exemption applies on top of it. The portability calculator handles that math.

Your next step

If Florida is on your list, start with the county and the timeline, not the closing date. Our moving to Florida guide and the Dec 31 deadline cost calculator cover the move itself. When you are ready to look at homes, a Momentum agent can walk you through the property appraiser’s homestead process for the county you choose, and the property tax after purchase calculator shows what your first bill will look like. Real estate commissions are always negotiable.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to close on a Florida home by December 31, 2026 to get the Amendment 3 exemption?

No. Property appraiser FAQs tie the larger exemption to becoming a permanent Florida resident by December 31, 2026, not to a closing date. A resident who buys in 2027 can homestead for January 1, 2028 at the $250,000 non-school level. Closing by December 31 only adds the 2027 tax year, and only if you also live in the home as your permanent residence on January 1, 2027.

What happens if I move to Florida after December 31, 2026?

According to the Polk and Seminole county property appraiser FAQs, owners who establish Florida residency on or after January 1, 2027 start with the existing exemption of up to $50,000, adjusted for inflation from 2028. After holding a Florida homestead exemption for four years, the larger exemption first applies on January 1 of the fifth year.

How much is the Florida homestead exemption in 2027 and 2028?

For owners who qualify, the exemption from non-school property taxes is $150,000 for 2027 and $250,000 from 2028, with inflation adjustments starting in 2029. The exemption from school taxes stays at $25,000. The first tax bills showing the change arrive in November 2027.

Does Amendment 3 help second homes or rental properties?

Not through the homestead exemption. Second homes and rentals do get a lower cap on assessment increases for non-school taxes, which falls from 10% to 5% a year starting in 2027. School taxes on those properties are not covered by that cap.

How much does missing the December 31 cutoff cost?

It depends on your county’s non-school millage and your home’s value. Using county-typical millage and typical home values, our estimate is about $1,300 to $2,800 a year in the 20 counties we priced, or roughly $5,100 to $11,100 over four years. Duval’s estimate is about $2,300 a year. These are illustrations, not tax bills.

I already rent in Florida. Do I count as a newcomer if I buy in 2027?

Under the property appraiser FAQs as written, the test is when you established Florida residency, so a permanent resident before 2027 who buys later should not be treated as a newcomer. Keep proof of residency such as a Florida driver license, vehicle and voter registration, and confirm with your county property appraiser when you file for homestead.

Sources: Polk County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3 FAQ (polkflpa.gov, read November 5, 2026; no date on page); Seminole County Property Appraiser, Property Tax Initiative page (scpafl.org, read November 5, 2026; states the amendment passed November 3, 2026); Florida Realtors, “Florida voters approve Amendment 3,” Amy Connolly (November 4, 2026); News4JAX, “Amendment 3 passes: Jacksonville homeowners could save thousands as city weighs budget cuts,” John Asebes and Carlos Acevedo (November 4, 2026); Florida Statutes 196.031 (homestead exemption) and 196.011 (application by March 1); Momentum county cost data (Zillow Home Value Index, built November 4, 2026) and FY2025–26 county millage file (as of June 5, 2026). This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm eligibility with your county property appraiser and consult a Florida attorney or CPA about your situation.

Momentum Realty is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage. Real estate commissions are always negotiable and are not set by law. Tax figures are illustrative estimates from county-typical millage and typical home values, not a tax bill or a valuation of any property. Equal Housing Opportunity.