Walk down almost any Florida street and you will find two houses built the same year, on the same size lot, with the same floor plan, and property tax bills that are thousands of dollars apart. Nothing is wrong with either bill. One owner has held a homestead since the early 2010s and has Save Our Homes holding their assessed value far below market. The other just bought, and their assessment reset to full value on the next January 1.
Amendment 3, which voters approved on November 3, 2026 with about 62% of the vote (unofficial; Action News Jax, Nov. 4, 2026), keeps that gap and adds a second one. Owners who are permanent Florida residents by December 31, 2026 get the larger exemption starting in 2027. People who become residents later start with the existing exemption and get the larger one only in their fifth year of homestead (Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Amendment 3 page, accessed Nov. 8, 2026). So the same street can soon carry four different tax bills on four identical houses.
The short version: we modeled a typical home in 66 Florida counties. Under today’s rules, a buyer whose assessment resets to today’s value pays a median $4,257 a year, about 2.1 times the $2,051 paid by a neighbor who bought the same home in 2012. In 2028, the first year the $250,000 exemption is fully in place, that long-time neighbor pays a median $944, a 2027 buyer who was already a Florida resident pays $2,346, and a 2027 buyer who moved to Florida in 2027 pays $4,257, about 4.4 times the long-timer, until their fifth year.
The numbers for your county are in the table below. To run your own address, use our property tax after purchase calculator, which handles the reset, the 2027 rules and the December 31 residency question.
Why two identical homes get different tax bills
A Florida property tax bill is millage times taxable value. Taxable value starts from assessed value, not market value, and for a homestead the assessed value can rise only by the lesser of 3% or inflation each year. That limit is Save Our Homes. It has been in the Florida Constitution since 1995 and it travels with the owner, not the house.
When a home sells, the cap ends. The buyer’s assessed value resets to full just value on the next January 1, and the buyer starts a new cap from there. That reset is why the seller’s tax bill on a listing is a poor guide to what a buyer will pay; we walk through the mechanics in why Florida property taxes go up.
The cap only creates a gap when market values rise faster than the cap. Florida’s did. The Save Our Homes caps for the last decade, as listed by the Pinellas County Property Appraiser, were 2.1% (2017), 2.1% (2018), 1.9% (2019), 2.3% (2020), 1.4% (2021), 3.0% in 2022, 2023 and 2024, 2.9% (2025) and 2.7% (2026) (Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Save Our Homes history, accessed Nov. 8, 2026). Over the same years, the typical Florida home value roughly doubled. Every year the market outran the cap, the long-time owner’s protected gap grew.
In our model, a typical home bought in 2012 is assessed today at a median 54% of its market value. A typical home bought in 2019 is assessed at about 79%. A buyer today starts at 100%.
Today’s rules: three neighbors, three bills
Take Duval County, where the typical home value was $294,079 in September 2026 (Zillow Home Value Index via our Florida housing tracker, release of October 19, 2026). Using Duval’s FY2025-26 millage of about 17.87 mills and the standard homestead exemption, the 2026 bills on three identical homes look like this:
- Bought in 2012: assessed at about $157,475, a 2026 bill of about $2,079.
- Bought in 2019: assessed at about $245,766, a 2026 bill of about $3,656.
- Assessed at today’s value (what a buyer resets to): a bill of about $4,519.
The newest owner pays about $2,440 a year more than the 2012 owner for the same house, roughly $203 a month. Statewide, the median gap between a 2012 owner and a reset-to-market buyer is $2,154 a year. It is widest where values ran hardest and millage is high: St. Lucie ($4,946), Miami-Dade ($4,896), Palm Beach ($4,573) and Broward ($4,211).
The gap is shrinking slightly in some places because values have been flat or falling since 2024 while the cap kept adding 2.7% to 3% a year. Seminole County’s appraiser reports the total value shielded by Save Our Homes fell from about $16.5 billion in 2024 to about $15.2 billion in 2026 (Seminole County Property Appraiser, SOH historical values, rev. Sept. 30, 2026). That is the same effect we describe in our recapture calculator: a capped owner’s bill can rise even when the home’s value falls. Still, it would take many flat years to close a gap this large.
2028: the same street under Amendment 3
Amendment 3 raises the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 for 2027 and $250,000 for 2028, with inflation adjustments after that. School taxes keep the existing $25,000 exemption, and Save Our Homes stays in place (Pinellas County Property Appraiser; Action News Jax, Nov. 4, 2026). We used 2028 because it is the first year the full $250,000 applies. To isolate the rules, we held home values and millage at today’s levels and assumed a 2.7% Save Our Homes cap in 2027 and 2028.
Here is Duval’s typical home in 2028, four ways:
- Bought in 2012: about $895. The assessed value is under $250,000, so the non-school portion of the bill drops to zero and only school tax remains.
- Bought in 2019: about $1,592.
- Buys in 2027, a Florida resident by December 31, 2026: about $2,215. The assessment resets to market, but the full $250,000 non-school exemption applies.
- Buys in 2027, moved to Florida in 2027: about $4,519. Same house, same reset, but the existing exemption applies until the fifth year of homestead.
Two things stand out. First, Amendment 3 helps every homestead owner, and the long-time owner most of all in percentage terms: in 58 of 66 counties, the typical 2012 owner’s assessed value is below $250,000, so their 2028 bill is school tax only. Second, the newcomer rule is now the biggest single driver of the gap. In Duval, the newcomer pays about $2,304 a year more than an otherwise identical buyer who was a resident by the deadline, and about 5.0 times what the 2012 owner pays. Over the four waiting years that is roughly $9,218 at flat values.
Statewide, the median newcomer difference is $1,792 a year, or about $7,169 over four years. It is largest where non-school millage is high: St. Lucie ($3,271 a year), Volusia ($2,787), Broward ($2,672) and Pinellas ($2,619). If values instead rise 3% a year from here, the reset buyers pay more and the long-timer does not: the median 2028 bill becomes $2,648 for the resident buyer and $4,550 for the newcomer, while the 2012 owner stays at $944.
Northeast Florida, side by side
Our home counties show the same pattern at different scales. Lower non-school millage in St. Johns and Nassau shrinks the newcomer penalty, while higher home values widen the reset gap.
| County | Typical value | 2026: bought 2012 | 2026: reset to today | 2028: bought 2012 | 2028: 2027 buyer, resident | 2028: 2027 buyer, newcomer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duval | $294,079 | $2,079 | $4,519 | $895 | $2,215 | $4,519 |
| St. Johns | $492,987 | $3,530 | $6,121 | $2,297 | $4,668 | $6,121 |
| Clay | $335,274 | $2,295 | $4,451 | $1,113 | $2,695 | $4,451 |
| Nassau | $484,963 | $3,008 | $5,933 | $1,815 | $4,548 | $5,933 |
| Baker* | $314,146 | $1,997 | $4,236 | $993 | $2,447 | $4,236 |
For Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau detail, start with each county’s property tax page: Duval, St. Johns, Clay and Nassau.
What this means if you are buying
- Budget from your own reset, not the seller’s bill. The listing’s tax figure reflects the seller’s cap and exemptions. Your first full-year bill is based on your purchase-year value. Escrow shortages in year two usually trace back to this; see our escrow increase guide.
- Know which side of December 31 you are on. The newcomer rule turns on when you become a permanent Florida resident, not on your closing date. If you already live in Florida and buy in 2027, you should get the larger exemption when you apply for homestead. If you are relocating, read our December 31 residency guide before you plan a move date.
- File for homestead on time. The exemption is not automatic. The filing deadline for a year is March 1, and our homestead deadline tool shows which tax year your purchase date lands in.
- Compare total monthly cost, not price alone. Two homes at the same price can carry different first-year bills if one sits in a city with added municipal millage. Our buyer closing costs calculator now also shows how your closing date changes the tax proration and escrow you bring to closing. Lenders often size the first escrow from the seller’s current bill, so a buyer whose assessment resets can see a shortage in year two.
What this means if you already own
- Your cap is worth real money. A 2012 owner in our median county is assessed at roughly half of market value. Selling ends that cap. Florida’s portability rule lets a homestead owner transfer up to $500,000 of the accumulated benefit to a new Florida homestead within the time limit, and Amendment 3 does not change portability (Pinellas County Property Appraiser). Estimate yours with the Save Our Homes portability calculator.
- Your bill can still rise. Save Our Homes adds up to 3% a year to assessed value until it catches market, and millage can change. Local governments facing revenue gaps from Amendment 3 set 2027 millage next summer; TRIM notices in August 2027 will show proposed rates.
- Rentals and second homes are different. They get no new exemption; their non-school cap drops from 10% to 5%. We covered that in Amendment 3 and the 5% landlord cap.
Every county: 2026 and 2028 bills on the same typical home
Each row uses the county’s typical home value as one home and computes what four owners would pay on it. Monroe is omitted because its Zillow series begins in 2016. Bills use county-typical millage and the standard exemptions, so they are illustrative, not the bill on any address.
| County | Typical value (Sep 2026) | 2026: bought 2012 | 2026: bought 2019 | 2026: reset to today | 2028: bought 2012 | 2028: 2027 buyer, resident | 2028: 2027 buyer, newcomer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | $298,912 | $2,526 | $3,621 | $4,301 | $1,276 | $2,430 | $4,301 |
| Baker* | $314,146 | $1,997 | $3,288 | $4,236 | $993 | $2,447 | $4,236 |
| Bay* | $343,009 | $2,094 | $3,025 | $3,726 | $1,014 | $2,303 | $3,726 |
| Bradford* | $252,646 | $1,745 | $2,521 | $3,678 | $806 | $1,508 | $3,678 |
| Brevard | $342,346 | $2,019 | $3,734 | $4,719 | $969 | $2,861 | $4,719 |
| Broward | $422,344 | $3,339 | $5,903 | $7,550 | $1,275 | $4,879 | $7,550 |
| Calhoun* | $166,734 | $1,314 | $1,655 | $2,024 | $675 | $921 | $2,024 |
| Charlotte* | $298,906 | $2,345 | $3,896 | $4,374 | $1,065 | $2,290 | $4,374 |
| Citrus* | $268,688 | $1,469 | $2,508 | $3,429 | $755 | $1,693 | $3,429 |
| Clay | $335,274 | $2,295 | $3,517 | $4,451 | $1,113 | $2,695 | $4,451 |
| Collier* | $552,087 | $3,224 | $4,249 | $5,665 | $2,141 | $4,383 | $5,665 |
| Columbia* | $267,659 | $1,669 | $2,465 | $3,510 | $847 | $1,725 | $3,510 |
| DeSoto* | $250,420 | $1,393 | $2,879 | $4,001 | $621 | $1,471 | $4,001 |
| Dixie* | $217,764 | $1,322 | $2,086 | $3,130 | $630 | $1,253 | $3,130 |
| Duval | $294,079 | $2,079 | $3,656 | $4,519 | $895 | $2,215 | $4,519 |
| Escambia* | $280,027 | $2,067 | $3,247 | $4,197 | $925 | $1,989 | $4,197 |
| Flagler* | $350,266 | $2,400 | $3,792 | $4,552 | $1,165 | $2,852 | $4,552 |
| Franklin* | $422,234 | $4,229 | $5,808 | $6,941 | $2,160 | $4,599 | $6,941 |
| Gadsden* | $199,661 | $1,005 | $1,379 | $1,929 | $530 | $884 | $1,929 |
| Gilchrist* | $306,253 | $1,757 | $2,792 | $4,388 | $843 | $2,390 | $4,388 |
| Glades* | $257,042 | $1,336 | $2,364 | $3,650 | $658 | $1,581 | $3,650 |
| Gulf* | $403,845 | $3,231 | $5,155 | $6,873 | $1,290 | $4,380 | $6,873 |
| Hamilton* | $207,098 | $1,002 | $1,417 | $2,425 | $545 | $1,107 | $2,425 |
| Hardee* | $235,001 | $1,220 | $2,073 | $3,299 | $608 | $1,365 | $3,299 |
| Hendry* | $270,219 | $1,040 | $2,416 | $3,636 | $562 | $1,781 | $3,636 |
| Hernando* | $306,116 | $1,694 | $3,457 | $4,936 | $744 | $2,508 | $4,936 |
| Highlands* | $231,284 | $1,130 | $2,209 | $3,189 | $578 | $1,341 | $3,189 |
| Hillsborough* | $375,501 | $2,364 | $4,037 | $5,282 | $1,140 | $3,436 | $5,282 |
| Holmes* | $181,325 | $1,453 | $2,195 | $2,605 | $656 | $1,016 | $2,605 |
| Indian River* | $363,705 | $2,283 | $3,950 | $5,007 | $1,120 | $3,216 | $5,007 |
| Jackson* | $179,815 | $1,154 | $1,572 | $2,044 | $613 | $947 | $2,044 |
| Jefferson* | $305,552 | $1,938 | $2,556 | $3,630 | $954 | $2,047 | $3,630 |
| Lafayette* | $262,301 | $1,455 | $2,103 | $3,330 | $750 | $1,597 | $3,330 |
| Lake* | $360,055 | $2,559 | $4,286 | $5,324 | $1,167 | $3,295 | $5,324 |
| Lee | $334,485 | $2,640 | $3,916 | $4,676 | $1,028 | $2,546 | $4,676 |
| Leon* | $291,390 | $2,533 | $3,299 | $3,830 | $1,229 | $2,067 | $3,830 |
| Levy* | $287,334 | $1,889 | $3,192 | $4,409 | $842 | $2,130 | $4,409 |
| Liberty* | $201,245 | $1,408 | $1,828 | $2,727 | $684 | $1,146 | $2,727 |
| Madison* | $206,128 | $1,340 | $1,776 | $2,607 | $696 | $1,177 | $2,607 |
| Manatee* | $408,269 | $3,377 | $5,129 | $6,358 | $1,454 | $4,199 | $6,358 |
| Marion | $267,911 | $1,233 | $2,075 | $2,796 | $793 | $1,690 | $2,796 |
| Martin* | $448,233 | $3,050 | $4,859 | $6,323 | $1,460 | $4,529 | $6,323 |
| Miami-Dade | $523,240 | $3,596 | $6,099 | $8,492 | $1,640 | $6,300 | $8,492 |
| Nassau | $484,963 | $3,008 | $4,483 | $5,933 | $1,815 | $4,548 | $5,933 |
| Okaloosa* | $352,929 | $2,513 | $3,409 | $4,042 | $1,204 | $2,547 | $4,042 |
| Okeechobee* | $289,216 | $1,239 | $2,474 | $3,833 | $657 | $2,053 | $3,833 |
| Orange | $400,964 | $2,686 | $4,797 | $6,013 | $1,209 | $3,968 | $6,013 |
| Osceola* | $359,224 | $2,186 | $3,963 | $4,870 | $1,075 | $3,104 | $4,870 |
| Palm Beach* | $475,754 | $3,559 | $6,009 | $8,132 | $1,424 | $5,688 | $8,132 |
| Pasco | $328,125 | $2,035 | $3,584 | $4,650 | $943 | $2,674 | $4,650 |
| Pinellas | $368,917 | $2,810 | $5,184 | $6,340 | $1,083 | $3,721 | $6,340 |
| Polk | $295,509 | $1,672 | $3,238 | $4,106 | $678 | $1,927 | $4,106 |
| Putnam | $216,313 | $1,218 | $2,261 | $2,980 | $639 | $1,313 | $2,980 |
| Santa Rosa* | $350,823 | $2,107 | $3,068 | $3,987 | $1,023 | $2,502 | $3,987 |
| Sarasota* | $399,023 | $2,796 | $4,005 | $4,846 | $1,415 | $3,282 | $4,846 |
| Seminole* | $400,341 | $2,553 | $4,380 | $5,478 | $1,238 | $3,718 | $5,478 |
| St. Johns | $492,987 | $3,530 | $4,768 | $6,121 | $2,297 | $4,668 | $6,121 |
| St. Lucie* | $370,781 | $2,548 | $5,438 | $7,494 | $896 | $4,223 | $7,494 |
| Sumter* | $387,784 | $2,834 | $3,716 | $4,279 | $1,591 | $2,854 | $4,279 |
| Suwannee* | $266,652 | $1,802 | $2,538 | $3,735 | $862 | $1,737 | $3,735 |
| Taylor* | $196,856 | $1,340 | $1,810 | $2,487 | $690 | $1,117 | $2,487 |
| Union* | $256,560 | $1,738 | $2,515 | $3,722 | $807 | $1,576 | $3,722 |
| Volusia | $324,665 | $2,277 | $4,259 | $5,409 | $768 | $2,622 | $5,409 |
| Wakulla* | $285,880 | $1,907 | $2,654 | $3,503 | $944 | $1,853 | $3,503 |
| Walton* | $660,738 | $3,169 | $4,595 | $6,062 | $2,232 | $4,930 | $6,062 |
| Washington* | $220,578 | $1,245 | $2,088 | $2,780 | $659 | $1,261 | $2,780 |
* Millage for this county is a county-average estimate (Florida TaxWatch with an estimated school share); verify with the county property appraiser. Typical values are Zillow Home Value Index county figures, not the value of any specific property.
How we built these numbers
For each county we treated the Zillow Home Value Index for each year as the just value of one typical home. The 2012 owner’s assessment resets to the 2013 value and then rises by the lesser of that year’s Save Our Homes cap or the market; the 2019 owner resets to the 2020 value the same way. The 2026 value is the September 2026 index.
Bills apply FY2025-26 school and non-school millage from our county data, a $25,000 school exemption, and either the current non-school exemption (we use $50,000; the second $25,000 is now indexed, and Pinellas lists up to $51,411 for 2026) or the Amendment 3 amount. For 2028 we held values and millage flat and assumed a 2.7% cap in 2027 and 2028.
Real assessments differ: appraisers set just value as of January 1 and often below sale price, and cities, special districts and non-ad valorem assessments add to a real bill.
The newcomer rules may also be refined. Implementing legislation can add procedures, and the Pinellas appraiser notes that in-state movers keep portability; how other edge cases are handled is not settled yet. Treat the 2028 figures as a direction, not a forecast.
Your next step
Look up your own assessed and just value on your county property appraiser’s site, then run the purchase price you are considering through the after-purchase calculator and the Amendment 3 calculator. If you are weighing a move within Northeast Florida, a Momentum Realty agent can pull the appraiser record on a specific home so you see the reset before you write an offer.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my neighbor pay less property tax than me in Florida?
Most often because of Save Our Homes. A homestead’s assessed value can rise only 3% or the inflation rate each year, whichever is less, so an owner who bought years ago is taxed on a value far below market. When a home sells, the assessment resets to full value for the buyer. In our model, a typical home bought in 2012 is assessed at about 54% of market value today.
Does my property tax reset when I buy a house in Florida?
Yes. The seller’s Save Our Homes cap ends at the sale, and your assessed value resets to the home’s just value on the next January 1. Your first full-year bill is usually higher than the seller’s, often by thousands of dollars, and your own cap starts from the reset value once you have a homestead exemption.
Does Amendment 3 make new buyers pay more than long-time owners?
It does not create the reset gap, which already exists, but it adds a residency gap. Owners who are permanent Florida residents by December 31, 2026 get the larger exemption starting in 2027, while people who become residents later start with the existing exemption and get the larger one in their fifth year of homestead. In 2028 the median county’s typical home costs a long-time owner about $944, a resident 2027 buyer about $2,346 and a newcomer 2027 buyer about $4,257, by our estimate.
Who counts as a newcomer under Amendment 3?
Someone who becomes a permanent Florida resident after December 31, 2026. The test is residency, not the closing date, so a person already living in Florida who buys in 2027 should get the larger exemption when they apply for homestead. County property appraisers decide eligibility, and implementing legislation may add procedures.
Can I keep my Save Our Homes savings if I move within Florida?
Partly. Portability lets a homestead owner transfer up to $500,000 of the accumulated Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida homestead established within the time limit, and the Pinellas County Property Appraiser says Amendment 3 does not change portability. You must apply for it with the new homestead exemption.
How much more does a new buyer pay than a long-time owner in Florida?
In the median Florida county, a typical home assessed at today’s value carries a 2026 bill about $2,154 a year higher than the same home owned since 2012, by Momentum Realty’s estimate. The gap is largest in St. Lucie, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward, at about $4,200 to $4,900 a year.
Sources: Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Save Our Homes historical annual increase table and Amendment 3 page (accessed November 8, 2026); Seminole County Property Appraiser, “Save Our Homes Historical Values 2007-2026,” rev. September 30, 2026; Action News Jax, “What’s next after passage of Amendment 3,” November 4, 2026; Florida Constitution Article VII, Sections 4 and 6 (2026); Zillow Home Value Index, county yearly values 2012-2025 and September 2026, via Momentum Realty’s Florida housing tracker (release of October 19, 2026); FY2025-26 county millage from county property appraisers and Florida TaxWatch as compiled in Momentum Realty’s millage data (verified June 2026). Method above. Results are illustrative county-level estimates, not the assessment or tax bill of any property. Values are aggregate statistics, deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Momentum Realty is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage, not a tax advisor or law firm. Real estate commissions are always negotiable and are not set by law. Tax figures are illustrative estimates from county-level data and published millage, not a tax bill, appraisal or tax or legal advice; confirm assessed value, exemptions and millage with your county property appraiser and tax collector. Equal Housing Opportunity.