PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) — We covered what Amendment 3 could do to Palm Bay. Now county records reveal the rest of your tax bill: an $87 million annual deficit, a 26% revenue collapse, and a $4 million transit match cliff.
Military and overseas ballots deployed Saturday; domestic mail ballots drop this Thursday, September 24. County records expose what is waiting on your ballot:
The $87.02M Annual Deficit: Brevard County modeling confirms Amendment 3 wipes out 26% of countywide ad valorem property tax revenue once the $250K exemption takes effect.
The Legally Barred Tax Shift: County leadership floated a 35% to 40% millage hike on non-homestead properties. Article VII, Section 2 of the Florida Constitution bars differential rates, forcing rate increases to fall uniformly and shifting the burden directly onto renters and employers.
The $4M Transit Cliff: Space Coast Area Transit faces the loss of $2M in local matching tax dollars, forfeiting an equal 1:1 state block grant under FDOT TIP Project 442456-1. Federal law under 49 CFR 37.131 prohibits paratransit cuts along active routes, forcing fixed bus lines to be cut first.
The First Responder Break: The Florida Sheriffs Association, FOP, and professional firefighters are actively campaigning in uniform against a governor-backed constitutional tax cut.
Read the complete forensic analysis and verified public records at The Palm Bayer.
