Understanding Amendment 1 on the November ballot

Flood damage, mangled roofs and shattered windows.

Those are the conditions at homes in Southwest Florida.

An amendment on the November ballot could change the way homeowners recover.

Amendment 1 would give a tax break to people who improve their properties to protect it from flooding.

To pass, at least 60% of voters would have to approve it.

Collier County Realtor Nick Sweat said he knows people could use some relief after Ian decimated homes.

“Nobody wanted a hurricane to come through, this wasn’t good for anybody,” Sweat said.

If the amendment passes, it could mean relief for some.

What you’ll see under amendment #1 on the 2022 ballot is: “Proposing amendment to the state constitution, effective Jan. 1, 2023 to authorize the legislature, by general law, to prohibit the consideration of any change or improvement made to real property used for residential purposes to improve the property’s resistance to flood damage in determining the assessed value
Of such property for ad valorem taxation purposes.”

Or, in simpler terms, “if you do some improvements to your home to protect it from flooding, that means you don’t have to pay higher taxes,” said University of Florida political scientist Sharon Austin.

University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett said it could give a tax break to people who improve their homes.

“What it would do is say if you spent money to improve your property to make it safer from flooding, that you would not have to pay higher assessments or more specifically, that the tax appraiser couldn’t say your property was worth more, because you improved it for flooding, which in effect would save you tax dollars,” Jewett said.