October, 2026 – In November, Florida voters will decide on Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would substantially increase the homestead property-tax exemption.
While the measure would provide property-tax relief to qualifying homeowners, it would also significantly reduce property-tax revenue available to Florida’s counties and municipalities.
The Florida Association of Animal Welfare Organizations (FAAWO) believes Florida voters should understand what those reductions could mean for animal welfare in their communities.
FAAWO is not telling Floridians how to vote. Our responsibility is to speak for the animals and the organizations across our state that care for them and to make sure the potential consequences for animal welfare are part of the conversation.
Animal Services are Essential Community Services Across Florida. County and municipal animal-service agencies respond to stray, abandoned, injured, neglected and abused animals every day. They investigate cruelty and neglect, respond
to animal-related public-safety concerns, provide shelter and veterinary care, reunite lost pets with their families and work with nonprofit shelters and rescue organizations to save lives.
Many nonprofit animal welfare organizations also partner with local governments through contracts, grants, veterinary programs, spay/neuter initiatives and other community services.
When local-government resources decline, those partnerships and programs can be affected.
For Florida’s animals, potential reductions could mean fewer animal-control officers, reduced shelter staffing, less funding for veterinary care, fewer spay/neuter and vaccination programs,
reductions in community pet-retention programs and fewer resources to care for animals entering shelters. And when public animal-services agencies have fewer resources, the need does not simply disappear.
The stray dog still needs somewhere to go. The injured cat still needs veterinary treatment. The cruelty complaint still needs to be investigated. The community cat still needs to be spayed or
neutered. The family struggling financially still needs help keeping a beloved pet in their home.
Instead, more of that responsibility may fall upon nonprofit shelters and rescue organizations. Many of which are already operating at or near capacity.
We Are Already Seeing the Concern
This is not simply a hypothetical discussion. In Seminole County, officials have publicly warned that significant reductions in county revenue could affect Animal Services, including staffing,
food, veterinary services and community programs. Officials have also warned that reduced resources could jeopardize the county shelter’s ability to maintain its no-kill status.
That should concern everyone involved in animal welfare.
Florida’s shelters and rescues have spent decades building partnerships, expanding lifesaving programs, increasing access to spay/neuter services, developing foster networks and finding
alternatives to euthanasia.
These accomplishments depend upon people, resources and strong partnerships between government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
An Important Conversation for Florida.
FAAWO recognizes that Floridians will consider many factors when deciding how to vote on Amendment 3, including the potential property-tax savings for qualifying homeowners.
Our purpose is not to make that decision for them. Our purpose is to make certain that Florida’s animals are not left out of the discussion.
Before November, we encourage animal welfare organizations, local officials and Florida residents to learn how animal services are funded in their own communities and to ask an
important question:
If local-government revenue is significantly reduced, what happens to the animals and the services that protect them?
Florida’s animal shelters, animal-control agencies, nonprofit rescues, veterinarians, foster families and volunteers form an interconnected safety net for animals in need.
FAAWO believes protecting that safety net and understanding how proposed changes in public funding could affect it is essential to protecting the animals and communities we serve.