(Tom is also a parent and an Islamorada resident and taxpayer.)

On November 3, voters in Florida will decide whether to amend the Florida Constitution with Amendment 3, changing the Florida Homestead exemption law.

There are four issues in Amendment 3:

1. Amendment #3 would increase homestead exemptions to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.

2. New homeowners would get the currently existing exemption. The amendment would create a five-year waiting period for new owners for the full increased homestead exemption, to encourage long term residency.

3. The amendment would limit the increase in assessed value of non-homesteaded properties to a maximum of 5%per year.  Currently it can be increased up to 10%.

4. The amendment would only allow the use of property tax revenue for specific “core services”.

 

Local governments statewide already have been diligently analyzing potential impacts on their budgets. (apparently not Islamorada).

Original estimates from the state predicted Monroe County revenue would decrease about $9 million in FY27 and $17.5 million in FY28.

On Aug. 19, Monroe County Property Appraiser, Scott Russell, provided property value projections to the County Commissioners that were based on his own analysis. 

The Good news: The Property Appraiser’s projections show that overall taxable value would continue to increase, for Monroe County and all local municipalities. 

But not the huge increases in taxable value local governments have seen in recent years. 

There is no doubt the intent of the legislature was to encourage the reduction of local expenses.

But elected officials could either reduce expenses or increase taxes on remaining taxpayers.

Supporters of Amendment 3 argue that Florida homeowners need relief from rapidly rising housing costs and insurance premiums.

Opponents of Amendment 3 worry that impacting the amount of increases in future property tax revenue could lead to service reductions, higher fees, or alternative taxes in the future.

The constitutional amendment was initiated by Governor DeSantis who said: “Property tax revenue collected by local governments has nearly doubled in the past seven years …. Florida homeowners need relief.”

Sad news regarding Islamorada, property taxes:

2019: $10,264,200

2026: $18,264,500 +78% in7 years

2027: $20,632,800, +101% in 8 years (at 2.8 mills as per TRIM notice.)

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia (former DOGE director): “The only people who are complaining about it (homestead property tax amendment) are the people who actually have to cut back.  We are on the side of the taxpayers here, right? We’re not on the side of a government who thinks that you are an endless ATM.”

Hear that, Islamorada Council and government?

A Challenging New Budget Process required next year:

There is another bill the legislature passed this year that has not been widely discussed.

HB 1329, signed into law in June 2026, now requires every county and municipality to present a scenariothat shows the impact ofa10% budget reduction before adopting their annual budget, starting next year.  (This is standard practice for federal law enforcement entities.)

On several occasions I had to prepare a 15-20% budget cut proposal as a Federal administrator.

This state law isn’t a suggestion—it’s a precondition for budget adoption.

It requires that the public be advised by our officials as to services that might be delayed or reduced.

AUDIT NEEDED?

Seems clear to us – we need a thorough effectiveness audit in Islamorada.

In my experience the bulk of savings comes from discontinuing and/or combining programs that have been successful or overcome by events. That would include cutting personnel by combining duties and contracting some in house services.

The ICA has been calling for this DOGE-like audit for several years.

We have received no support from several councils and village managers but much support from the residents.

We had predicted this because it made sense. We have NEVER had an effectiveness audit in our history (29 years).

All audits conducted by the village over the last quarter century have been to check for basic arithmetic.

We need a municipal optimization audit that goes beyond standard financial auditing by combining compliance checks with performance, efficiency, and cost-saving improvements.

It must be designed to ensure accountability while also identifying opportunities to improve operations, reduce waste, and enhance service delivery.

Effectiveness Audit

We need this audit NOW in order to be ready to show the possibility of a 10% reduction in expenditures by next September.

It is not an option, Council and Village Manager.

I am told that a council budget “reduction” measure is forgoing a “potential” council salary raise of $20k total per year but not giving voters the opportunity to increase council pay via a charter amendment.

That is laughable… cutting a raise never received?

When the time comes, share potential cuts with the residents. We desperately need some tax relief.

Local governments have been forewarned by the State of Florida:  Stop all the excessive tax increases!

Elections have consequences.

Tom

Village Council election on Nov 3, 2026 Seat 1: Anna Richards versus Joe Wischmeier Seat 2: Steve Friedman versus Deb Gillis (Gillis switched Seats August 11) Seat 3: Corie McGraw-Abel versus Sue Miller Seat 4: Don Horton versus Tom Raffanello Seat 5: Sharon Mahoney, elected, unopposed Read the Property Tax Referendum that will be on the Nov Ballot. Click Here

Tom!

To contact Council or Village Manager Ron Saunders

Send an email to the Village Clerk and ask her to distribute to all members of the Council, Village Manager, and/or specific members of the team at the Village …..clerk@islamorada.fl.us

Islamorada Budget Hearings: Sep 10 and Sep 17 at 5:30 PM. Voice your thoughts!

Local businesses can make a donation to help finance the construction of a Habitat home using money they owe the state! The Community Contribution Tax Credit Program is a state funded incentive to encourage businesses that collect and remit significant state sales to partner with those who provide affordable housing. Click here to learn about how this can help Habitat and the business. Keep the sales tax here locally to build homes!

The Russell Cottage is where you will find Jodie Cerra and Florida Bay Forever.

Visit the Visitors Center at the Russell Cottage and learn more from Jodie and her staff and volunteers.  There is a great selection of gifts, books…  and art by volunteer Daphne Sanitz.

Do you know about it? The 8.7 acre property along Florida Bay at MM81.2 was acquired by Islamorada 20 years ago with grant funds from Florida Communities Trust.  It was once the home of former councilman and restaurateur, Henry Rosenthal. The village built a $2 million waterfront pavilion, with views of Little Basin and Florida Bay, near where the Rosenthal home once stood. There are nature trails, where you can walk through a dense tropical hammock, observe native species, and enjoy the beauty of nature. The floating kayak launch provides access through a short mangrove tunnel to Little Basin, not far from the Lignumvitae Area State Park. It is often where you’ll find Jodie of Florida Bay Forever The Russell Cottage, nearly 90 years old, is the heart of the property. And is home to the Village’s Environmental Resource Center and an educational and retail space operated primarily by Florida Bay Forever. Jodie Cerra is the Executive Director of Florida Bay Forever, an Islamorada-based nonprofit founded in 2016 to protect Florida Bay through community engagement, environmental education, and support for Everglades restoration. Take a nature walk through the hammock with Jodie! Attend an educational event or a bird walk.

A pathway to personal growth, teamwork, and achievement!  The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) published statistics that show that last year 311,233 Florida high school students participated in sports at their school. Across the country, 8,415,684 participated in high school athletics, with hundreds of different athletic programs included in the statistics.

According to their website, Coral Shores has: 22 varsity sports, 14 junior varsity, and 9 freshman sports.   This does not include cheerleading, Canettes, and Special Olympics. No wonder the high school is short of space. Bass Fishing as a school sport? We found it interesting that in the U.S. there are 1027 high school Bass Fishing teams with 7,694 total high school participants. But no saltwater fishing teams? Coral Shores does have a popular Fishing Club! Besides the Fishing Club, there are 36 other clubs and organizations that encourage student participation at Coral Shores. The high school sports at Coral Shores include swimming and diving, utilizing the pool at Founders Park. There is a synchronized swimming team at the Founders pool, but it is not a school sponsored sport. There are just 31 schools across the country that do have synchronized swim teams. How lucky are the young people in our community to have so many opportunities to participate!

On this day in 2013: 64-year-old Diana Nyad began her fifth attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. The 110-mile journey ended nearly 53 hours later when she reached Key West.  Just think - that is more than 12 times the distance of the Swim for Alligator Lighthouse! Congratulations to all swimmers who brave open water swims of any length!

To keep Nyad swimming in a straight line and the shortest distance to her Key West destination, her support boat deployed a 10-foot streamer with a long pole to keep the streamer away from the boat. The streamer was designed to remain about 5 feet underwater, so that Nyad could swim above it, much like a lane line in a swimming pool. At night, the white streamer was replaced by a string of red LED lights.