Closing on a Brevard County home in 2026 could give you an extra year of homestead savings if you also make the property your permanent residence in time for the 2027 tax year. For buyers moving from out of state, there is another reason timing matters. Establishing permanent Florida residency by December 31, 2026, could qualify you for the larger exemption in your first eligible year, even if you buy later. A year-end closing by itself accomplishes only the ownership part. [1, 2]
Election status as of November 7, 2026. Florida's first unofficial returns show 61.98% approval, above the 60% required. State certification is scheduled for November 17, 2026. This article explains how the amendment is written to work beginning January 1, 2027, assuming the result is certified. [1, 3, 4]
Prepared with AI assistance. Key tax and election details were checked against the official sources below.
If you already live permanently in Florida
If you close in 2026 and make the new home your permanent residence by January 1, 2027, you can apply for homestead on that home for the 2027 tax year. The amendment provides up to $150,000 off assessed value for non-school property taxes in 2027 and up to $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2029. School district taxes use a separate exemption of up to $25,000. Brevard County's regular filing deadline is March 1 of the year you're claiming. [1, 2]
If you close after January 1, 2027, and own and occupy the home as your permanent residence by January 1, 2028, your first homestead year on that home would generally be 2028. If you were already a permanent Florida resident on December 31, 2026, you could qualify for the $250,000 non-school exemption in that first year. Closing and moving in during 2026 gives you the opportunity to claim the 2027 exemption as well. Florida renters who already maintain their permanent residence here can qualify on the same residency timeline when they buy. [1, 2]
If you already have a Florida homestead, check whether you can transfer part of your Save Our Homes assessment savings to the new property. That benefit, called portability, can lower the new home's assessed value. An estimate for a move should also account for the exemption you might keep on your current home if you wait. The new home's illustrative savings alone do not measure the tax difference across both properties. [5]
If you're moving to Florida from another state
Buying and relocating before year-end. If you buy in 2026 and establish your permanent Florida residence in the home by December 31, 2026, you can potentially qualify for the $150,000 non-school exemption in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. If you relocate by December 31 and rent first, the amendment's residency cutoff can still be met. Your first exemption on the home you eventually buy depends on when you own it and make it your permanent residence. The property appraiser determines residency from the facts and documentation. [1, 2, 6]
Buying in 2026 but relocating in 2027. If you maintain your permanent home outside Florida through December 31 and move to the Brevard home in, for example, February 2027, you generally first qualify for homestead in 2028. The same timeline would generally apply if you bought the home in February 2027 and moved in then. Under the amendment, buyers who establish permanent Florida residency after the cutoff start with a $50,000 base non-school exemption, adjusted for inflation beginning in 2028. The larger exemption starts in the fifth year of receiving homestead exemption. If 2028 is your first qualifying year and you keep qualifying, the fifth is 2032. The applicable exemption amount in 2032 would reflect the amendment's inflation adjustment rules. [1, 2]
Keeping the home as a vacation property. If you keep your permanent residence elsewhere and use the Brevard property as a second home, it generally stays outside the homestead exemption. There is no homestead tax advantage from closing in 2026 in that situation. [1, 2]
Do Amendment 3's homestead tax benefits continue after 2028?
Yes. The larger non-school homestead exemption has no scheduled expiration. The $250,000 amount begins in 2028, with increases starting in 2029 in years when the amendment's inflation measure is positive. [1]
Buying after 2028 can still qualify. If Florida was your permanent residence on December 31, 2026, you can generally receive the larger exemption in your first eligible homestead year on the home you buy. This also applies to eligible buyers who were Florida renters at the cutoff. [1, 2]
If you established permanent Florida residency after the cutoff, the larger exemption generally starts in your fifth year of receiving homestead exemption. For example, if 2029 is your first year and you continue to qualify each year, your fifth year is 2033. Beginning in 2030, a county or municipality can vote to shorten the waiting period for a critical local need. [1]
What the exemption could save
Assume the home's assessed value is $350,000 and the combined non-school tax rate is 10 mills, or $10 for every $1,000 of taxable value. These are illustrative inputs. Assessed value is the value used before exemptions and can differ from the purchase price. The rate is an assumption and actual rates vary by taxing district and year. Each row holds assessed value and the rate constant and compares the exemption with a case where no homestead exemption applies. School taxes, special assessments and other charges are outside this example. [1, 7]
| Non-school homestead exemption | Non-school taxable value | Illustrative non-school tax | Reduction versus no exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| No exemption | $350,000 | $3,500 | $0 |
| $50,000 base for a qualifying new resident, before inflation adjustments | $300,000 | $3,000 | $500 |
| $150,000 larger exemption in 2027 | $200,000 | $2,000 | $1,500 |
| $250,000 larger exemption in 2028 | $100,000 | $1,000 | $2,500 |
In this example, a buyer who closes and moves in by the end of 2026 could reduce the home's 2027 non-school taxes by $1,500 versus the same assessment with no exemption. A Florida resident who qualifies for the larger exemption in 2027 can continue to claim it in 2028, and a Florida resident whose first eligible year is 2028 can also receive up to $250,000 in 2028. The timing advantage for the earlier buyer is the opportunity to claim the 2027 exemption too. Actual year-to-year bills can differ because of reassessment, tax rates, other exemptions, and the seller's prior assessment. Florida law requires a disclosure warning buyers that the seller's current tax bill may differ from what the buyer will owe after purchase. [1, 7, 8]
For a Brevard buyer deciding whether to close before year-end, the strongest property-tax reason to act in 2026 is the ability to both close and move in in time to qualify for 2027. For a buyer relocating from out of state, when Florida becomes your permanent home matters even if your purchase takes longer. Compare the estimated first-year tax benefit with the cost of owning the home earlier, including financing, insurance and any HOA or condo dues. [1, 2, 8]
Official sources
- Florida Legislature - Full text of Amendment 3, HJR 1-F
- Brevard County Property Appraiser - Homestead filing instructions and property tax calendar
- Florida Election Watch - First unofficial returns for Amendment 3
- Florida Election Watch - Election and certification timeline
- Florida Department of Revenue - Save Our Homes portability
- Florida Senate - Permanent residency factors under section 196.015
- Florida Department of Revenue - How to calculate property taxes
- Florida Senate - Property tax disclosure to prospective purchasers under section 689.261