IRNA on Property Tax Referendum, Mangroves, and more!
- IRNA
- Jun 20
- 8 min read
A Tax Cut That Comes With a BIG Catch
This month our board took up one of the most consequential measures on Florida's November 2026 ballot: a proposed constitutional amendment titled "Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes." The Legislature approved it during a June special session, and it needs 60% voter approval to take effect. After a unanimous decision, the Indian River Neighborhood Association board adopted a resolution formally opposing it. Here's why.
On its face, it sounds like relief. The homestead exemption for non-school property taxes would rise from $50,000 to $150,000 in 2027, then $250,000 in 2028. But read past the headline: the amendment also directs the Legislature to build a schedule for eliminating non-school homestead property taxes entirely over time. A yes vote isn't just a bigger exemption (it's a vote for a direction).
The problem is what funds services in the first place. Property taxes account for about 74% of local tax collections in Florida. When that revenue vanishes, the services don't. The Florida Association of Counties calls the plan "a tax shift," and one statewide estimate puts the cost of the $250,000 exemption alone at roughly $4.8 billion a year to counties (broader projections climb past $8 billion).
Where does the money come from instead? Most likely a sales tax increase, which is regressive. It falls hardest on renters and lower-income residents (the very people who already get nothing from a homestead exemption). Roughly a third of Floridians rent, and they'd help backfill a cut they never receive.
Locally, the lost revenue threatens mosquito control, the hospital district, public safety, and the water-quality programs central to protecting the Indian River Lagoon. Most striking of all: the Legislature advanced this after the state's own property tax study was vetoed, and without a clear statewide analysis of what local governments stand to lose. Independent estimates of the revenue hit vary by billions of dollars. That uncertainty alone should give voters pause.
This is a first step for us, not the last word. We'll share more analysis in the months ahead, because this education needs to start now, well before ballots are cast.
The resolution adopted by the IRNA's board:
RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE INDIAN RIVER NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
WHEREAS, the proposed November 2026 Florida Constitutional Amendment is projected to reduce local municipal revenues statewide by more than $8.4 billion annually; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors finds that these projected shortfalls present a risk to vital local public services, infrastructure, and community programs that align with our organization's core mission;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the IRNA formally opposes the passage of the property tax amendment on the November 2026 ballot and authorizes the organization to share information regarding its potential impacts on community services and the residents of Florida.
PFAS Well Water Testing
IRNA is offering free, certified lab testing for PFAS ("forever chemicals") in private drinking water wells. Sign up, submit your water sample, and get your results, plus learn what they mean for your health.
We are especially searching for wells at or near Blue Cypress Lake, Fellsmere, Gifford, and Wabasso.
If you are interested in learning more, click here to sign up for zoom call on June 24.
Open to Indian River County home and business owners on private wells only (not connected to municipal water). Questions? Contact Missy@IndianRiverNA.com
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Stand with the IRNA and help us amplify our community's voice. Your support fuels the fight to protect our natural resources, hold elected officials accountable, and drive the real change our neighborhoods deserve. Together, we don't just speak up, we make an impact that lasts.
By Leah Voss, Multimedia Producer, Friends of the Everglades. Reprinted with permission. Photo credit: Leah Voss. View more pictures here.
I am the mangrove.
I build.
Quietly, quietly, through the blazing days,
Through the breathing nights, I thrust my grey roots,
Building.
I have spent this spring documenting segments of the Indian River Lagoon, building a story of the estuary using my cameras.
The story is as spectacular as the river is resilient. There is rich Indigenous history, which I learned more about while reading Indian River Lagoon: An Environmental History.
There is my own history with this waterway — having told its stories throughout my career, having made my own glorious memories swimming, boating and kayaking its waters.
There is your experience, if you have been so lucky to spend any time at all exploring these waters.
But the most important story belongs to the river itself. Humanity grew and settled in around its banks, and with it came detrimental changes to the biodiverse waterway that stretches 156 miles along Florida’s east coast.
The winds move, But I move not.
I buttress myself with toughness,
I reach my roots down into the roots of things,
Foundations.
Mangroves shape a makeshift skyline in the flat Florida horizon, protecting the lagoon from rising seas, working overtime to clean the polluted waters that assault it.
There is solace to be found in that natural safety net. I know, because I found it. While seeking shelter from a rain storm in a mangrove tunnel, I found it. Through shoreline explorations, passing time while waiting for the sky to explode with the setting sun, I found it.
Now, I share with you the fruits of my discoveries — still photographs examining the intricacies of the Indian River. The winding roots of the mangrove trees, skies reflecting in the river in all shades of color, the majesty of the vessels who glide across the water.Some moments are seared only in my memory, passing by too quickly to be captured. A neon eel skimming the sandy bottom of the river. An osprey nest built atop a channel marker with hungry nestlings crying out for food. The sunsoaked, smiling face in a vehicle crossing the Stuart Causeway, windows down and breathing in the view of the lagoon’s expanse.
These moments are the foundations of a bigger story, one I will share later this month with the debut of a video.
I am the pioneer, I am the forerunner, I am the adventurer.
After me comes earth.
I am the mangrove.
Look.
I build.
The Indian River Lagoon is our backyard and we feel called to protect it.
Stick with us as we offer solutions to protect this natural treasure. Become a pioneer, a forerunner, an adventurer. Help us Rescue the River of Grass and save the Indian River Lagoon.
*Excerpts from “I Am The Mangrove” by Marjory Stoneman Douglas
With love for the lagoon,
Leah Voss
Multimedia Producer for Friends of the Everglades
Hope Vero Beach waterfront project not like Jersey Shore one | Opinion (TCPalm) - In this opinion piece, Laurence Reisman urges Vero Beach officials to exercise caution and diligence during extended contract negotiations for the ambitious Three Corners waterfront redevelopment project, citing a partner developer's stalled projects in New Jersey as a cautionary tale.
Seaweed build up across South Florida beaches, keeping people out of water (WSVN 7News) - A massive buildup of decomposing sargassum seaweed across South Florida beaches is disappointing tourists, disrupting recreation, and posing potential respiratory and bacterial health risks ahead of the peak summer months.
Vero P&Z Board backs legacy tree removal (Hometown News TC) - The Vero Beach Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved the removal of a 42-inch historic live oak tree after multiple experts determined its integrated root system could not survive relocation during the upcoming Riverside Theatre expansion.
DeSantis Signs Bills Reshaping Water Control in Indian River County (Sebastian Daily) - Governor Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that restructures water management in Indian River County by placing the Fellsmere Water Control District under county authority and establishing the new Headwaters Water Control District to oversee local canals and drainage.
Sebastian council weighs pay raises for future members and mayor (Sebastian Daily) - The Sebastian City Council unanimously approved sending a package of charter amendments to public hearings, including a proposal to let voters decide whether to increase monthly salaries for future council members and the mayor.
Federal grant funds Indian River County sewage upgrade (WPTV) - A 1 million dollar federal grant will help fund a 20.8 million dollar sewage system retrofit for over 230 homes in the Ixora Park community to replace failing infrastructure and protect the adjacent Indian River Lagoon from nutrient contamination.
Help Test for "Forever Chemicals":
St. Johns Riverkeeper PFAS Study
Our partners at St. Johns Riverkeeper are launching a study testing PFAS ("forever chemicals") in Melbourne-area drinking water, and they need local households to take part.
Melbourne and several nearby communities get their drinking water from Lake Washington, part of the Upper Basin of the St. Johns River. Potential PFAS sources include land-applied biosolids (sewage sludge), industrial discharges, and wastewater facilities. The Riverkeeper is especially concerned about biosolids: 60,000 tons of Class B sewage sludge have been permitted for annual land disposal in the Upper St. Johns River Basin for the past two decades.
Selected households (on public utility water, not private wells) will learn about PFAS, submit a tap water sample for lab analysis, and receive their results, which will be shared with the community. Homes with elevated levels will get guidance on treatment options.
Participation is limited to communities served by Lake Washington: Melbourne, Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite Beach, Palm Shores, Melbourne Village, and unincorporated Brevard County south of the Pineda Causeway.
If you live in one of these areas, sign up through the survey link. It only takes a few minutes and helps the fight for cleaner water across our watershed. If you know anyone in these areas, please share this message!
IRNA is not the only one coming out against the November 2026 Property Tax Referendum. Take a look at some coverage from the last week:
Florida Makes a Property Tax Mistake (Wall Street Journal) - "Florida has been a shining state upon a hill when it comes to low taxes, school choice and tort reform. So it’s a shame that Gov. Ron DeSantis is using his final months in office to push a poorly designed measure on the November ballot that would put his state on the slippery slope of a progressive property tax regime."
Good news for homeowners could be bad news for our water (VoteWater.org) - The proposed Florida constitutional amendment to drastically increase the homestead exemption could significantly drain tax revenues from the state's five water management districts, threatening funding for crucial flood control, water quality, and Everglades restoration projects.
State-backed ballot measure could wipe out a quarter of local property tax collections (Jason Garcia Substack) - According to an analysis by the state's Revenue Estimating Conference, a state-backed ballot measure to cut and cap property taxes could wipe out nearly $12 billion in annual funding for Florida's local governments by the 2031-32 fiscal year, potentially forcing severe service cuts, rate increases, or new fees to manage the shortfall.
Indian River County leaders warn proposed property tax amendment could cost county $50 million (Sebastian Daily) - Indian River County leaders warn that a proposed Florida constitutional amendment to increase homestead exemptions could slash approximately 50 million dollars from the local budget by 2028, threatening public safety funding and potentially shifting the tax burden onto businesses and utility rates.
What we could save in Florida property tax the big unknown | Opinion (TCPalm) - In this opinion piece, Laurence Reisman argues that a proposed Florida constitutional amendment to drastically increase homestead exemptions could result in unpredictable outcomes for homeowners, as local governments may simply raise tax rates or create new fees to maintain essential services.
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