Broward city attorney to sue over "biased" Florida property tax ballot language: "It looks more like a campaign slogan"

A week after Florida lawmakers voted to ask voters to amend the constitution and roll back property taxes, a city attorney announced plans to file a lawsuit challenging the language of the ballot measure, calling it a "campaign slogan".

Weston City Attorney Jamie Cole is planning to file the lawsuit, arguing that the language presented to voters is biased and must be changed. The proposed constitutional amendment, which requires at least 60 percent of voters to approve in November, would increase the homestead exemption and reduce property taxes.

The specific language that will appear on the ballot is: "SAVE OUR HOMES FROM EXCESSIVE PROPERTY TAXES".

Cole said the ballot summary fails to mention critical details of the measure, such as that the proposed increase in the homestead exemption—which exempts the first $250,000, excluding school district levies—would be phased in. The exemption would increase to $150,000 in 2027 and then to $250,000 in 2028.

"It looks more like a campaign slogan flyer than a ballot summary," Cole said. Cole, who has experience writing ballot questions, emphasized that the language used must be neutral.

This is not the first time Cole has successfully challenged a property tax proposal; 19 years ago, he sued over a similar rollback measure and won, preventing it from ever making it onto the ballot.

Cole is hopeful that if he wins this time, the problem can be corrected quickly. "Unlike 19 years ago, there's a statute that gives the attorney general 10 days to fix the problem, so hopefully that's where this ends up," he said.

Meanwhile, local governments have expressed opposition to the proposal, fearing that the reduction in property tax revenue will force them to cut essential services.