2020 Florida Amendment 5
2020 Florida Amendment 5, commonly known as the Extend "Save Our Homes" Portability Period Amendment, was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of Florida that passed 74.49% to 25.51% in the 2020 election on November 3, 2020. The amendment increased the period during which a person may transfer "Save Our Homes" benefits to a new homestead property from two years to three years.[1]
Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution, effective January 1, 2021, to increase, from 2 years to 3 years, the period of time during which accrued Save-Our-Homes benefits may be transferred from a prior homestead to a new homestead. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||
 
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Florida |
|---|
 |
 Government |
Overview
The amendment extended the application for portability from a two-year window to a three-year window. It required 60% support to pass,[2] ultimately receiving 74.49% support. The affected article of the state constitution was Article VII, Section 4; Article XII.[3]
"Save Our Home" benefits in the state are typically between $25,000 and $50,000, which apply as a tax exemption upon transfer of benefits.[1]
Background
State Senator Rick Roth, a Republican, introduced the amendment, receiving unanimous approval within both chambers of the state legislature. Americans for Tax Reform and the Tampa Bay Times editorial board supported the amendment, while the League of Women Voters of Florida opposed it.[4]
Additionally, Florida Today, TCPalm, the Palm Beach Post, the Miami Herald, the Orlando Sentinel, and the Sun Sentinel all supported the proposed amendment.[5]
Results
The amendment received more than the mandatory statewide 60% in all counties. Support was strongest in Collier County on the Gulf Coast, the only county in the state to see more than 80% support. Most counties in the Florida Peninsula supported the amendment with 70 to 80% of the votes, while the Big Bend and Panhandle regions saw the lowest support for the proposal. Leon County, the location of the state capital Tallahassee, saw only 61.9% of voters support the amendment.[1]
References
- "2020 Florida Amendment 5 - Extend Save Our Homes". USA Today. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- Milberg, Glenna (October 5, 2020). "Explaining Florida Amendment 5: Limitation on Homestead Assessments". WPLG. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- "ELECTION RESULTS: What Florida Amendments passed?". firstcoastnews.com. November 3, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- "What to know about Florida's Amendment 5: Extend Homestead exemption transfer period". WKMG. October 7, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- Sangalang, Jennifer. "Amendment 5, vote yes or no on 2020 election? Here's what 7 Florida newspapers recommend". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved May 1, 2023.