JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Before Election Day, firefighters, paramedics, and sheriffs across Northeast Florida warned that Amendment 3 could mean slower response times when you call 911. Now that it has passed, first responders are trying to figure out what it actually means for them.
One week before the election, sheriffs and fire leaders stood under a sign that read “Amendment 3: Too good to be true.” Now it’s reality, and the people who answer your calls for help know what happens on the other end of the line will be different.
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Property taxes pay for most of what happens when you call 911: the firefighters, the paramedics, and the deputies. State economists estimate Amendment 3 could cost local governments up to $12 billion a year.
“As a leader of an agency, you don’t have the luxury not to take a position on things,” said Kelly Dobson, president of the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters.
Dobson, the son of a former Baker County sheriff, worries rural communities will feel the cuts the most.
“I just don’t know, especially the rural, I don’t know how they’re gonna fund their levels of service that I can probably say with good confidence has severely improved over the last 10 years,” Dobson said.
Agencies say the next move isn’t theirs. It’s up to local commissioners, like Matt Carlucci, to make the call on cuts.
“We’ve got to find a way to juggle this a little bit because we don’t want to lose our momentum, and if we do, we’re making a big mistake,” Carlucci said.
The amendment requires counties to spend property tax money on public safety, but it doesn’t say how much. There’s also no state money built in to replace what counties lose. Rural counties have the least room to absorb it.
“You have to make decisions, and you have to look at what kind of services people are getting, what are they used to getting, and how do you go reduce the budgets? Do you have to lay people off? Do you not order equipment?” Dobson said.
Before the election, Nassau County’s sheriff estimated his county could lose $31 million to $78 million. In a statement after the vote, Sheriff Leeper seemed to change his tune, saying it’s unclear if his office will take a hit and that it’s up to local leaders.
“It is unknown if the passage of Amendment 3 will directly impact the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office... Ultimately, local governments will be responsible for evaluating and addressing budgetary implications.”
“There’s less money, then you can’t build certain fire stations, you can’t build certain infrastructure improvements,” Carlucci said.
The property tax changes take effect Jan. 1, and homeowners will first see them on next year’s tax bills.
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