JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Duval voters will be asked two questions on their ballot in November that both deal with property taxes.
Amendment 3 would phase out property taxes for local governments, and a local referendum asks voters to extend an extra property tax that goes towards teacher pay in the district.
Political experts who spoke with Action News Jax said it’s unclear whether one initiative may help or hurt the other, but it could come down to turnout.
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Voters like Samuel Abreu, whose mom is a teacher, said he plans to vote against Amendment 3 and for the teacher pay measure.
“There’s teachers out there that are actually even struggling more with, not just property tax, but making it day by day. And they’re the ones pouring back into our community every single time,” said Abreu.
Duval voters originally approved the extra local tax for teacher pay back in 2022, and the new referendum would extend its lifespan through 2030.
UNF Political Science Professor Sean Freeder noted back in 2022, the school tax passed with 53 percent of the vote.
“It’s kind of a close call. This could be something where if the wrong effects hit it, it could be driven below 50 percent,” said Freeder.
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Freeder argued if Amendment 3 ends up turning out high numbers of voters looking to cut taxes, the teacher pay referendum could have a harder time passing.
That being said, he argued if Amendment 3 opponents win the turnout battle, it could actually result in higher support for the local referendum.
“Given how close the previous one was in 2022, it’s gonna matter in some way that’s hard to tell which direction it goes in,” said Freeder.
Duval School Board Member Melody Bolduc (District 7) told us on a recent episode of This Week in the 904 that the extra local property tax ensures district salaries remain competitive and accounts for about $8,000 of extra cash a year in local teachers’ pockets.
When asked whether she’s worried Amendment 3 might hurt the referendum’s chances of passing, she encouraged voters to educate themselves on both proposals.
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“It’s hard to know, but I know they’re interested, and I know they’ll get educated and my hope is they’ll reach out to us when they have questions,” said Bolduc.
The teacher pay referendum needs to get 50 percent support to pass this November.
Amendment 3 faces a higher bar, needing 60 percent support to pass.
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