Donalds Talks Property Taxes, Amendment 3 at UF Stop, Here's What It Means Here

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican and candidate in Florida’s statewide race, spoke to roughly 150 people at Emerson Alumni Hall near the University of Florida campus Wednesday, touching on diversity, equity and inclusion policy, critical race theory, parental rights, and a property tax measure that will appear on every Florida ballot this fall, including in Levy County.

A notable introduction

The event drew attention beyond its policy content because of who introduced Donalds: Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Chestnut, a Democrat. Chestnut told the crowd her decision wasn’t a party switch but a matter of representation. “My purpose was simple: to advocate for my city and ensure that the people I serve have a meaningful opportunity to be heard,” she said, according to WUFT News.

Donalds used his remarks to lay out his conservative positions on family values before opening the floor to questions on DEI, critical race theory and parental rights in schools, topics that have shaped statewide political debate for several election cycles running.

Amendment 3 and the homestead exemption

The portion of Wednesday’s talk most likely to affect Cedar Key and Levy County homeowners directly concerned Amendment 3, the statewide ballot measure that would raise Florida’s homestead tax exemption to $150,000 next year and to $250,000 in 2028. Donalds voiced support for the amendment, citing the pace of property tax increases statewide.

“The reason why I support Amendment 3 is because property taxes have almost doubled in the state the last seven years,” Donalds said. “Personal budgets haven’t doubled. Business budgets haven’t doubled.”

For homeowners on this coast, where waterfront and near-waterfront property values have climbed sharply over the past several years, the practical effect of Amendment 3, if approved by voters, would be a larger slice of a primary residence’s assessed value shielded from property tax. The measure does not cap assessment increases generally; it specifically raises the additional homestead exemption threshold in two steps, first to $150,000 and then to $250,000 two years later. Any change to the exemption would apply statewide, including to Cedar Key, Yankeetown, Inglis, Chiefland, Williston and Bronson, once certified.

The race and the calendar

Donalds’ opponent in the statewide contest is Democrat David Jolly, who made his own stop at UF a couple of weeks earlier to meet with supporters, WUFT reported. Neither candidate’s UF visit was framed around Levy County specifically, but both signal an active statewide campaign season reaching North Central Florida college towns ahead of the fall ballot.

For Levy County voters, the relevant dates are fixed regardless of campaign stops: early voting opens statewide on Oct. 19, and Election Day falls on Nov. 3. Local election offices will set specific early-voting hours and sites under Florida’s uniform election code, and residents should confirm their polling location and hours through the Levy County Supervisor of Elections before heading to vote.

What to watch

The Amendment 3 language itself, and its exact fiscal effect on county and municipal budgets, including Cedar Key’s, will be spelled out on the ballot summary voters see in November. Local taxing authorities, including Levy County’s school district and municipal budgets, could see revenue effects if voters approve the expanded exemption, though the amendment’s text determines only the exemption threshold, not how local governments adjust for any resulting revenue change. This outlet will track the ballot language and any county-level fiscal estimates as the election approaches.