How Amendment 3 will hurt Renea and her children

I would like to tell you about my friend, Renea*. Renea is a devoted mother. She is a soulful poet. She works full-time at the local homeless shelter. She is a renter of a two-bedroom apartment. She is a domestic violence survivor. She recently gave birth to a premature baby who is in the NICU.

Amendment 3 will be devastating for Renea, her children, and everyone in a similar situation.

What is Amendment 3?

Floridians will vote on Amendment 3 this November. It is a ballot initiative that cuts homestead property taxes. These taxes, however, pay for the local services our community depends on. It funds police, local hospitals, EMTs, fire rescue, afterschool programs, libraries, parks, summer camps, road maintenance, and more. It funds the basic functions of our local government. Since many of these services are deeply necessary, local governments will need to look for other sources of revenue, such as increasing commercial property taxes, fees, and fines. This still won’t be enough to make up the difference, so governments will be forced to cut services as well. This is not a tax cut. This is a tax shift that will cost us our services. While we can all agree that there is an affordability crisis, Amendment 3 is not the answer.

How will Amendment 3 impact Renea?

If Amendment 3 passes, Renea’s rent will increase by 15%, according to a recent independent analysis. Even though she works full time, she is already barely making rent as it is. In fact, due to complications with her pregnancy, she had to take a medical leave of absence from her job. Without that income, she got an eviction notice on her door. Luckily, a local agency helped pay the past-due rent so Renea and her three children don’t become homeless. If Amendment 3 passes, that agency will no longer be able to help mothers like Renea stay in housing and off the streets.

Renea is employed full-time as an advocate at the local homeless shelter. She spends day in and day out taking care of the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. Property taxes fund all 300 beds at the shelter. If Amendment 3 passes, this shelter may be forced to close. All of the people that Renea serves will be turned out into the streets, and she will be without a job.

Renea is also a domestic violence survivor. Two years ago, her partner threw her down the stairs and broke her leg. Luckily, she was able to escape her abuser and get emergency shelter at the local domestic violence shelter. This shelter serves 2,000 survivors and their children every year. Property taxes help fund their emergency shelter. If Amendment 3 passes, domestic violence services will have to scale down, and Renea and her children may have nowhere to go. Thousands of women will be forced to choose between staying with their abuser or living on the streets.

Renea had a complicated pregnancy. At 36 weeks, she could tell that something was wrong and the baby was coming. She called 911. An ambulance was at her door within minutes and transported her to the hospital, where she had an emergency C-section to save her son. One week later, he is still in the NICU but finally breathing on his own. If Amendment 3 passes, 911 response time could get longer. The next mother in Renea’s situation might not be so lucky. EMTs and the fire department are funded by property taxes. In many counties, the hospital systems are funded by property taxes. Wait times at hospitals may be longer, and Renea and her baby may not have received the life-saving treatment they needed.

In order to work, Renea relies on afterschool programs for her older children. On a typical day, this service allows her to go to her job, but at this moment in her life, it is giving her childcare while she goes to the NICU to be with her newborn baby. If Amendment 3 passes, it will mean a $278.1 million cut from children’s services in Florida and millions more lost in federal match funds. Afterschool programs will have to get rid of scholarships, raise rates, or simply close their doors.

If Amendment 3 passes, Renea could:

• not be able to afford her apartment
• not have access to housing services that help her with rent or shelter her family
• lose her job
• have nowhere to go to escape her abuser
• not make it to the hospital in time to save her premature baby
• not have access to childcare

Renea is an actual person. Renea is my colleague and friend. Everything outlined here is based on real-life circumstances happening to millions of families across Florida. Amendment 3 is being talked about a lot in the abstract, but at Community Spring, we know from our work that it will result in real, lasting harm for families in our community. Please join me in voting NO ON AMENDMENT 3.

*The name here is a pseudonym chosen by Renea. She has given me permission to share her story because she understands the impact this could have on so many families just like hers. Thank you, Renea, for your bravery and resilience during this tough moment in your life.