VOTERS WILL CHOOSE ON EIGHT AMENDMENTS AND REFERENDUMS.
Early voting for the November election runs from October 21 through November 3; 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Election Day is November 5; 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The polling location in Plant City is Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon Street.
Six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution will appear on ballots. Proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution may be made by a joint resolution of the Florida Legislature, a citizens’ initiative, a proposal from the Constitution Revision Commission, or a proposal from the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. For the present possible amendments, two bodies added them to ballots:
Citizens – To place a constitutional amendment on the ballot, citizens need to get an amount of signatures equal to eight percent of the total number of votes cast in the last presidential election. For the current amendments, that number was at least 891,523 signatures.
The Florida Legislature – Through a joint resolution, the Florida Senate and House of Representatives can add an amendment to the ballot if the resolution gets a 60 percent yes vote in each body.
Repealing any passed amendment requires a new ballot initiative for a new election that wins 60 percent of the vote.
Amendment 1: Partisan Election of Members of District School Boards – added by the Florida State Legislature
A YES vote would permit political parties to nominate their own candidates for these elections, and allow candidates to have their political affiliation listed on the ballot.
A NO vote would keep in place the current Florida constitutional requirement that school board election candidates must remain nonpartisan, and cannot run under a political party
Amendment 2: Hunting and Fishing – added by the Florida State Legislature
A YES vote adds a state constitutional right to hunt or fish, which would make it more difficult for legislators to enact laws that would restrict various kinds of hunting or fishing.
A NO vote will allow the state legislature to more easily place restrictions on types of hunting and fishing.
Amendment 3: Adult Personal Use of Marijuana – Initiated by citizens
A YES vote legalizes marijuana consumption in Florida for non-medical purposes, including recreation. It allows those 21 and older to purchase and consume cannabis without a doctor’s recommendation.
A NO vote retains the current marijuana law for the state, which allows for its consumption and sale for medical purposes only.
Amendment 4: Abortion – Initiated by citizens
A YES vote legalizes abortion in Florida before the period when a baby can survive outside the womb, which is generally defined as 24 weeks into pregnancy.
A NO vote keeps in place the state’s current abortion law, which sets abortion as legal only within the first six weeks of a pregnancy.
Amendment 5: Annual adjustments to the value of certain homestead exemptions – initiated by the Florida State Legislature
A YES vote adds an inflation adjustment—based on the Consumer Price Index—to the current homestead tax exemption.
A NO vote keeps the current homestead tax exemption.
Amendment 6: Repeal of public campaign financing requirement – added by the Florida State Legislature
A YES vote repeals the provision of the Florida Constitution that provides public funds to candidates for statewide offices.
A NO vote keeps in place public financing for statewide candidates.
There are also two Hillsborough County referendums on the ballot.
Referendum 1: Renewal of the community investment half-cent sales tax
A YES vote renews the existing local government infrastructure surtax, known as the Community Investment Tax. The half-cent sales tax would begin December 1, 2026, and last for 15 years until December 31, 2041.
A NO vote will end the Community Investment Tax on November 30, 2026.
Referendum 2: The School Board of Hillsborough County millage election
A YES vote will add an annual one millage—$1 per $1,000 of assessed value—to property taxes. The tax money will be used for K-12 schools in Hillsborough County.
A NO vote will not add $1 per $1,000 of assessed value to property taxes.
