Counties warn Amendment 3 could reduce local revenue

What happened

Escambia County and Santa Rosa County have warned that Amendment 3 could reduce the revenue available to local governments by millions of dollars.

The concern centers on the possible effect of the amendment on county finances. A reduction in revenue could affect the money counties have available for local government operations and services, although the counties have not detailed those effects here.

What is known

The warning involves both Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The counties have identified a potential loss measured in millions of dollars, but the specific amount for either county, the amendment’s text, and the timing of any financial change are not included in the public description of the development.

The amendment’s name alone does not establish what would change or how county revenue would be calculated. Those details would be needed to measure the potential effect on each county.

What comes next

The issue now turns on the amendment’s provisions and any decisions or explanations from the counties and state officials responsible for carrying them out. Residents can review those details as the counties explain their concerns and as the amendment moves through the state process.

No election or candidate is directly tied to this local-government revenue issue in the information available for this report.