Iiiiit's Monday! Here we go again.

☀️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny, with a high of 82 and a low of 64.

Sounds like: "Townies," Wednesday

🎂 Happy belated birthday to our members Krystal Crichlow and Luis Grisanti!

Today’s newsletter is 970 words — a 3.5-minute read.

After Florida voters approved Amendment 3, Tampa Bay government leaders must now work to address millions in lost property tax revenue that funds public safety and other government services.

Why it matters: That could mean service cuts, new taxes or fees, and layoffs of government workers or hiring freezes — although the exact impacts won't be known for some weeks or months, officials said.

• The amendment, which goes into effect in January, increases a tax break known as a homestead exemption from $50,000 to $150,000 by 2027 and then to $250,000 by 2028. School taxes aren't impacted.

The big picture: "We're running a live experiment on 23 million Floridians with a ton of open-ended questions," former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes, one of the measure's most outspoken critics, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Zoom in: St. Petersburg will be entering the new era with a new mayor who campaigned on cutting the city's property tax rate.

• Mayor-elect Charlie Crist said in a statement that he'll no longer pursue that cut because Amendment 3 passed.
• To make up the funding shortfall, Crist said he'll look at the top of the city's payroll, conduct an audit of spending, and "go after money the city is owed," including by reviewing how the city collects federal storm reimbursements.
• He also said he wants to speed along permitting to add new development to the city's tax base.
• "Savings come before any new fee," Crist said, which is significant as the city weighs whether to enact a fee to pay for fire and rescue services.

State of play: Outgoing Mayor Ken Welch's administration in August put out a request for bids from consultants who could design and implement the fee.

• Staff selected a consulting firm last month, per city procurement records, but a City Hall spokesperson did not respond to Axios' questions about next steps.

Zoom out: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said they'll work to implement the amendment while maintaining public safety.

• "... [O]ur responsibility now is to move forward, protect taxpayers, and continue delivering the public safety and quality of life services Tampa residents expect and deserve," Castor said in a statement.

Yes, but: Some smaller Tampa Bay governments that rely more heavily on property taxes will have a harder time absorbing the cuts.

What they're saying: "This is not simply a matter of identifying a few expenses to reduce or making incremental adjustments to the budget," St. Pete Beach City Manager Frances Robustelli said in a statement.

• Treasure Island City Manager Charlie Van Zant said he'll review every department and program for efficiencies.
• "I won't pretend these choices will be easy," he said. "Some will require us to say no to things we value."

Share this story

Every day, we work to bring you the local stories, insights and updates that help you stay connected to your community.

📍 Become a member today. Your support helps us continue delivering trusted local reporting and keeps our newsroom focused on the stories that matter most.

Help keep local journalism strong where you live.

Amendment 3 passed by a statewide vote, but support wasn't distributed equally.

Why it matters: The property tax exemption performed better in Republican-leaning areas with fewer renters, according to a Tampa Bay Times analysis of voter data.

• In fact, Gov. Ron DeSantis attributed the measure to helping drive Republican voter turnout.

The big picture: About 62% of voters statewide approved the amendment, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

• That firmly cleared the 60% approval threshold for state constitutional amendments.

Yes, but: It fell short of that threshold in nine counties, including both Pinellas and Hillsborough.

• All nine voted Democrat in top-ticket races, per the Times. Those counties also have more renters.

Zoom in: The pattern also played out locally, the Times reported. "Yes" votes were more common in areas with older and wealthier residents and more expensive homes.

• In Pinellas, that was the beach communities and East Lake.
• In Hillsborough, look to suburbs in the eastern part of the county like Brandon and Lithia.

Pass it on

💔 LeAnne Selman, the Citibank employee shot and killed last week at the bank's campus near Brandon, was remembered by friends and colleagues as a bright light and a talented dancer and performer. (Tampa Bay 28)

✅ St. Petersburg City Council members advanced the Fourth Street North Chick-fil-A owner's plans to rebuild the restaurant on a larger site with more parking and expanded drive-thru capacity, despite concerns the project would displace residents and small businesses. (St. Pete Catalyst)

• The redevelopment involves demolishing a seven-unit apartment building and a shopping center on the east side of Fourth Street between 42nd and 43rd avenues.

🏗️ Local developers are eyeing the 156-acre property once home to the Wagon Wheel Flea Market for a new residential and commercial development. (St. Pete Rising)

🚨 Firefighters responded to a blaze last night at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. The fire was contained to a maintenance and office building on the sprawling resort's campus. (Tampa Bay Times)

Veteran's Day is on Wednesday, and Florida is among states with the highest share of residents who have served in the Armed Forces.

State of play: About 7% of Floridians 18 and older are veterans, according to the 2025 American Community Survey.

• The U.S. states with the greatest shares of veterans are Alaska (9.7%), Virginia (9.0%) and Montana (8.6%), per the latest census data.
• New York (3.3%), New Jersey (3.4%) and Washington, D.C. (3.5%) had the lowest share.

The big picture: Veterans make up 5.9% of the U.S. population overall.

Tell a friend

🍂 Kathryn is excited to see a cold front in the forecast for this week. Sweater weather, baby!

👋 Yacob is back!

🤳 Follow us on Instagram.

This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.