Seminole County leaders are sounding the alarm ahead of the November 3 ballot, warning that the passage of Amendment 3 – a property‑tax amendment that would lower rates for some homeowners – could force the county to slash critical emergency‑service resources.
Potential cuts to preparedness and staffing
Emergency Manager Alan Harris told reporters the amendment would compel the county to make “difficult decisions” about staffing, equipment and overall preparedness. “We would eliminate some of our preparedness activities,” Harris said. “We would eliminate our warehouse. We rent our warehouse, and we store a lot of equipment there, so we would really be reliant on the state to help us provide basic services during disasters.”
Harris added that fewer shelters could be available because county staff are needed to operate them. “We have a backup 911 center,” he noted. “If this budget was to occur, we would lose the backup 911 center.” Without that redundancy, Harris explained, a failure of the primary system could force emergency calls to be routed to neighboring counties, potentially delaying response times.
Fire department faces a 23% funding reduction
Fire Chief Matt Kinley warned that the fire department could see a “23% reduction” in funding, which translates to a $33 million cut in overall resources. He highlighted that the cost of essential equipment has surged since 2019 – a tower truck is up 138%, a stretcher 125% and a fire truck 74% – making the projected shortfall especially painful.
Kinley projected that the county could lose about 175 positions over the next five to six years, a loss that would directly affect response times. “Everything that we do is about how fast we can get our equipment, our people, on scene,” he said.
Longer recovery after storms
Both officials stressed that recovery after major storms could take longer without the proposed funding. “We will recover,” Harris said. “We’re a strong community. It will just take months instead of weeks, so people just need to be prepared for that.”
County officials acknowledged the challenge of prioritizing services if the revenue loss becomes a reality, emphasizing the need for residents to understand the trade‑offs involved.
What voters need to know
Amendment 3 will appear on the November 3 general‑election ballot. If approved, the tax changes would take effect in January of the following year. Voters are urged to consider how the proposed tax relief could impact the county’s ability to maintain essential emergency services, including 911 backup, shelter capacity and fire‑department staffing.
For more information on the amendment and its potential effects, residents can contact the Seminole County Emergency Management Office or attend the upcoming public information session scheduled for next month.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
