SRQ Daily: Showing Up Ready

The following guest column by Phillip Lanham appeared in the Saturday, October 17, 2026 edition of SRQ Daily:

Not long after I turned 18, I cast my first ballot.  It was 1994, a midterm year, with no presidential race to pull people to the polls. I don't remember every name I voted for that day, but I remember the feeling of standing in that booth and realizing how much I still had to learn about what I was deciding. Since then, I've made it a habit to research not only the top-of-the-ticket candidates, but also to spend equal time learning about who is running for local office and each ballot measure voters are considering. An informed, engaged electorate isn't only about the top of the ticket. It's the school board seat, the county commissioner's race, and the constitutional amendment near the bottom of the ballot, too. Every one of them deserves the same attention.

Similarly, many issues on this year’s ballot deserve thoughtful consideration and a clear understanding of the facts. Gulf Coast isn’t taking a position on the Increased Homestead Exemptions; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property (Amendment 3). 

That belief comes from what we heard through Gulf Coast's Regional Scan. Nearly half of respondents (48%) told us they don't always feel like they belong in this community. When asked why, 40% of those respondents pointed to local government not listening, and 35% said they struggle to find common ground with the people around them, politically, socially, and culturally.

Belonging and civic engagement are connected. People show up when they trust their voice counts, and that trust starts with information they can rely on.

Nationally, as many as one in four eligible Americans are not registered to vote or aren't sure whether they are registered. That's roughly a quarter of the electorate who might not make it to the polls this November or might show up and find out they can't vote. Amendment 3 is exactly the kind of decision where voter engagement matters. Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption for qualifying homeowners to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, lowering the non-school portion of their property tax bill, and it would reduce the assessment growth cap on non-homestead properties, like second homes and commercial real estate, from 10% to 5%. If it passes, the changes will go into effect in 2027. If it fails, the debate doesn't end there; Florida's Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, a body that meets only once every 20 years, will reconvene in 2027 and could take up property tax reform on its own.

Organizations across the region and statewide are working to ensure Florida voters understand what Amendment 3 could mean in real terms. Gulf Coast's role is to keep that focus hyper-local: Sarasota, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties specifically. In the City of Sarasota, if the exemption passes, a qualifying homeowner could see roughly $866 in savings the first year and $1,744 by the second. The same exemption change is projected to reduce the city's own property tax revenue by roughly $38.75 million between 2028 and 2032. Numbers like these show what the amendment means in real terms for both the households that pay property taxes and the governments and institutions that rely on that revenue. That's one example, out of many across the region. Our Amendment 3 Community Guide gathers nonpartisan information on how property taxes work and what the amendment would change here at home, checked for clarity and accuracy, along with a list of in-person town halls and panel discussions taking place across the region. It's one piece of a broader effort. We're sharing that same information across our social channels, in emails, and in our newsletters, hoping that by November 3rd, more people across our three counties have the facts before they vote. 

Listening is where all of this starts. When people told us they don’t feel heard, we took that seriously, and it’s why we stepped into voter education this election season. A region does better when more of its people walk into their polling places informed. I'm not telling you how to vote on Amendment 3. What I hope is that Amendment 3, and everything else we’re voting on this November, gets the same attention, the kind I've tried to give my own ballots since that first one in 1994. That's what showing up ready has always meant to me.