Shorter Hours, Fewer Services: Proposed Tax Cuts Loom Large for Libraries

The Miami-Dade Public Library System could face budget cuts of up to $20 million – about 16% of its total operating budget – if Florida voters approve the Amendment 3 property tax proposal on the November ballot, library advocates say.

Editor’s Note: This story was first published on September 23 by WLRN Public Media. The Spotlight is re-publishing the story under a partnership agreement with WLRN.

With limited home Wi-Fi access, Katherine Ruiz walks to the Miami-Dade Public Library’s main branch four to five times per week to use the internet.

The 49-year-old Miami resident said she takes advantage of not only the Wi-Fi, but also the books and activities offered there. She’s taken CPR classes that might have cost up to $100 were it not for the library’s free programming.

“It helps me, because I don’t have to pay,” she said. “Sometimes Blue Cross, they’re more expensive, or the college sometimes, too, the classes are more expensive. So I like to look at what they have here and what they offer.”

Now, library advocates warn that services like the ones Ruiz enjoys are under threat. Miami-Dade libraries could face a $20 million loss under the property tax referendum facing Florida voters this November, according to the group Keep Libraries Funded.

The new coalition launched a website last week, which it’s using to highlight county-by-county impacts. It was spearheaded by Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library members who then reached out to other systems across the state.

In Miami-Dade, the coalition says the measure could cause branch closures, fewer hours, employee layoffs and program cuts.

As the largest public library system in the state, Miami-Dade leads the charge in voter education, said Ava Habif, the executive director of Friends of the Miami-Dade Public Library and a Keep Libraries Funded coordinator. Nearly two in three Miami-Dade residents have library cards, a higher percentage than the state average.

“It’s just a mathematical impossibility to run the incredible 50-branch library system at the level that it’s at without the level of funding that it’s currently receiving through property tax,” Habif said.

Amendment 3 proposes tripling the state’s homestead tax exemption, meaning homeowners wouldn’t have to pay taxes on the first $150,000 of their house’s assessed value. The measure needs at least 60% voter approval to pass.

The amendment would cut $45 billion in local property taxes over five years, according to Florida TaxWatch, an independent government watchdog group that recently came out in opposition to Amendment 3. It would cause a nearly $5 billion cut in the first year it goes into effect.

Florida sheriffs and firefighters have made headlines for criticizing the proposal. But public libraries will also see effects. About 91% of the Miami-Dade system’s 2025-26 operating budget came from assessed-value taxes, the most common of which are property taxes.

The Miami-Dade library system had a $124 million operating budget last fiscal year, meaning the projected $20 million reduction would be equivalent to a cut of around 16%. 

Habif said that would touch all aspects of services the library system offers, and its users.

“I’ve been to a lot of libraries in Miami Dade County, and I have yet to walk into one that did not have people in it,” she said. “There are people in them all of the hours that they are being used.”

Although the cut likely wouldn’t affect a new library in the works in Key Biscayne, it could threaten future expansions. Some areas have boomed in population but still don’t have libraries — for example, in some southern parts of the county and in Brickell. 

In Coconut Grove, the library system has two branch locations – the Coconut Grove branch library on McFarlane Road and the Virrick Park branch on Plaza Street. 

Miami-Dade already operates with less local funds, relative to the population of its service area, than any other large library systems in the state. It took in about $39 in local income per person served in 2023-24.

As the “fabric of the community,” Miami-Dade branches provide technology like desktop computers, laptops and Wi-Fi, Habif noted. About one-fourth of Miami-Dade residents have no broadband internet subscription, according to the American Community Survey.

“I think it will have a major impact,” said library user Diana Gregory, 42, of the proposed funding cuts. “I really love the concept of a library … if I can save on books, I’m happy to see it.”

Gregory’s 8-year-old son is an avid reader, and she walks to the main library branch about once per month to select books for him to read, she said. She also takes advantage of the Museum Pass Program that offers families free trips to attractions like zoos, parks and galleries.

The Miami-Dade system saw about 3.6 million total visits, including over 660,000 electronic users, in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to the most recently available data. The number dropped off sharply in 2020 but has slowly climbed upward ever since, though annual visits still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Amendment 3 advocates call for taxpayer relief

While some worry about community effects of library closures, others praise Amendment 3 for helping Floridians buy, own and afford their homes. Florida Realtors Association has launched its own “Vote Yes On 3” website calling on voters to “put a stop to skyrocketing property taxes.”

The median real estate taxes paid by Florida homeowners rose 73% from 2015 to 2024, the latest available data from the American Community Survey. That’s a faster increase than the U.S. average of 42%, although Florida’s median is still lower than the nationwide one.

Although Miami-Dade’s millage rate has not increased in recent years, other factors can cause tax bills to rise. For example, a property’s taxable value might increase due to market changes like inflation.

In 2024, then-Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Pedro Garcia noted the county was seeing record value growth, making home ownership “difficult, if not impossible, for our average residents.”

Florida Realtors Association CEO Margy Grant pointed out local jurisdictions will have the power to decide what programs to prioritize after the tax cuts go into effect. She has faith that community leaders will implement the changes in a way that doesn’t disrupt people’s everyday lives, she said.

“It’s going to be a community-by-community conversation,” she said. “If a community believes that libraries need to be protected, then you’ll see that reflected in the budgets that they create.”

Xiomalis Curet said she hopes libraries remain a priority. The Miami-Dade resident regularly visits several branches, including the Shenandoah location. She enjoys reading, she said, and worries about people opening books less and using their phones more.

Curet hopes the library system can stay alive without closures, she said. “Not only is it for reading or watching movies or anything else, but it’s the perfect place for the families and the community to get together,” she said.

Amendment 3 will appear on Florida voters’ ballots Nov. 3. Early voting begins Oct. 24.