A Message from Dunedin Mayor Moe Freaney

Published on November 05, 2026

Dear City of Dunedin residents, business owners and neighbors, 

On Tuesday, November 3, Florida voters approved Amendment 3 by a 62% margin, amending our state constitution. This amendment changes Florida’s property tax structure, creating significant financial considerations for cities and counties throughout the state. 

The voters have spoken and our job as your City leaders is to prepare the next steps in finalizing our proposed Contingency Budget for 2027, while continuing to provide the essential services and quality of life our community expects and deserves. We recognize property tax relief is important to many residents as we all face rising costs of living. At the same time, we must address financial sustainability as we face a $4.7 million revenue reduction in fiscal year 2028 and a $7.6 million revenue reduction in fiscal year 2029 and beyond. 

I want to thank everyone who attended one of our Town Hall meetings this summer and fall or watched a recorded livestream online. We hope these meetings helped you better understand the City budget, its funds and funding sources, property taxes, and the services they support. We remain committed to transparency and public participation throughout our budget process.

Budget Next Steps

As a result of Amendment 3, the City will implement a Contingency Budget effective Jan. 1, 2027. The departments and services that could be affected are Fire Rescue, Parks and Recreation, the Library, Streets Maintenance, Facility Maintenance, and departments such as Community Development, Finance, Communications, Human Resources and the Office of City Manager. Potential cost-saving measures could include closing Highlander Pool, reducing hours at the Community Center, decreasing the number of special events and funding to not-for-profits. Possible revenue enhancements include a fire assessment and increasing user fees. 

In addition, the Florida Legislature now must establish a process to implement Amendment 3 and City staff will work closely with the City’s elected state delegation to ensure its position is represented. 

A Special City Commission Meeting is scheduled for December 2 at 1:30 to review and approve the 2027 Contingency Budget. That meeting will be livestreamed on the website, Facebook, YouTube and Spectrum channel 639.

As we move forward in planning for Fiscal Year 2028 we will host town hall meetings in late winter/early spring for extensive public input on programs, facilities and service priorities which will help the City Commission make budget decisions based on sound analysis and your feedback. We remain committed to transparency, thoughtful planning, and sound decisions to maintain Dunedin’s fiscal stewardship and quality of life.