Tampa Bay residents who use Largo’s library, recreation sites or public safety services got a first look on Oct. 6 at what Amendment 3 could mean for the city’s finances. Largo officials presented an alternative Fiscal Year 2028 budget that would cut hours, close facilities and eliminate about 136 full-time jobs if voters approve the measure on Nov. 3.
Kristina Messenger, director of the city’s Office of Performance and Budget, opened the City Commission presentation by saying, “By law, the city of Largo doesn’t support or oppose any measure on the ballot.” She added, “What follows is actual information about a budget scenario. It is not a city position.”
Fiscal Year 2028 Budget
The scenario is built around a property-tax loss the city says would reach $15.7 million a year once Amendment 3 fully phases in. The amendment would raise the homestead exemption on primary residences from $51,411 to $150,000 in January 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, and Messenger said the loss would be “recurring every year, not a one-time impact.”
To build the model, the city’s executive leadership team rated 185 programs across all general fund departments. That ranking let staff compare which services would absorb the biggest reductions first, rather than spreading cuts evenly across every operation. The result was an informational budget scenario, not a proposed city budget.
Library, Fire Rescue, Police Department
The library would take a $3.26 million hit and lose 27 full-time-equivalent positions, while hours would fall from 56 a week to 28. Meridy Semones, the assistant city manager, said the cut would mean “which will result in reduced public programming and access to general library services.”
Fire Rescue would lose $5.22 million and 28 positions, and the Police Department would lose $2.88 million. The Recreation, Parks and Arts Department would lose $2.37 million and 32 positions, and Semones called those reductions “the largest public-facing reductions.”
Central Park Performing Arts Center
Those recreation cuts could close the Central Park Performing Arts Center, the Largo Community Center and the Highland Family Aquatic Center. The city’s draft also said library hours would be cut in half and that the total staffing reduction would amount to about 136 full-time jobs across the scenario.
Messenger said the draft was “a planning and analysis tool, not a decision or a proposed budget,” even as the city laid out the costs tied to Amendment 3. That leaves voters to decide the amendment on Nov. 3, while any actual city budget would still move through public hearings and City Commission review before it takes effect.
