By Mayor Lynny Del Gaizo
Marathon’s story has always been written by the people who live here year-round.
This vibrant community is shaped by generations of families who have started businesses, raised children, and supported their neighbors, helping keep the Florida Keys the place we are proud to call home.
As mayor, I often think about whether the people who helped build our city can afford to stay. Living here is expensive, and it’s only getting more so.
That is why we must take opportunities to provide meaningful relief seriously, and right now, that means considering voting for Amendment 3.
The measure would expand Florida’s homestead exemption for non-school property taxes from $51,411 to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2029. That means lower annual property-tax bills for eligible homeowners and a chance to keep more of what they earn as household budgets are stretched thinner every year.
That relief could make a real difference here. Across the Florida Keys, homeowners are paying more for nearly every daily necessity. And Marathon’s housing market is unique: only 32% of our homes are homesteaded. Much of the city’s housing also serves second-home owners and vacation rentals, so our residents are competing in a market that attracts buyers with purchasing power from across the country and around the world.
Those who sustain our community — young people, working families, first responders, teachers and small business owners — deserve more than the hope that things will get better. They deserve a community where hard work leads to stability, families put down roots and the next generation has a real opportunity to build a future. Today, that feels increasingly out of reach for many Marathon residents.
I don’t want to see Marathon become a community where the people who make it special are priced out of the place they call home. Protecting the ability of our year-round residents to live, work, raise families and retire here must be a priority, not an afterthought.
I know people in Marathon who bought homes 30 years ago, when property values were much lower. They raised their families in those homes, built lasting friendships and watched their neighborhoods change. Today, their homes might be worth many times what they paid, but that appreciation doesn’t necessarily mean they have more money available to pay bills.
That’s especially true for a retired couple living on a fixed income, a working family trying to make ends meet or an elderly resident who simply wants to remain in the home where a lifetime of memories was made.
Property-tax relief won’t solve every affordability challenge in the Florida Keys, but for many of our residents, Amendment 3 would help ease the pressure.
I also understand that any discussion of Amendment 3 must include an honest assessment of the financial realities facing our city. We must maintain public safety, provide essential services, care for our parks and public spaces, and manage taxpayer dollars responsibly. Those obligations don’t disappear when tax collections dip. If Amendment 3 passes, we’ll roll up our sleeves, prioritize what matters most and work together to make it work.
Marathon’s greatest strength is our people: the neighbors who show up for one another day in and day out.
We need the next generation of teachers, tradespeople, medical professionals, small business owners and local leaders to have a future here. And the families who helped build this community deserve the chance to stay.
Lynny Del Gaizo is mayor of Marathon, FL.
