Florida voters will decide on four state constitutional amendments in November.

Amendment 1 deals with the future of solar energy in Florida. Amendment 2 will legalize medical marijuana.

Amendments 3 and 5 are related to property taxes. Here is what they mean.

  • Amendment 3 provides property tax relief to first responders disabled in line of duty
  • Amendment 5 fixes previous amendment providing special tax exemption for some seniors
  • FLORIDA DECIDES COVERAGE: Latest headlines | How to vote in Florida

AMENDMENT 3 SUMMARY

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to authorize a first responder, who is totally and permanently disabled as a result of injuries sustained in the line of duty, to receive relief from ad valorem taxes assessed on homestead property, if authorized by general law. If approved by voters, the amendment takes effect January 1, 2017.

What is Amendment 3 about?

Amendment 3 lets the legislature offer a complete or partial property tax break for first responders who have been permanently disabled in the line of duty. It applies only to the first responder's homestead property. Floridians can only designate one property as a homestead property, usually a permanent residence.

How much of an exemption is it?

Basically, they would not pay property taxes on their home. A similar exemption already exists for widows of veterans and first responders killed in the line of duty.

Who qualifies?

The amendment defines a first responder as a law enforcement officer, correctional officer, firefighter, an emergency medical technician or paramedic.

What kind of injury qualifies a first responder?

The injury has to render the first responder completely and permanently disabled, and that injury must be sustained in the line of duty. A first responder with a chronic condition or disease that is not an injury may qualify only if it was caused in the line of duty alone. An example might be first responders who worked at ground zero after 9/11 and later were diagnosed with a respiratory disease that rendered them incapable of work.

Central Florida has seen several law enforcement officers incapacitated in the line of duty in recent years.

Reporter Bailey Myers spoke to former Orange County Deputy Adam Pierce and former Orlando Police Officer William Anderson last month about the amendment. Both say it will provide welcome financial relief as these officers struggle to pay everyday bills on top of their medical bills.

AMENDMENT 5 SUMMARY

Proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to revise the homestead tax exemption that may be granted by counties or municipalities for property with just value less than $250,000 owned by certain senior, low-income, long-term residents to specify that just value is determined in the first tax year the owner applies and is eligible for the exemption. The amendment takes effect January 1, 2017, and applies retroactively to exemptions granted before January 1, 2017.

What does this amendment do?

Basically, Amendment 5 fixes another constitutional amendment.

In 2012, voters approved an amendment that provided low-income, longtime Florida seniors with a bigger homestead exemption.

The problem is, residents were only eligible for it if their home was valued at less than $250,000. When their home's value went up beyond that $250,000 threshold, they were no longer eligible for the special exemption.

This amendment fixes that.

How does it work?

Say you bought your home in the 1980s. Fast forward to 2013, after the amendment passed. You're 65 years old or older. Your home is worth $205,000. You live on a fixed income not exceeding $20,000 a year. You qualify for the special exemption.

Now it's 2016. Your home is now worth $260,000. Under the constitution as it is currently written, you would lose your special exemption. Your property taxes go up — possibly to unaffordable levels.

If Amendment 5 passes, you will not lose that exemption, even though your home's value exceeds $250,000. The exemption will remain based on your property value when you first got the exemption.

Who qualifies for the exemption?

You must be a legal and permanent resident of Florida, 65 years old or older, making no more than $20,000 a year. You also must have lived in your home for no less than 25 years, according to the amendment.

The amendment takes effect Jan. 1, 2017. What if I got my exemption before that?

The amendment retroactively applies to all exemptions granted before Jan. 1, 2017. So the change means you should be able to keep your exemption.

Reporter Sarah Panko spoke to Lake County residents about Amendment 5 last month. One Mount Dora resident said that without the amendment, he would not be able to afford the home he built more than 30 years ago.