• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

Property Tax Overhaul Passes House: Breaks For New Home Buyers, Business, Snowbirds

May 2, 2011 | FlaglerLive | 1 Comment

Desperately seeking a way up from ther gutter. (baissie)

First-time home buyers, business owners and snowbirds will get new property tax breaks under a proposed constitutional amendment passed in the House on Monday.

The measure (HJR 381), if also approved by the Senate, would allow voters to decide whether to put a 5 percent cap on property tax assessment increases for business owners, investors and landlords that own “non-homestead” property.


Click On:

  • Property Tax Reform: 50% Exemptions, Breaks for Investors, Losses for Local Governments
  • County Property Values Fall Another 14%; Palm Coast: -12%; Tax Rates Heading Up
  • Florida’s Deficit Grows by $135 Million, To $3.75 Billion, As Growth Remains Anemic


Voters would also decide whether to give first-time home buyers a tax break of 50 percent of the assessed value of their home, capped at 50 percent of the median home value in their county.

Current law puts a cap of 10 percent on assessment increases for non-homestead properties.

“If this House is truly about stimulating jobs, this is a bill that tells the business community ‘We are not going to penalize you anymore,’ ” said Rep. Fred Costello, R-Ormond Beach. The measure passed on a 105-11 vote.

This bill is a big priority for Florida Realtors, who got a similar measure passed in 2009, but saw it struck down by the courts for confusing ballot language. Realtors said this year’s effort should better survive a court challenge.

Supporters of the proposal say it helps correct inequity in the property tax system. Under the “Save Our Homes” law, owner-occupied homes – those with a homestead exemption – have their tax assessment increases capped at 3 percent.


This has caused many counties to rely more heavily on the non-homestead properties, such as businesses, apartments and investment properties for tax revenue, backers say. But the bill is opposed by cities and counties, whose officials say they stand to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Opponents say it will cause cities and counties to look at new sources of revenue, yielding tax increases to all property owners.

House Minority Leader Ron Saunders, R-Key West, broke ranks with many Democrats to support the bill.

“This amendment is for tax fairness,” said Saunders, whose district is home to many snowbirds and vacation home owners who are subjected to the current 10 percent assessment cap and face higher tax bills than those in owner-occupied homes.

The Senate has yet to take up the companion measure or withdraw it from its last committee stop. Realtor lobbyist John Sebree said they are “obviously working hard for that.”

Another bill (HB 1053) would put the proposed amendment on the presidential primary ballot in early 2012. House Democrats voted Monday to not stray from an earlier position to oppose putting any constitutional amendments on the presidential primary ballot. Republicans need Democratic votes to pass HB 1053, because 90 votes are needed to put the measure on the January ballot.

Lawmakers are also examining other property tax cuts. The Senate passed an expansion of an existing property tax break for disabled military veterans on Monday. The measure (SJR 592) was passed unanimously.

Also part of the budget talks is a proposal to require Florida’s water management districts to reduce their tax rates later this year and require more legislative involvement in district budgets.

–Lilly Rockwell, News Service of Florida

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. notasenior says

    May 3, 2011 at 9:16 am

    There is a reason why property values are going down 15% a year – SAVE OUR HOMES! More people are moving to the Carolinas and Georgia because of Florida’s discriminatory property tax laws.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • WNZF Creekside Festival

Recent Comments

  • Pierre Tristam on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • Concerned Citizen on Sean Barry, 33, Found Hanging at County Jail and Dies at Hospital. He’d Been Waiting for a Drug-Treatment Bed.
  • Sick and tired on Sean Barry, 33, Found Hanging at County Jail and Dies at Hospital. He’d Been Waiting for a Drug-Treatment Bed.
  • Algernon on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • Sherry on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • Justbob on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • Whiplash on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • Sherri S on Clarence Thomas Secretly Participated in Koch Network Donor Events
  • Dee Ree on At Root of Palm Coast’s Affordable Housing Crisis: We Got Our Own. Screw the Rest. 
  • David Myth on Flagler County Approves Higher Taxes, Palm Coast Stays Level, But Claims of ‘Historic’ Rollback Are Inaccurate
  • Camille Esposito on Palm Coast Council Member Steps Back from Malacompra Beach Annexation, Opting for ‘Different Options’
  • Robert Joseph Fortier on Covid Deaths in Florida Near 91,000
  • Robert Joseph Fortier on Sean Barry, 33, Found Hanging at County Jail and Dies at Hospital. He’d Been Waiting for a Drug-Treatment Bed.
  • Pierre Tristam on At Root of Palm Coast’s Affordable Housing Crisis: We Got Our Own. Screw the Rest. 
  • JimboXYZ on Green Growth Is Losing Traction. De-Growth Is Not.
  • Tired of it on Rupert Murdoch’s Legacy of Lies and Little Accountability: A Round-Up

Log in