The multi-step process of providing property tax relief for poor senior citizens and widowed spouses of military veterans kicked off Tuesday in the Florida Legislature, when two proposals passed their first House Committee. READ MORE...

Most homeowners know and agree that the Florida Constitution contains a “homestead exemption”. Invariably, that is where the agreement ends. Many people do not realize that there are three different types of “homestead exemption” in the state constitution. This is one part of the Wikipedia article on Florida homestead that is correct – but be careful about the rest. Florida’s Constitution has included homestead exemptions for over a hundred years. They are as follows: READ MORE...

TALLAHASSEE - The powerful budget chief in the Florida Senate -- who also runs a company that owns thousands of acres -- is pushing legislation that would make it harder to take away tax breaks enjoyed by farmers and other large land owners across the state. Read more

Standing in a roomful of mayors, Volusia County Property Appraiser Morgan Gilreath risked sounding patronizing when he cautioned his audience that a PowerPoint presentation on this year's tax estimates would cover some "confusing" elements. Yet no one disputed the description. Elected officials are bracing for the most difficult -- and, yes, confusing -- budget year most have ever seen. Read more

Tough-talking Broward Property Appraiser Lori Parrish called it a "tax dodge" four years ago when Pastor Frederick "Sonny" Irons asked her to grant his $1.9 million Fort Lauderdale waterfront estate tax-exemption as a church called "The Seafarer's Church of the Creator." Read more

TALLAHASSEE | Florida property taxes dropped by $2.28 billion, or 7.5 percent, over the past three years because of tax-cutting measures approved by the Legislature and voters as well as falling real estate values, according to figures presented to a legislative panel Thursday. Read more

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