As housing costs continue to increase, Florida voters will be asked in November to give first responders, teachers and military members a bigger property tax break.
In a 37-1 vote, the Senate on Thursday passed a proposal (HJR 1) that will place on the November ballot an expanded homestead exemption for people in targeted professions, a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor.
Sen. Bobby Powell, D-West Palm Beach, voted against the proposal and an accompanying bill (HB 1563), saying lawmakers should focus first on affordable-housing problems as home prices and rents soar.
“I don’t think that us putting another homestead exemption on the ballot alleviates or helps with the situation that we’re currently facing,” Powell said. “I am of the belief that the priority at this point should be to figure out how we can get police and firefighters and teachers into a home, whether it be first-time homebuyers, whatever it be, we need to figure out how to get them into homes.”
Sen. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, said a new state budget will include $100 million to help provide down-payment assistance to people in the targeted fields.
The money would come from $209.5 million going to the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program. It would be used for a new “hometown heroes” assistance program for police officers, firefighters, teachers and nurses.
The House approved the expanded homestead-exemption proposal Feb. 24. It must go before voters because it would be a constitutional amendment.
If approved, it would apply to classroom teachers, law enforcement officers, correctional officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, child-welfare services professionals, active-duty military members and Florida National Guard members.
It is projected to save $80.9 million for the targeted property owners next fiscal year, with the annual savings growing to $93.6 million in five years.
The Florida Association of Counties has expressed concerns the proposal would shift more of the tax burden to renters, who would include members of the targeted professions, and businesses.
Under current law, homeowners can qualify for homestead tax exemptions on the first $25,000 of the appraised value of property. They also can qualify for $25,000 homestead exemptions on the value between $50,000 and $75,000. Any higher property value is taxable.
Under the proposal, homeowners in the targeted professions could receive an additional $50,000 exemption, which would apply to the property value between $100,000 and $150,000.
The current exemption for the value between $50,000 and $75,000 doesn’t apply to property taxes collected for school districts, and neither would the proposed amendment.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2022.
