Greetings to all,

The burden of Property Tax in Florida in the last few years has been unfairly shifted to non-homestead property owners. Unless you live in your Maravilla unit and have registered it in Walton County as your homestead you are a non-homestead property owner. How has this unfair shift in property taxes happened? In 1992 Florida voters approved the Constitutional Amendment called Save Our Homes (SOH) limiting the annual valuation increase of Florida';s homesteaded property. The increase in value of homesteaded property is capped at the lower of three percent (3%) of the prior year';s assessment or the percent change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This law took effect with 1995 taxes.

Due to the increase in property values in past recent years, even if the millage rate is reduced, the property tax of condo owners increased dramatically. The tax for homesteaded property may decrease because their capped value (can not increase more than 3%) when multiplied by the reduced millage rate may result in a reduction of tax. This has caused the shift of the tax burden to non-homestead condo owners.

Homestead property owners have complained because it they sell their home and purchase another home they loose their tax advantage. Their tax is then based on the assessed value of the new home. The result of this is two home owners living side by side with identical houses and one paying considerably more tax than their next door neighbor.

The Florida House and Senate have been working to make dramatic changes in property tax. They are even considering removing property tax from homestead property and replacing in with a sales tax. Much of what they are proposing is not favorable to us as non-homestead property owners.

I am a Maravilla property owner and a member of the CAPEC (Community Association Presidents of the Emerald Coast) Executive Committee. Maravilla is a member association of CAPEC. CAPEC has a Tax Committee that is working to help reduce our property tax by making it fair to non-homestead property owners. 

Below is a link to a letter to be sent to each on the elected officials. This is your chance to have an effect on your property taxes. Complaining later about high taxes will do no good. YOU MUST ACT NOW!!!

Don Bennett
Maravilla Property Owner (Unit 2406)
CAPEC Executive Committee

Letter for Property Tax Relief and Reform for Second Homeowners

Mailing Addresses for Elected Officials in Walton County