Friday, March 23, 2012
New property tax appeals process could surprise homeowners
Thousands of Florida homeowners may soon be in for a rude awakening: appeals to reduce their property assessments will be automatically tossed out if they have not paid most of their property tax bill by March 31.
A new state law passed last year requires homeowners who challenge their property tax valuations to pay at least 75 percent of the disputed bill before the end of March. The penalty: automatic disqualification from the appeals process, which thousands of Floridians have used to save hundreds of dollars in taxes during the housing downturn.
“Most people on the street don’t even know this is coming,” said Barry Sharpe, president of Property Tax Appeal Group in Miami-Dade County, where the change will have the biggest impact. “I have a feeling that people are going to flip when they find out about this.”
Full article: http://www.wmmbam.co … 4668&article=9935575
