IMPORTANT: The Property Appraiser does NOT set your tax rate or collect the taxes. Our office is responsible for ensuring the fair assessment (value) of all properties and applying all exemptions. Your County Commission, School Board, City Commission, Water District, and other boards set your tax rates.

DID YOU KNOW ... existing Homesteaded owners do not need to re-apply for the additional $25,000 Homestead Exemption. Our office will automatically apply it to all Homesteaded properties starting this year. HAVE MORE QUESTIONS FOR US? You can probably find the answer on our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page.

THE MARKET IS DOWN, BUT FLORIDA LAW INCREASES MOST HOMESTEAD ASSESSMENTS.

Under Florida law, a homestead “recapture” provision may cause your taxable value to rise even if your market value dropped from last year. If you have homestead and your “Save Our Homes” (SOH) value is less than the just (market) value, state law requires that your overall assessed value increase each year by the 3% annual cap level until it eventually reaches the same amount as the market value. Click here to view the applicable law. Almost 400,000 Broward homeowners will unfortunately experience the recapture effects of this law, even though their overall market values fell. Talk to your State Senator and State Representative if you believe this recapture provision should be amended or repealed.

SHORT SALES, FORECLOSURES, ASSESSMENTS AND YOUR 2008 TAXES.

If you purchase a property in a foreclosure or short sale, your actual purchase price may not reflect the just (market) value used for determining your taxes. Instead, Florida law requires our office to use the reasonable market price of a sale of similar homes in your neighborhood (or a similar area) sold under normal financial conditions to determine the assessment. Regardless of your 2008 purchase price, assessments in Florida are done a year in arrears. This means your 2008 assessment is based on the sales in your neighborhood (excluding foreclosures, short sales and non-arm's length transactions) between January 2, 2007 and January 1, 2008.

DID YOU MISS THE MARCH 3rd DEADLINE TO FILE FOR A 2008 HOMESTEAD?

Don't worry. Florida law allows for late filing for Tax Year-2008 through September 19, 2008. Our office accepts late Homestead applications and helps taxpayers prepare the required petitions to the Broward County Value Adjustment Board (VAB) for all eligible properties. To claim a 2008 Homestead, you must have purchased, be named on the title, and moved onto the property on or before January 1, 2008, and meet certain other residency qualifications of having a Florida driver's license/ID card and a voter card (or recorded Declaration of Domicile) showing the address. For a late application to be granted for 2008, you must file a late filing paperwork with the VAB accompanied by a $15 non-refundable filing fee. To learn more about filing for a valuable Homestead Exemption, please click here or use our online homestead filing system. And, FYI, if you purchased and moved into your home after January 1, 2008, you can pre-file online now for your 2009 homestead exemption.

Bring your children when you
file for Homestead ... we've even
got a place for them to
play when you visit
our Main Office!

NEW FOR 2008: HOMESTEAD PORTABILITY, THE $50,000 HOMESTEAD, AND THE TPP EXEMPTION.

Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a new constitutional amendment in January 2008 which grants added tax relief to property owners. The amendment doubles the homestead exemption to $50,000; gives homesteaded owners the "portability" right to move Save Our Homes benefits to a new homesteaded property; grants businesses and mobile home residents a $25,000 break on tangible personal property taxes; and caps annual increases for non-homesteaded properties to no more than 10%. Most importantly, the proposal fully preserved our existing 3% Save Our Homes cap. Also, Homesteaded owners do NOT need to apply for the additional savings, as the $50,000 homestead exemption amount will be automatically applied starting this year. The Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) has drafted the initial forms, guidelines and administrative rules to implement the rest of these new benefits. Click here to visit the DOR website tracking these developments. You can also read the enabling legislation for the amendment by clicking here if you'd like to learn more.

If you had homestead on one Florida property in 2007 and are now seeking to move your homestead to a new location in 2008:

** Click here to download the new portability application **

Please return the completed portability form to our office by mail (Property Appraiser's Office, 115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 111, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33301); or (attach in PDF format); or by fax (954.357.8474).

If you are a Broward business owner, filing your 2008 tangible personal property tax return with our office will also serve as your application for the new $25,000 exemption on tangible personal property.

BRINGING CUSTOMER SERVICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

Did you know we hold a community outreach session every Wednesday at 11:30 am in Representative Jack Seiler's office at Pompano Beach City Hall? Property Appraiser Lori Parrish is enhancing our office's community outreach efforts. We're constantly adding new customer service outreach events at condos, city halls, businesses, and other community locations throughout Broward to our online calendar of upcoming events. If you'd like to have someone from our office meet with taxpayers at an upcoming meeting of your condo/homeowners or civic association, please contact Community Outreach Coordinator Kelly Brown at 954.357.6035 or .

WE'RE VISITING NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND BROWARD!

By state law, we must personally view each property in Broward County at least once every five years. That is why our residential appraisers are busy these days inspecting, measuring and photographing the exteriors of properties throughout Broward. Our appraisers are easy to recognize: all of them wear official shirts and bright orange vests clearly identifying them as BCPA staff, and each carries a BCPA photo identification card and badge. Feel free to ask to see an ID if you have any concerns. Important Note: Our appraisers will NEVER ask to enter your home, and we will NEVER enter locked backyards. If you have questions about these inspections, please contact our office at 954.357.6831.

If you have any suggestions for improving our office, .

Sincerely,

LORI PARRISH, CFA
Broward County Property Appraiser