Florida's constitution is far too easy to amend, some amendments getting on the ballot because of large amounts of money and time spent by outside the state interests. The kicker here is that although the SOH (Save Our Homes) amendment was easy to pass, it would be nearly impossible to remove by the same process. Why? Because the homeowners that are paying 1/4 the property taxes that newer home owners are paying would never vote to raise their own taxes by a factor of at least 2.
Even though I benefited from it when I lived there, having owned my home for more than 25 years, it is a crime for two identical homes, side by side, to have one paying $800 and the other $2800 in yearly property taxes. Uh, yeah, the $800 was me.
I support the sales tax idea instead of a property tax. Everyone should pay for the libraries, schools etc. they use and not just the property owners.
our property tax doubled this last year from the year before (almost 5K this year!!) and so did our home owners’ insurance. it was sickening.
I think value that a home is taxed should be “locked” when a house is bought or sold. The taxes should not go up or down for people who stay in their homes for their entire life. If a house goes up in value, the taxes should NOT be increased if the owner is not selling.
When I was the age of the guy in the article, I had a one year old child and was general manager of a company. We lived in a two bedroom highrise apartment in Canada. We only dreamed of buying a house... this guy has a three bedroom house and thinks he’s being shafted. Sigh.
Florida needs a version of California's "Proposition 13".
But I'm not sure it's a crime in that two identical homes scenario....say I bought my home 30 years ago for $30K - versus the guy next door who just payed $300K - said guy next door knew damn well what he was getting into.
Not necessarily. Prop 13 in California does the same thing. Property tax is usually based either on purchase price or current value. How long have you been paying the $800.00 and what percentage is that of the price you paid for the property?
To rectify the situation, would you suggest you pay a tax based on the assessed value?
I live in St. mary’s County Maryland,and my Tax Assessment doubled this year. They didnt raise the taxes mind you, they just doubled the Assessment. It amounts to the same thing though doesnt it? Just another slick move.
The infamous “Prop 13” enacted many years ago in California has had the same result. We bought our house in 1990 and pay about $2600 a year in taxes. The guy next door to us with the same house pays $6200 because he bought it in 2005.
We had thought seriously of moving to Florida to be nearer to family, but the tax and insurance problems there are making us reconsider.
No, the problem is that Florida is Florida.
You want to live there, prepare to pay.
Colorado does it right. If the value of your house goes up, the state gets more tax revenue and the politicians boast about not raising taxes. If house value goes down or remains the same, property taxes are raised “for the children”. No problem./sarc
Now I have a little bit of a hard time empathizing with this guy because he needs a house bigger than 1100 square feet with one child on the way. I think our first house was about 800 square feet, and we had plenty of room with just one child.
But aside from that, the problem is not SOH, the problem is the excessive re-evaluation of the property value, once the house changes hands. Just put a cap on the amount they can reassess the house at, and the problem would be solved.
I don't have sympathy for second home owners, or for those in the rental property business.
It's just like any business there are risks you take when you go in, but they could curb the amount they could reasses the property at each year and I think that would go a long way to pacifying rental property owners.
Florida is a "no income tax" state. We've lived in other states and paid 7% or so in state income tax, so if you consider that Floridians aren't paying state income tax, IMO, the tax burden is not as bad as it sounds.
Doesn’t bother me. I’ve lived in my home for 15 years and my taxes have barely budged. Better than that my INSURANCE has barely budged (I have no idea why).
These people are paying the same if not less in property tax than their previous out of Florida house. Do they even consider what they save in income tax?
And the best part of it is is that if they live in THEIR house for 15 years like I have they can be making out like bandits too!
If I sell my house tomorrow and get one for two or three times the price I expect to pay property tax on that amount. Where the hell is the surprise? Or is it just class warfare?
Oh, the Florida constitution isn’t that easy to amend anymore. Takes 60% super majority! (Thank God).
Membership : 1
Property taxes are government rent.
I can just guess what the FL legislature will do in order to bring “property tax relief” to younger people. They’ll want to raise the sales tax.
“Even though I benefited from it when I lived there, having owned my home for more than 25 years, it is a crime for two identical homes, side by side, to have one paying $800 and the other $2800 in yearly property taxes. Uh, yeah, the $800 was me.?”
You want criminal? my townhouse property taxes were $8300.00 in 2006, up from $6800 in 2005.
Where?
Bill From New Jersey.
When the law was passed the average value of a home was about $125,000 with an annual tax bill of $2,000.
Once home prices went up to an an average value of 300,000 with a tax bill of $6,000 the Jebster and his pals should have capped property taxes statewide at $6,000 per, but no, they stood buy and kept hiring more apparatchiks and kept spending while state and local tax revenues tripled and quadrupled and people buying new houses were socked with, 8,10, 12, and 14,000 annual tax bills.
Now a bunch of outrageous bastards are trying to say the people paying a normal tax rate are somehow to blame.
Governor Suntan is against the sales tax replacement of the property tax and "Portability" will be found unconstitutional by the crooks on the Florida supreme court.
The only rational solution is a maximum property tax of $5,000 on properties valued under a million dollars, state tax revenues to be cut to 1995 levels adjusted every year or inflation and thats it.
The crooked politicans in both parties love our money too much to accept that simple solution, they will pass some miniscule tax cut, declare victory and leave everyone wondering why they still have yearly tax bills between $10-20,000.
Are you kidding me? Real estate taxes around here are $25,000 and up. I'd be very happy to pay only $2,800/yr.
Changing the property tax appraisal system isn't going to magically give you $5,000 back every year. The government schools are still going to need to be paid for. They are just going to hike your other taxes instead.
My rent property taxes are $8,000 this year. 5 years ago they were $4,000. The public schools have been expanding by double digits every year, and are spending $14,000 per student. Doesn't matter which arm they put the needle in, if they keep this up they are going to kill the host.
And for those taxes you get some of the worst public schools in the nation, subpar local law enforcement (in many counties), and irregular public services.