Homeowners by now should have received their TRIM (Truth-in-Millage) tax notice in the mail. If you haven’t opened it, you should, especially if you bought a house recently.
That’s because the property taxes you paid last year could have drastically changed this go-round. Just last week, the St. Lucie County Property Appraiser’s Office fielded 1,325 phone calls and assisted 451 customers – half reach out to complain that, as new residents, they’re paying more for essentially the same property as their long-established neighbor.
“They say, ‘It’s not fair,’” Property Appraiser Michelle Franklin said of many of the callers. “My response – ‘You’re right. It’s not.’”
Years ago, now, residents voted in favor of the Homestead Exemption, which allows homeowners who have resided within the home for at least one full year up to $50,000 in non-taxable value.
For instance, a $250,000 home that qualifies for the full $50,000 homestead exemption would be taxed on an assessed value of $200,000.
It’s complicated and prompts a multitude of questions.
To add to the complications, voters a decade ago approved a measure that caps property taxes on non-homestead properties from increasing more than 10 percent year over year.
And, there’s the Save Our Homes measure, which allows homestead property owners to sell their home and buy another – in Florida – and retain the homestead protections.
“We gear up for (the calls),” Franklin said. “It’s all hands on deck.”
And that’s the way she likes it. Though many of the answers can be found the office’s website, Franklin said she’d rather have people call or come in because each property has its own set of circumstances.
Numerous calls Franklin’s office also receives have to do with complaints that the taxes are too high – not that their property value is too high, but that the various municipalities and governmental entities are levying too many taxes. Franklin often refers callers to those governmental entities, be they Port St. Lucie City Hall, St. Lucie Public Schools, St. Lucie County or the others that make up the tax bill. For her part, Franklin’s office handles assessing properties for their taxable value; she doesn’t collect taxes or set tax rates.
Those who do differ in opinion regarding their property’s value can file a petition for review through the St. Lucie Clerk of Court. Franklin said she’d rather residents first try to work things out with her office directly before going to the court.
“If we agree to disagree, then go through the Value Adjustment Board,” she said. Often, residents wind up learning that homes in their area and similar in nature were sold for more than what they were purchased for – which would increase their own home’s value.
Sometimes, though, the Property Appraiser’s Office learns something new about the community, such as changes in roadways or other things that could adversely affect values.
“We may learn something new ourselves,” Franklin said. “And that’s wonderful.”
“We know 170,000 properties better than you,” she said. “But you know your property best.”
St. Lucie Clerk of the Circuit Court Joe Smith expects a larger turnout this year for petitions regarding assessed values.
“As home prices and taxable values continue to increase, we expect more petitions to be filed,” he said. “In 2018, there were 1,024 petitions filed, up from 974 filed in 2017.”
Homeowners have until Sept. 10 to file a petition. Each petition is $15 plus a service fee and can be filed online at www.StLucieClerk.com/vab.
VAB is short for Value Adjustment Board, an independent third-party board that hears the petitions and considers evidence from both the homeowner and the Property Appraiser’s Office. The board consists of two county commissioners, one School Board member, and two citizen members who approve and hire special magistrates to settle disputes during scheduled quasi-judicial hearings.
“The process from hearing of the petition to the recommendation being reviewed and approved by the Value Adjustment Board could take anywhere from two to three months,” Smith said. “Generally, the Value Adjustment Board’s final meeting is in March. The petitioner is required to make a partial payment before the delinquency date.”