Senate Bill sb1470

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1470

    By Senator Saunders





    37-1428-07                                          See HB 389

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to proposed property tax

  3         notices; amending s. 200.069, F.S.; revising

  4         the form of the notice of proposed property

  5         taxes to include certain millage rates;

  6         amending s. 200.065, F.S.; conforming a

  7         cross-reference; providing an effective date.

  8  

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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11         Section 1.  Subsections (2), (4), and (6) of section

12  200.069, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:

13         200.069  Notice of proposed property taxes and non-ad

14  valorem assessments.--Pursuant to s. 200.065(2)(b), the

15  property appraiser, in the name of the taxing authorities and

16  local governing boards levying non-ad valorem assessments

17  within his or her jurisdiction and at the expense of the

18  county, shall prepare and deliver by first-class mail to each

19  taxpayer to be listed on the current year's assessment roll a

20  notice of proposed property taxes, which notice shall contain

21  the elements and use the format provided in the following

22  form. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 195.022, no county

23  officer shall use a form other than that provided herein. The

24  Department of Revenue may adjust the spacing and placement on

25  the form of the elements listed in this section as it

26  considers necessary based on changes in conditions

27  necessitated by various taxing authorities. If the elements

28  are in the order listed, the placement of the listed columns

29  may be varied at the discretion and expense of the property

30  appraiser, and the property appraiser may use printing

31  technology and devices to complete the form, the spacing, and

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1470
    37-1428-07                                          See HB 389




 1  the placement of the information in the columns. A county

 2  officer may use a form other than that provided by the

 3  department for purposes of this part, but only if his or her

 4  office pays the related expenses and he or she obtains prior

 5  written permission from the executive director of the

 6  department; however, a county officer may not use a form the

 7  substantive content of which is at variance with the form

 8  prescribed by the department. The county officer may continue

 9  to use such an approved form until the law that specifies the

10  form is amended or repealed or until the officer receives

11  written disapproval from the executive director.

12         (2)  The notice shall further contain information

13  applicable to the specific parcel in question. The information

14  shall be in columnar form. There shall be eight five column

15  headings which shall read: "Taxing Authority," "Your Property

16  Taxes Last Year," "Millage Rate Last Year," "Your Taxes This

17  Year IF PROPOSED Budget Change is Made," "Millage Rate This

18  Year IF PROPOSED Budget Change is Made," "A Public Hearing on

19  the Proposed Taxes and Budget Will be Held:," and "Your Taxes

20  This Year IF NO Budget Change is Made," and "Millage Rate IF

21  NO Budget Change is Made."

22         (4)  For each entry listed in subsection (3), there

23  shall appear on the notice the following:

24         (a)  In the first column, a brief, commonly used name

25  for the taxing authority or its governing body. The entry in

26  the first column for the levy required pursuant to s.

27  1011.60(6) shall be "By State Law." The entry for other

28  operating school district levies shall be "By Local Board."

29  Both school levy entries shall be indented and preceded by the

30  notation "Public Schools:". For each voted levy for debt

31  service, the entry shall be "Voter Approved Debt Payments."

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1470
    37-1428-07                                          See HB 389




 1         (b)  In the second column, the gross amount of ad

 2  valorem taxes levied against the parcel in the previous year.

 3  If the parcel did not exist in the previous year, the second

 4  column shall be blank.

 5         (c)  In the third column, the millage rate for ad

 6  valorem taxes levied against the parcel in the previous year.

 7  If the parcel did not exist in the previous year, the second

 8  column shall be blank.

 9         (d)(c)  In the fourth third column, the gross amount of

10  ad valorem taxes proposed to be levied in the current year,

11  which amount shall be based on the proposed millage rates

12  provided to the property appraiser pursuant to s.

13  200.065(2)(b) or, in the case of voted levies for debt

14  service, the millage rate previously authorized by referendum,

15  and the taxable value of the parcel as shown on the current

16  year's assessment roll.

17         (e)  In the fifth column, the proposed millage rate for

18  ad valorem taxes to be levied against the parcel in the

19  current year as provided in paragraph (d).

20         (f)(d)  In the sixth fourth column, the date, the time,

21  and a brief description of the location of the public hearing

22  required pursuant to s. 200.065(2)(c).

23         (g)(e)  In the seventh fifth column, the gross amount

24  of ad valorem taxes which would apply to the parcel in the

25  current year if each taxing authority were to levy the

26  rolled-back rate computed pursuant to s. 200.065(1) or, in the

27  case of voted levies for debt service, the amount previously

28  authorized by referendum.

29         (h)  In the eighth column, the millage rate for ad

30  valorem taxes to be levied against the parcel if no budget

31  change is made.

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1470
    37-1428-07                                          See HB 389




 1         (i)(f)  For special assessments collected utilizing the

 2  ad valorem method pursuant to s. 197.363, the previous year's

 3  assessment amount shall be added to the ad valorem taxes shown

 4  in the second and seventh fifth columns, and the amount

 5  proposed to be imposed for the current year shall be added to

 6  the ad valorem taxes shown in the fourth third column.

 7         (6)  Following the entries for each taxing authority, a

 8  final entry shall show: in the first column, the words "Total

 9  Property Taxes:" and in the second, fourth third, and seventh

10  fifth columns, the sum of the entries for each of the

11  individual taxing authorities. The second, fourth third, and

12  seventh fifth columns shall, immediately below said entries,

13  be labeled Column 1, Column 2, and Column 3, respectively.

14  Below these labels shall appear, in boldfaced type, the

15  statement: SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR EXPLANATION.

16         Section 2.  Subsection (10) of section 200.065, Florida

17  Statutes, is amended to read:

18         200.065  Method of fixing millage.--

19         (10)  Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph

20  (2)(b) and s. 200.069(4)(d)(c) to the contrary, the proposed

21  millage rates provided to the property appraiser by the taxing

22  authority, except for millage rates adopted by referendum, for

23  rates authorized by s. 1011.71, and for rates required by law

24  to be in a specified millage amount, shall be adjusted in the

25  event that a review notice is issued pursuant to s.

26  193.1142(4) and the taxable value on the approved roll is at

27  variance with the taxable value certified pursuant to

28  subsection (1). The adjustment shall be made by the property

29  appraiser, who shall notify the taxing authorities affected by

30  the adjustment within 5 days of the date the roll is approved

31  pursuant to s. 193.1142(4). The adjustment shall be such as to

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    Florida Senate - 2007                                  SB 1470
    37-1428-07                                          See HB 389




 1  provide for no change in the dollar amount of taxes levied

 2  from that initially proposed by the taxing authority.

 3         Section 3.  This act shall take effect January 1, 2008.

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