Amendment
Bill No. 0003B
Amendment No. 489197
CHAMBER ACTION
Senate House
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1Representative(s) Domino offered the following:
2
3     Substitute Amendment for Amendment (087435) (with title
4amendment)
5Remove everything after the resolving clause, and insert:
6     That the following amendment to Section 4 of Article VII of
7the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be submitted to
8the electors of this state for approval or rejection at the next
9general election or at an earlier special election specifically
10authorized by law for that purpose:
11
ARTICLE VII
12
FINANCE AND TAXATION
13     SECTION 4.  Taxation; assessments.--By general law
14regulations shall be prescribed which shall secure a just
15valuation of all property for ad valorem taxation, provided:
16     (a)  Agricultural land, land producing high water recharge
17to Florida's aquifers, or land used exclusively for
18noncommercial recreational purposes may be classified by general
19law and assessed solely on the basis of character or use.
20     (b)  Pursuant to general law tangible personal property
21held for sale as stock in trade and livestock may be valued for
22taxation at a specified percentage of its value, may be
23classified for tax purposes, or may be exempted from taxation.
24     (c)  All persons entitled to a homestead exemption under
25Section 6 of this Article shall have their homestead assessed at
26just value as of January 1 of the year following the effective
27date of this amendment. This assessment shall change only as
28provided herein.
29     (1)  Assessments subject to this provision shall be changed
30annually on January 1st of each year; but those changes in
31assessments shall not exceed the lower of the following:
32     a.  Three percent (3%) of the assessment for the prior
33year.
34     b.  The percent change in the Consumer Price Index for all
35urban consumers, U.S. City Average, all items 1967=100, or
36successor reports for the preceding calendar year as initially
37reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of
38Labor Statistics.
39     (2)  No assessment shall exceed just value.
40     (3)  After any change of ownership, as provided by general
41law, homestead property shall be assessed at just value as of
42January 1 of the following year, unless the provisions of
43paragraph (8) apply. Thereafter, the homestead shall be assessed
44as provided herein.
45     (4)  New homestead property shall be assessed at just value
46as of January 1st of the year following the establishment of the
47homestead, unless the provisions of paragraph (8) apply. That
48assessment shall only change as provided herein.
49     (5)  Changes, additions, reductions, or improvements to
50homestead property shall be assessed as provided for by general
51law; provided, however, after the adjustment for any change,
52addition, reduction, or improvement, the property shall be
53assessed as provided herein.
54     (6)  In the event of a termination of homestead status, the
55property shall be assessed as provided by general law.
56     (7)  The provisions of this amendment are severable. If any
57of the provisions of this amendment shall be held
58unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the
59decision of such court shall not affect or impair any remaining
60provisions of this amendment.
61     (8)  When a person sells his or her homestead property
62within this state and within one year purchases another property
63and establishes such property as homestead property, the newly
64established homestead property shall be initially assessed at
65less than just value, as provided by general law. The difference
66between the new homestead property's just value and its assessed
67value in the first year the homestead is established may not
68exceed the difference between the previous homestead's just
69value and its assessed value in the year of sale. In addition,
70to be assessed as provided in this paragraph, the assessed value
71of the new homestead must equal or exceed the assessed value of
72the previous homestead. Thereafter, the homestead shall be
73assessed as provided herein.
74     (d)  The legislature may, by general law, for assessment
75purposes and subject to the provisions of this subsection, allow
76counties and municipalities to authorize by ordinance that
77historic property may be assessed solely on the basis of
78character or use. Such character or use assessment shall apply
79only to the jurisdiction adopting the ordinance. The
80requirements for eligible properties must be specified by
81general law.
82     (e)  A county may, in the manner prescribed by general law,
83provide for a reduction in the assessed value of homestead
84property to the extent of any increase in the assessed value of
85that property which results from the construction or
86reconstruction of the property for the purpose of providing
87living quarters for one or more natural or adoptive grandparents
88or parents of the owner of the property or of the owner's spouse
89if at least one of the grandparents or parents for whom the
90living quarters are provided is 62 years of age or older. Such a
91reduction may not exceed the lesser of the following:
92     (1)  The increase in assessed value resulting from
93construction or reconstruction of the property.
94     (2)  Twenty percent of the total assessed value of the
95property as improved.
96     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be
97placed on the ballot:
98
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
99
ARTICLE VII, SECTION 4
100     HOMESTEAD PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS.--Proposing an amendment to
101the State Constitution to provide for assessing at less than
102just value property purchased within one year after a sale of
103homestead property and established as new homestead property,
104limited by the difference between the new homestead property's
105just value and its assessed value in the first year the
106homestead is established not exceeding the difference between
107the previous homestead's just value and its assessed value in
108the year of sale and the new homestead property's assessed value
109equaling or exceeding the old homestead property's assessed
110value.
111
112=========== T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ========
113     Remove the entire title, and insert:
114
House Joint Resolution
115A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 4 of
116Article VII of the State Constitution to provide an
117additional circumstance for assessing homestead property
118at less than just value.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.