Florida Senate - 2007                        SENATOR AMENDMENT
    Bill No. SJR 4-B
                        Barcode 720730
                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
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 3         Floor: WD/2R            .                    
       06/14/2007 10:57 AM         .                    
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11  Senators Deutch, Geller, and Ring moved the following
12  amendment:
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14         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
15         Remove everything after the resolving clause, and
16  insert:
17         That the following amendment to Section 4 of Article
18  VII of the State Constitution is agreed to and shall be
19  submitted to the electors of this state for approval or
20  rejection at the next general election or at an earlier
21  special election specifically authorized by law for that
22  purpose:
23                           ARTICLE VII
24                       FINANCE AND TAXATION
25         SECTION 4.  Taxation; assessments.--By general law
26  regulations shall be prescribed which shall secure a just
27  valuation of all property for ad valorem taxation, provided:
28         (a)  Agricultural land, land producing high water
29  recharge to Florida's aquifers, or land used exclusively for
30  noncommercial recreational purposes may be classified by
31  general law and assessed solely on the basis of character or
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    10:32 AM   06/14/07                             s0004Bc-30-2a4

Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. SJR 4-B Barcode 720730 1 use. 2 (b) Pursuant to general law tangible personal property 3 held for sale as stock in trade and livestock may be valued 4 for taxation at a specified percentage of its value, may be 5 classified for tax purposes, or may be exempted from taxation. 6 (c) All persons entitled to a homestead exemption 7 under Section 6 of this Article shall have their homestead 8 assessed at just value as of January 1 of the year following 9 the effective date of this amendment. This assessment shall 10 change only as provided herein. 11 (1) Assessments subject to this provision shall be 12 changed annually on January 1st of each year; but those 13 changes in assessments shall not exceed the lower of the 14 following: 15 a. Three percent (3%) of the assessment for the prior 16 year. 17 b. The percent change in the Consumer Price Index for 18 all urban consumers, U.S. City Average, all items 1967=100, or 19 successor reports for the preceding calendar year as initially 20 reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of 21 Labor Statistics. 22 (2) No assessment shall exceed just value. 23 (3) After any change of ownership, as provided by 24 general law, homestead property shall be assessed at just 25 value as of January 1 of the following year, unless the 26 provisions of paragraph (8) apply. Thereafter, the homestead 27 shall be assessed as provided herein. 28 (4) New homestead property shall be assessed at just 29 value as of January 1st of the year following the 30 establishment of the homestead, unless the provisions of 31 paragraph (8) apply. That assessment shall only change as 2 10:32 AM 06/14/07 s0004Bc-30-2a4
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. SJR 4-B Barcode 720730 1 provided herein. 2 (5) Changes, additions, reductions, or improvements to 3 homestead property shall be assessed as provided for by 4 general law; provided, however, after the adjustment for any 5 change, addition, reduction, or improvement, the property 6 shall be assessed as provided herein. 7 (6) In the event of a termination of homestead status, 8 the property shall be assessed as provided by general law. 9 (7) The provisions of this amendment are severable. If 10 any of the provisions of this amendment shall be held 11 unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, the 12 decision of such court shall not affect or impair any 13 remaining provisions of this amendment. 14 (8) When a person sells his or her homestead property 15 within this state and within one year purchases another 16 property and establishes such property as homestead property, 17 the newly established homestead property shall be initially 18 assessed at less than just value, as provided by general law. 19 The difference between the new homestead property's just value 20 and its assessed value in the first year the homestead is 21 established may not exceed the difference between the previous 22 homestead's just value and its assessed value in the year of 23 sale. In addition, to be assessed as provided in this 24 paragraph, the assessed value of the new homestead must equal 25 or exceed the assessed value of the previous homestead. 26 Thereafter, the homestead shall be assessed as provided 27 herein. 28 (d) The legislature may, by general law, for 29 assessment purposes and subject to the provisions of this 30 subsection, allow counties and municipalities to authorize by 31 ordinance that historic property may be assessed solely on the 3 10:32 AM 06/14/07 s0004Bc-30-2a4
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. SJR 4-B Barcode 720730 1 basis of character or use. Such character or use assessment 2 shall apply only to the jurisdiction adopting the ordinance. 3 The requirements for eligible properties must be specified by 4 general law. 5 (e) A county may, in the manner prescribed by general 6 law, provide for a reduction in the assessed value of 7 homestead property to the extent of any increase in the 8 assessed value of that property which results from the 9 construction or reconstruction of the property for the purpose 10 of providing living quarters for one or more natural or 11 adoptive grandparents or parents of the owner of the property 12 or of the owner's spouse if at least one of the grandparents 13 or parents for whom the living quarters are provided is 62 14 years of age or older. Such a reduction may not exceed the 15 lesser of the following: 16 (1) The increase in assessed value resulting from 17 construction or reconstruction of the property. 18 (2) Twenty percent of the total assessed value of the 19 property as improved. 20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the following statement be 21 placed on the ballot: 22 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 23 ARTICLE VII, SECTION 4 24 HOMESTEAD PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS.--Proposing an amendment 25 to the State Constitution to provide for assessing at less 26 than just value property purchased within one year after a 27 sale of homestead property and established as new homestead 28 property, limited by the difference between the new homestead 29 property's just value and its assessed value in the first year 30 the homestead is established not exceeding the difference 31 between the previous homestead's just value and its assessed 4 10:32 AM 06/14/07 s0004Bc-30-2a4
Florida Senate - 2007 SENATOR AMENDMENT Bill No. SJR 4-B Barcode 720730 1 value in the year of sale and the new homestead property's 2 assessed value equaling or exceeding the old homestead 3 property's assessed value. 4 5 6 7 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 8 And the title is amended as follows:Remove the entire title, 9 and insert: 10 House Joint Resolution 11 A joint resolution proposing an amendment to 12 Section 4 of Article VII of the State 13 Constitution to provide an additional 14 circumstance for assessing homestead property 15 at less than just value. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 5 10:32 AM 06/14/07 s0004Bc-30-2a4