1 | Representative(s) Richardson offered the following: |
2 |
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3 | Amendment (with ballot statement and title amendments) |
4 | Remove line(s) 348-472 and insert: |
5 | (h) The legislature may, by general law, allow counties or |
6 | municipalities, for the purpose of their respective tax levies |
7 | and subject to the provisions of general law, to grant an |
8 | additional homestead exemption of not more than twenty-five |
9 | thousand dollars to any person who has the legal or equitable |
10 | title to real estate and maintains thereon the permanent |
11 | residence of the owner. The general law must allow counties and |
12 | municipalities to grant this additional exemption, within the |
13 | limits prescribed in this subsection, by ordinance adopted in |
14 | the manner prescribed by general law. |
15 | SECTION 9. Local taxes.-- |
16 | (a) Counties, school districts, and municipalities shall, |
17 | and special districts may, be authorized by law to levy ad |
18 | valorem taxes and may be authorized by general law to levy other |
19 | taxes, for their respective purposes, except ad valorem taxes on |
20 | intangible personal property and taxes prohibited by this |
21 | constitution. |
22 | (b) Ad valorem taxes, exclusive of taxes levied for the |
23 | payment of bonds and taxes levied for periods not longer than |
24 | two years when authorized by vote of the electors who are the |
25 | owners of freeholds therein not wholly exempt from taxation, |
26 | shall not be levied in excess of the following millages upon the |
27 | assessed value of real estate and tangible personal property: |
28 | for all county purposes, ten mills; for all municipal purposes, |
29 | ten mills; for all school purposes, ten mills; for water |
30 | management purposes for the northwest portion of the state lying |
31 | west of the line between ranges two and three east, 0.05 mill; |
32 | for water management purposes for the remaining portions of the |
33 | state, 1.0 mill; and for all other special districts a millage |
34 | authorized by law approved by vote of the electors who are |
35 | owners of freeholds therein not wholly exempt from taxation. A |
36 | county furnishing municipal services may, to the extent |
37 | authorized by law, levy additional taxes within the limits fixed |
38 | for municipal purposes. |
39 | (c) By general law, the legislature shall limit the |
40 | authority of counties, municipalities, and special districts to |
41 | increase ad valorem taxes. |
42 | ARTICLE VIII |
43 | LOCAL GOVERNMENT |
44 | SECTION 1. Counties.-- |
45 | (a) POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS. The state shall be divided by |
46 | law into political subdivisions called counties. Counties may be |
47 | created, abolished or changed by law, with provision for payment |
48 | or apportionment of the public debt. |
49 | (b) COUNTY FUNDS. The care, custody and method of |
50 | disbursing county funds shall be provided by general law. |
51 | (c) GOVERNMENT. Pursuant to general or special law, a |
52 | county government may be established by charter which shall be |
53 | adopted, amended or repealed only upon vote of the electors of |
54 | the county in a special election called for that purpose. |
55 | (d) COUNTY OFFICERS. There shall be elected by the |
56 | electors of each county, for terms of four years, a sheriff, a |
57 | tax collector, a property appraiser, a supervisor of elections, |
58 | and a clerk of the circuit court; except, when provided by |
59 | county charter or special law approved by vote of the electors |
60 | of the county, any county officer other than a property |
61 | appraiser may be chosen in another manner therein specified, or |
62 | any county office other than the office of property appraiser |
63 | may be abolished when all the duties of the office prescribed by |
64 | general law are transferred to another office. When not |
65 | otherwise provided by county charter or special law approved by |
66 | vote of the electors, the clerk of the circuit court shall be ex |
67 | officio clerk of the board of county commissioners, auditor, |
68 | recorder and custodian of all county funds. |
69 | (e) COMMISSIONERS. Except when otherwise provided by |
70 | county charter, the governing body of each county shall be a |
71 | board of county commissioners composed of five or seven members |
72 | serving staggered terms of four years. After each decennial |
73 | census the board of county commissioners shall divide the county |
74 | into districts of contiguous territory as nearly equal in |
75 | population as practicable. One commissioner residing in each |
76 | district shall be elected as provided by law. |
77 | (f) NON-CHARTER GOVERNMENT. Counties not operating under |
78 | county charters shall have such power of self-government as is |
79 | provided by general or special law. The board of county |
80 | commissioners of a county not operating under a charter may |
81 | enact, in a manner prescribed by general law, county ordinances |
82 | not inconsistent with general or special law, but an ordinance |
83 | in conflict with a municipal ordinance shall not be effective |
84 | within the municipality to the extent of such conflict. |
85 | (g) CHARTER GOVERNMENT. Counties operating under county |
86 | charters shall have all powers of local self-government not |
87 | inconsistent with general law, or with special law approved by |
88 | vote of the electors. The governing body of a county operating |
89 | under a charter may enact county ordinances not inconsistent |
90 | with general law. The charter shall provide which shall prevail |
91 | in the event of conflict between county and municipal |
92 | ordinances. |
93 | (h) TAXES; LIMITATION. Property situate within |
94 | municipalities shall not be subject to taxation for services |
95 | rendered by the county exclusively for the benefit of the |
96 | property or residents in unincorporated areas. |
97 | (i) COUNTY ORDINANCES. Each county ordinance shall be |
98 | filed with the custodian of state records and shall become |
99 | effective at such time thereafter as is provided by general law. |
100 | (j) VIOLATION OF ORDINANCES. Persons violating county |
101 | ordinances shall be prosecuted and punished as provided by law. |
102 | (k) COUNTY SEAT. In every county there shall be a county |
103 | seat at which shall be located the principal offices and |
104 | permanent records of all county officers. The county seat may |
105 | not be moved except as provided by general law. Branch offices |
106 | for the conduct of county business may be established elsewhere |
107 | in the county by resolution of the governing body of the county |
108 | in the manner prescribed by law. No instrument shall be deemed |
109 | recorded until filed at the county seat, or a branch office |
110 | designated by the governing body of the county for the recording |
111 | of instruments, according to law. |
112 | ARTICLE XII |
113 | SCHEDULE |
114 | SECTION 27. Elected property appraisers; application.--The |
115 | requirement in Section 1(d) of Article VIII for a property |
116 | appraiser to be elected by the electors of the county shall |
117 | apply in each county, including each charter county, regardless |
118 | of whether the charter was adopted pursuant to Section 1(g) of |
119 | Article VIII or pursuant to Section 9, Section 10, Section 11, |
120 | or Section 24 of Article VIII of the Constitution of 1885, as |
121 | amended and incorporated by reference in Section 6(e) of Article |
122 | VIII. Any county that does not have an elected property |
123 | appraiser on the effective date of the amendment to Section 1 of |
124 | Article VIII of this constitution shall provide for electing a |
125 | property appraiser at the next general election as provided by |
126 | general law. |
127 | SECTION 28. Property tax exemptions and ad valorem tax |
128 | limitations.--The amendments to Sections 3, 4, 6, and 9 of |
129 | Article VII, providing a $25,000 exemption from ad valorem |
130 | taxation for tangible personal property, providing an additional |
131 | $25,000 homestead exemption, authorizing the transfer of the |
132 | accrued benefit from the limitation on the assessment of |
133 | homestead property, providing an additional homestead exemption |
134 | for first-time homestead property owners, providing a complete |
135 | homestead exemption for low-income seniors, providing for |
136 | assessing rent-restricted affordable housing and commercial and |
137 | public-access waterfront property pursuant to general law, |
138 | limiting annual increases in assessments of nonhomestead real |
139 | property, to authorize the legislature to allow counties and |
140 | municipalities to provide by ordinance an additional up to |
141 | $25,000 homestead exemption, and requiring the legislature to |
142 | limit the authority |
143 |
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144 | == B A L L O T S T A T E M E N T A M E N D M E N T == |
145 | Remove line(s) 499-562 and insert: |
146 | diminishes over time for first-time Florida homebuyers, 4) |
147 | authorizes the Legislature to allow counties and municipalities |
148 | to provide an additional homestead exemption by ordinance, and |
149 | 5) provides for the transfer of accumulated Save Our Homes |
150 | benefits. With respect to non-homestead property, this revision |
151 | allows the Legislature to limit ad valorem assessments on 6) |
152 | affordable housing and 7) on working waterfronts under specific |
153 | circumstances, 8) provides a $25,000 exemption for tangible |
154 | personal property, and 9) limits annual increases in assessments |
155 | of nonhomestead real property. Further, this revision 10) |
156 | requires the Legislature to limit the authority of local |
157 | governments other than school districts to increase property |
158 | taxes, and 11) requires all county property appraisers to be |
159 | elected. |
160 | In more detail, this revision: |
161 | 1. Increases the homestead exemption by providing an |
162 | additional $25,000 homestead exemption for the portion of the |
163 | assessed value above $50,000 up to $75,000. This exemption does |
164 | not apply to school taxes. |
165 | 2. Authorizes the Legislature to allow counties and |
166 | municipalities to provide for an additional up to $25,000 |
167 | homestead exemption by ordinance. |
168 | 3. Exempts certain low-income seniors from ad valorem tax |
169 | on their homes. Persons 65 or older whose household income is |
170 | less than $23,604, adjusted annually for inflation, will be |
171 | totally exempt from ad valorem taxes, including school taxes, on |
172 | their homestead property. |
173 | 4. Provides an increased exemption for first-time Florida |
174 | homebuyers beginning in 2008. First-time homebuyers in Florida |
175 | who qualify for homestead exemption will be eligible for an |
176 | additional exemption equal to 25 percent of the assessed value |
177 | of their new home, not to exceed 25 percent of the county median |
178 | homestead just value for the prior year. The amount of the |
179 | exemption will decrease each year by the amount of the home's |
180 | Save Our Homes benefit. When the amount of the home's Save Our |
181 | Homes benefit meets or exceeds this exemption, the exemption is |
182 | lost. This exemption also is available to 2007 first-time |
183 | homebuyers who qualify for homestead exemption January 1, 2008. |
184 | This exemption does not apply to school taxes. |
185 | 5. Provides for the transfer of accumulated Save Our Homes |
186 | benefits. Homestead property owners will be able to transfer |
187 | their Save Our Homes benefit to a new homestead within two years |
188 | of relinquishing their previous homestead exemption; except, if |
189 | the new homestead is established on January 1, 2008, the |
190 | previous homestead must have been relinquished in 2007. If the |
191 | new homestead has a higher just value than the old one, the |
192 | entire benefit can be transferred; if the new homestead has a |
193 | lower just value, the amount of benefit transferred will be |
194 | reduced in proportion of the just value of the new homestead to |
195 | the just value of the old homestead. The transferred benefit may |
196 | not exceed $1 million. This provision does not apply to school |
197 | taxes. |
198 | 6. Provides for assessing certain rent-restricted |
199 | affordable housing property as provided by general law. This |
200 | provision will not apply to school taxes. |
201 | 7. Provides for assessing certain waterfront property used |
202 | for commercial fishing, commercial water-dependent activities, |
203 | and public access as provided by general law. This provision |
204 | will not apply to school taxes. |
205 | 8. Limits increases in assessments each year for all |
206 | property other than homestead property to the lower of 3 percent |
207 | or the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index. |
208 | 9. Authorizes an exemption from ad valorem taxes of |
209 | $25,000 of assessed value of tangible personal property. This |
210 | provision applies to all tax levies. |
211 | 10. Requires the Legislature to limit the authority of |
212 | counties, municipalities, and special districts to increase ad |
213 | valorem taxes. |
214 | 11. Requires each county to have an elected property |
215 |
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216 | ======= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ======= |
217 | Remove line(s) 15 and insert: |
218 | complete homestead exemption for low-income seniors, to |
219 | authorize the Legislature to allow counties and municipalities |
220 | to provide an additional homestead exemption by ordinance, to |