Florida Senate - 2021                             CS for SB 1256
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Polsky
       
       
       
       
       
       578-02925-21                                          20211256c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to homestead exemption for seniors 65
    3         and older; amending s. 196.075, F.S.; revising
    4         provisions to require certain taxpayers to submit a
    5         claim for homestead exemption only one time if certain
    6         conditions are met; requiring the property appraiser
    7         to provide specified information related to income
    8         limitations on an annual basis; providing an effective
    9         date.
   10          
   11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   12  
   13         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) and subsection
   14  (5) of section 196.075, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   15         196.075 Additional homestead exemption for persons 65 and
   16  older.—
   17         (4) An ordinance granting an additional homestead exemption
   18  as authorized by this section must meet the following
   19  requirements:
   20         (d) It must require that a taxpayer claiming the exemption
   21  for the first time annually submit to the property appraiser,
   22  not later than March 1, a sworn statement of household income on
   23  a form prescribed by the Department of Revenue.
   24         (5) The department must require by rule that the filing of
   25  the statement be supported by copies of any federal income tax
   26  returns for the prior year, any wage and earnings statements (W
   27  2 forms), any request for an extension of time to file returns,
   28  and any other documents it finds necessary, for each member of
   29  the household, to be submitted for inspection by the property
   30  appraiser. The taxpayer’s sworn statement shall attest to the
   31  accuracy of the documents and grant permission to allow review
   32  of the documents if requested by the property appraiser.
   33  Submission of supporting documentation is not required for the
   34  renewal of an exemption under this section unless the property
   35  appraiser requests such documentation. Once the documents have
   36  been inspected by the property appraiser, they shall be returned
   37  to the taxpayer or otherwise destroyed. Annually, the property
   38  appraiser shall notify each taxpayer of the adjusted income
   39  limitation set forth in subsection (3). The taxpayer must notify
   40  the property appraiser by May 1 if his or her household income
   41  exceeds the most recent adjusted income limitation. The property
   42  appraiser may conduct is authorized to generate random audits of
   43  the taxpayers’ sworn statements to ensure the accuracy of the
   44  household income reported. If so selected for audit, a taxpayer
   45  shall execute Internal Revenue Service Form 8821 or 4506, which
   46  authorizes the Internal Revenue Service to release tax
   47  information to the property appraiser’s office. All reviews
   48  conducted in accordance with this section shall be completed on
   49  or before June 1. The property appraiser may not grant or renew
   50  the exemption if the required documentation requested is not
   51  provided.
   52         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021.