Florida Senate - 2026                                     SB 284
       
       
        
       By Senator Bernard
       
       
       
       
       
       24-00666-26                                            2026284__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the assessment of property owned
    3         and used by small businesses; creating s. 193.1553,
    4         F.S.; defining the term “small business”; providing
    5         that real property owned and used for commercial
    6         purposes by small businesses will be assessed at just
    7         value after a certain date; prohibiting the annual
    8         change in assessed value from exceeding a specified
    9         amount; requiring that the assessed value of the
   10         property be lowered to the just value of the property
   11         under certain circumstances; providing that a change
   12         in ownership or control of the property will cause the
   13         property to be assessed at just value; requiring and
   14         authorizing the Department of Revenue to adopt rules;
   15         providing criminal and civil penalties; providing a
   16         contingent effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Section 193.1553, Florida Statutes, is created
   21  to read:
   22         193.1553 Assessment of property owned and used by small
   23  businesses.—
   24         (1) As used in this section, the term “small business” has
   25  the same meaning as in s. 288.703.
   26         (2) Real property owned and used for commercial purposes by
   27  a small business will be assessed at just value as of January 1
   28  of the year following the year in which the property first
   29  qualifies as property owned and used by a qualifying small
   30  business. Thereafter, the annual change in assessed value may
   31  not exceed the lesser of:
   32         (a) Three percent of the assessment for the prior year; or
   33         (b) The percent change in the Consumer Price Index for All
   34  Urban Consumers, U.S. City Average, all items 1967=100, or a
   35  successor index, for the preceding calendar year as initially
   36  reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of
   37  Labor Statistics.
   38         (3) If the assessed value of the property as calculated
   39  under subsection (2) exceeds the just value, the assessed value
   40  of the property must be lowered to the just value of the
   41  property.
   42         (4) A change in ownership or control of the property, as
   43  provided in s. 193.1554(5), which results in the property no
   44  longer qualifying as owned and used by a small business, will
   45  cause the property to be assessed at just value as of January 1
   46  of the following year.
   47         (5) The department shall prescribe by rule the application
   48  and certification process for receiving an assessment limitation
   49  under this section. The department may also adopt rules for
   50  procedures for auditing small businesses receiving the
   51  assessment limitation and revocation of improperly granted
   52  assessment limitations.
   53         (6) A person who knowingly files false information to
   54  obtain or retain the limitation provided by this section commits
   55  a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
   56  775.082 or s. 775.083, and is subject to payment of back taxes,
   57  penalties, and interest as provided by general law.
   58         Section 2. This act shall take effect on the effective date
   59  of the amendment to the State Constitution proposed by SJR 282
   60  or a similar joint resolution having substantially the same
   61  specific intent and purpose, if such amendment is approved at
   62  the next general election or at an earlier special election
   63  specifically authorized by law for that purpose.