Appeals court upholds Save Our Homes amendment
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 10:43 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 10:43 a.m.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — An appeals court has ruled that the "Save our Homes" amendment that caps tax assessments on homesteaded property is constitutional.
The 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a lower court ruling Wednesday that rejected a challenge by an Alabama couple who own a second home in the Florida Panhandle and claimed the provision was discriminatory.
The court said the tax benefit is based on the way the property is used not on the status of the landowner as a resident or nonresident.
Voters passed a constitutional amendment in 1992 that caps property tax increases on primary homes at 3 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower, but does not offer a tax break to non-homesteaded properties in Florida.