Property Appraiser’s Office To Send Out Proposed Property Taxes for 2011

by Christopher Benvenuto - Posted In: Private Wealth Services, Real Estate

Starting this week, the property appraiser’s office will be mailing you a notice of proposed property taxes for 2011 (commonly referred to as a “TRIM” notice). 

The TRIM notice is a preliminary assessment of the property as of January 1, 2011.  In certain instances, the preliminary assessment may be more than the fair market value of your  property. Florida law provides property owners with an administrative procedure  to challenge a property’s preliminary assessment by filing a petition with the county’s Value Adjustment Board.  The petition must be filed within 25 days of the mailing dateof the TRIM notice, or you will forfeit your opportunity to challenge the assessment through the process.

Once a petition has been properly and timely filed, the clerk will schedule the petition for hearing.  As part  of your evidence to be submitted in support of your petition, it is strongly recommended that you obtain an independent appraisal of your property. 

The hearing itself is rather informal and will be conducted before a special master. At the hearing, the petitioner and the property appraiser will be permitted to provide testimony and evidence in support of their respective values.  In 2009, the law was changed to lower the property owner’s burden of proof at the hearing. 

 After the hearings have been concluded, the Value Adjustment Board will meet to decide whether to accept or reject the recommended ruling of the special master.  If there has been a revision to the property’s preliminary assessment, a revised tax bill will be mailed to the owner.  If you are unsuccessful in your challenge, you still have legal rights to contest the property appraiser’s assessed value.

 Real-World-Example:  A property that is over-assessed by one million dollars will generate, approximately, an extra twenty thousand dollars of property taxes to be paid by the property owner.

 Our firm has extensive experience handling these types of property tax appeals.  If you have properties with a preliminary assessed value of at least three million dollars, and desire counsel and representation regarding a tax challenge, please feel free to contact Chris Benvenuto at 561-650-0541, who handles property tax appeals at Gunster.

Tags: Christopher P. Benvenuto