Tampa Palms, Westchase, Carrollwood and Tampa Bay Real Estate News From Jeanne Prigitano

If you own property in Florida, you should have received or will soon receive your TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice explaining your proposed 2010 property tax. Taxes are calculated by multiplying the Taxable Value of the property (Assessed value – exemptions) x Millage Rate. The assessed value is based on the county property appraiser’s judgment on January 1 of the tax year.

Are you concerned about the level of taxation? Can you do something about it? Yes, you can!

• One way is by challenging the millage rate. To do that you would need to attend the public budget hearings where the millage rate is finalized. Look at your TRIM notice to find your date and time.
• Another way is to challenge the assessed value. Keep in mind that the assessed value is really only someone’s opinion. The other issue is the property appraiser cannot inspect every property every year and doesn’t look at the interior of the building. Several years back, I found out that the square footage of my house was incorrect in the public records. They had recorded a much higher square footage. I appealed to the tax authority and not only were my taxes lowered for that year but I was able to go back 3 years and get a refund on overpaid taxes. Not bad.

If you’d like me to gather information about your property or have any questions, just let me know. Good Luck fighting City Hall!