Ford Supports Hurricane Damage Valuation Adjustments

Floridians Receive Property Tax Refund Checks
Issued May 16, 2005

PRESS RELEASE

TALLAHASSEE - Thanks to legislation Governor Jeb Bush signed into law last December, more than 19,000 Floridians will receive hurricane relief payments totaling $9.5 million over the next several days. The checks are property tax refunds given to those who were forced out of their homes for 60 days or more as a result of a named tropical storm in 2004. The first checks were mailed out yesterday and will continue through this week. Florida Department of Revenue Director Jim Zingale told the Governor and Cabinet today, the average refund is about $500.

"While last year's hurricane season devastated our state it united us as Floridians," said Governor Bush. "Those whose homes were uninhabitable because of the storms should not be expected to pay a tax on property they can't use. I hope these payments help defray some of the costs incurred by Floridians during their recovery from the historic 2004 hurricane season."

The relief payments will help offset property taxes paid by Floridians who were unable to occupy their home for 60 days or longer because of a named storm in 2004. To be eligible for the relief, Floridians were required to have had a homestead exemption in effect on their home in 2004 and to have applied on or before March 1, 2005, for relief to their county property appraiser under legislation adopted in December 2004 by the Florida Legislature.

Relief payments will go out in batches of about 3,000 to 4,000 per day during the week of May 16-20. All relief payments will have been mailed by the end of the week and should arrive in the mailboxes of relief recipients 3 to 4 days after mailing. The payments are being mailed out approximately three weeks earlier than initially estimated. Later this summer, another group of Floridians will receive hurricane relief payments repaying them for sales tax paid on mobile homes bought to replace mobile homes that were damaged or destroyed in a named storm in 2004. Applications for mobile home relief were due by May 1, 2005. Florida property appraisers currently are reviewing applications for this additional form of relief.