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Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Resident weighs in on high property taxes, Amendment 11

To the Editor:

The Florida legislators realized people were losing their homes over the inability to pay property taxes and repeatedly passed legislative bills designed to lower/restrict costs: “Save our Homes” in 1992 and “Save our Seniors” in 1998.

In 2006, the limits were raised, and legislators passed Amendment 11 in 2012 to lower property taxes on low income seniors who have lived in their homes for 25-plus years. The practice of adding road ‘assessments’ to our tax bill (started in the mid 1980s) raises the danger of losing our homes to tax deeds by nearly doubling that tax. That should be illegal.

According to Stan McClain (2012), “Anytime the government can tax you, then hold it over your head and say ‘pay this or we will take your home,’ is wrong.” Yet, he voted ‘no’ to adopting Amendment 11 at the same meeting.

How many seniors have lost their longtime home due to this cruel practice? To lose their home, after a lifetime of paying taxes on it, comes across as elder abuse. Can this be changed?

Joy Rumans
Ocala resident