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Military Housing Tax Exemption Gets Support
February 13, 2015
County property appraisers would be prohibited from seeking property taxes on housing improvements at U.S. military bases in Florida, under a proposal that easily marched through its first House appearance Thursday.
The House Finance & Tax Committee unanimously backed a proposal by Rep. Jay Trumbull, R-Panama City, aimed at recognizing that housing under a program known as the Military Housing Privatization Initiative, on land owned by the federal government, is exempt from ad valorem taxation.
Initiative developments can be found at several bases, including Naval Air Station Pensacola.
The Military Housing Privatization Initiative involves the military entering agreements with private developers to own and operate military-family housing.
Trumbull’s bill is in reaction to a 2012 attempt by the Monroe County property appraiser to subject such housing at Naval Air Station Key West to local property taxes. Similar efforts are underway in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, Trumbull said.
The Monroe County property appraiser contended the non-governmental title holder on the housing improvements at the Navy facility shouldn’t be exempt from the taxes. However, a circuit judge blocked the attempt, declaring that the U.S. Navy is the equitable owner of the property, according to a legislative analysis. The case has been appealed to the 3rd District Court of Appeal. “At a time when Florida is spending a significant amount of money to maintain a military presence in Florida, these actions send a terrible message,” Trumbull told the committee.
by The News Service of Florida
Comments
3 Responses to “Military Housing Tax Exemption Gets Support”
Does anybody else remember when the Property Appraiser acted as a buffer between the property owners and the County Commission? He fought the Commissioners over upping appraisals, and applying new tax levy’s. This one now wants to tax Navy property, up everybody’s appraisals, do away with peoples exemptions, (agricultural etc.) and generally fall in line with whatever the Commissioners want him to do. He inherited his job, but he didn’t listen when his daddy told him how to stay in office.
I suppose that all that DELETED from back in the 70s did soften someone’s brain.
Escambia county is starving. Please do nothing to anger some BRAC board member who lives in D.C., into considering closing assets that have great impact on our lives.
Just another way for local government to milk all they can out of you.