Farmer's break in Florida . . . property tax strategies in Florida . . .
I have a five acre parcel off in the woods near our home. Nothing on it except pine trees and palmettos. Requires zero services, no police, no fire, no water, no sewer, no power, nothing at all, access by a dirt easement so no city or county maintenance. Costs them zilch.
Property taxes were $2,200 a year (and there's nothing around it to raise those taxes, it isn't like it is five vacant acres in downtown San Francisco, DC or Manhattan).
Put bees on the property - signed a lease agreement with a beekeeper, he puts the hives out, collects the honey, does ALL the work and we get a couple of jars of the very best, pure and local honey every time we ask for them.
Taxes are now $53 a year. That's a 98% discount.
Requirements - land has to be zoned Ag, it has to be in a legitimate agricultural use (bees, cows, tree farm, there's a list) on January first of the year, you have to clear it with the county ag department.
Absolutely worth checking out to see if you have any qualifying property, Partial areas of a parcel can get this too, it doesn't have to be the entire parcel.
Additionally, if you have any wetlands, they are classified as "waste land" and valued for taxes at $500 an acre. Check that you are getting proper credit for any swampland.
There's also a significant reduction for parcels that are "no street, no address" but you have to call their attention to it.
Taxes are like crack cocaine for governments. There is NEVER enough, all the money in the world wouldn't be enough, they'd demand more.
Taxes on non-homesteaded property in FL can go up 10% a year, and usually does. Homesteaded has a 3% annual cap. I have a modest rental property on which the 2020 taxes were $3,300, for 2023, they are close to $4,000 - and of course that means the rent has to rise and the tenant complains - and the government wrings their hands in anguish about the lack of affordable housing, when THEY cause an increase in rents every year, like clockwork.
Old Chinese proverb . . . the government grew fat, the peasants grew lean.
("Don't get stung, get bees . . .?")
Best Regards,
Mike/Florida