Florida SB 272: Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older

Bill Text

272 
Homestead Exemption for Persons 65 and Older 
2025-10-23T10:49:07Z 
Expanding the homestead exemption for persons 65 years and older to include a total exemption of homestead property from ad valorem taxation, other than for school district levies, for certain persons whose household income does not exceed a certain amount; authorizing the Department of Revenue to adopt emergency rules, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 272 

 By Senator Bernard 

 24-00426C-26 2026272__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to a homestead exemption for persons 
 3 65 and older; amending s. 196.075, F.S.; expanding the 
 4 homestead exemption for persons 65 years and older to 
 5 include a total exemption of homestead property from 
 6 ad valorem taxation, other than for school district 
 7 levies, for certain persons whose household income 
 8 does not exceed a certain amount; amending s. 196.082, 
 9 F.S.; conforming provisions to changes made by the 
 10 act; authorizing the Department of Revenue to adopt 
 11 emergency rules; specifying the timeframe in which 
 12 such rules are effective and may be renewed; providing 
 13 applicability; providing a contingent effective date. 
 14 
 15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 16 
 17 Section 1. Section 196.075, Florida Statutes, is amended to 
 18 read: 
 19 196.075 Additional Homestead exemption for persons 65 and 
 20 older.— 
 21 (1) As used in this section, the term: 
 22 (a) “Household” means a person or group of persons living 
 23 together in a room or group of rooms as a housing unit, but the 
 24 term does not include persons boarding in or renting a portion 
 25 of the dwelling. 
 26 (b) “Household income” means the adjusted gross income, as 
 27 defined in s. 62 of the United States Internal Revenue Code, of 
 28 all members of a household. 
 29 (2) In accordance with s. 6(d), Art. VII of the State 
 30 Constitution, the board of county commissioners of any county or 
 31 the governing authority of any municipality may adopt an 
 32 ordinance to allow either or both of the following additional 
 33 homestead exemptions: 
 34 (a) Up to $50,000 for a person who has the legal or 
 35 equitable title to real estate and maintains thereon the 
 36 permanent residence of the owner, who has attained age 65, and 
 37 whose household income does not exceed $20,000. 
 38 (b) Any The amount of the assessed value of the property 
 39 for a person who has the legal or equitable title to real estate 
 40 with a just value less than $250,000, as determined in the first 
 41 tax year that the owner applies and is eligible for the 
 42 exemption, and who has maintained thereon the permanent 
 43 residence of the owner for at least 5 25 years, who has attained 
 44 age 65, and whose household income does not exceed $350,000 the 
 45 income limitation prescribed in paragraph (a), as calculated in 
 46 subsection (3), is entitled to a homestead exemption equal to 
 47 the assessed value of the property, which shall apply to all ad 
 48 valorem tax levies other than school district levies. 
 49 (3) The $350,000 $20,000 income limitation shall be 
 50 adjusted annually, on January 1, by the percentage change in the 
 51 average cost-of-living index in the period January 1 through 
 52 December 31 of the immediate prior year compared with the same 
 53 period for the year prior to that. The index is the average of 
 54 the monthly consumer-price-index figures for the stated 12-month 
 55 period, relative to the United States as a whole, issued by the 
 56 United States Department of Labor. 
 57 (4) An ordinance granting an additional homestead exemption 
 58 as authorized by this section must meet the following 
 59 requirements: 
 60 (a) It must be adopted under the procedures for adoption of 
 61 a nonemergency ordinance specified in chapter 125 by a board of 
 62 county commissioners or chapter 166 by a municipal governing 
 63 authority, except that the exemption authorized by paragraph 
 64 (2)(b) must be authorized by a super majority (a majority plus 
 65 one) vote of the members of the governing body of the county or 
 66 municipality granting such exemption. 
 67 (b) It must specify that the exemption applies only to 
 68 taxes levied by the unit of government granting the exemption. 
 69 Unless otherwise specified by the county or municipality, this 
 70 exemption will apply to all tax levies of the county or 
 71 municipality granting the exemption, including dependent special 
 72 districts and municipal service taxing units. 
 73 (c) It must specify the amount of the exemption, which may 
 74 not exceed the applicable amount specified in subsection (2). If 
 75 the county or municipality specifies a different exemption 
 76 amount for dependent special districts or municipal service 
 77 taxing units, the exemption amount must be uniform in all 
 78 dependent special districts or munic