Help Us Prevent Homestead Exemption Fraud!
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Homestead fraud occurs when a person who has filed for homestead exemption, or is currently receiving a homestead exemption, is determined not to be a permanent resident of Sarasota County. Click here to view the Florida Requirements for permanent residency.
It is also illegal for a person or a married couple to claim more than one "residency based exemption" within the U.S., unless you have been approved as a Separate Family Unit (SFU). If you are a married couple and are truly living apart in different locations and wish to have an exemption in both locations, you are required to complete a Separate Family Unit (SFU) application and submit it, with the required documentation, to our office. Each application is reviewed and must be approved by Bill Furst, Sarasota County Property Appraiser. If you would like more information, please call (941) 861-8200. |
Fraudulent exemptions steal from our law enforcement, our schools, our medical services and can lower our quality of life in Sarasota County. Those tax dollars have to be made up somewhere, and the honest tax payers get left making up the difference!
Pursuant to Sections 193.155(9) and 196.161 of the Florida Statutes, property owners who benefit from improperly exempted tax savings will have a tax lien placed against their properties, be taxed for up to 10 prior years (as applicable), be required to pay a sizable penalty (50% of the unpaid taxes for each year), and pay interest at a rate of 15% per year.
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| §196.011(9)(a) … “It is the duty of the owner of any property granted an exemption, who is not required to file an annual application or statement, to notify the property appraiser promptly whenever the use of the property or the status or condition of the owner changes so as to change the exempt status of the property”… |
If you know or suspect homestead fraud is taking place, please let us know about it.
You may do so CONFIDENTIALLY by calling our office at (941) 861-8200.
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