Property Tax Petition in Florida

The TRIM (Truth in Millage) notice is your annual property tax assessment notice, mailed in August. It shows your property's assessed value, exemptions, and proposed tax amounts. Your 25-day filing deadline starts when this notice is mailed.

Yes. The Value Adjustment Board can increase your assessed value during a petition. However, this is uncommon for well-prepared cases. If you have strong comparable sales evidence showing over-assessment, the risk is minimal.

The Save Our Homes (SOH) cap limits annual assessment increases on homesteaded properties to 3% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. This cap creates a growing gap between assessed and market value over time. When you sell, the new owner's assessment resets to market value.

Florida property tax rates vary by county, municipality, and school district, but the effective rate (annual tax paid divided by market value) typically ranges from about 0.5% to 2.5%. Because Florida assesses property at 100% of market value, your actual tax bill depends on both the assessed value and the local millage or mill levy applied on top of it. If your assessed value is higher than comparable sales support, filing a petition is one of the only ways to reduce your effective rate without waiting for a reassessment.

Most Florida petitions take between 6 weeks and 6 months from filing to final decision. After you file DR-486, the assessor or review board schedules a hearing — typically within 30 to 90 days — and issues a written decision shortly after. Cases that settle informally resolve faster, while cases that advance to a formal hearing or court appeal can take several additional months. ProtestMax prepares your full evidence packet in minutes so you can file immediately and start the clock.

Yes. In Florida, homeowners generally have the right to petition their property tax assessment every year, as long as you file by the 25 days after TRIM notice (August-September 2026) deadline. Even if you won a reduction last year, your assessor can revalue your property the following year, and you retain the right to challenge the new value. Annual petitions are especially important during years when market values are flat or falling but assessments keep rising.

The strongest evidence in a Florida petition hearing is recent comparable sales — homes similar to yours in size, age, condition, and location that sold for less than your assessed value within the last 6 to 12 months. Equity comparisons (similar homes assessed for less than yours) are also highly persuasive. Photos of deferred maintenance, structural issues, or negative location factors (busy roads, flood zones, power lines) strengthen your case further. ProtestMax assembles all of this evidence into a hearing-ready packet tailored to Florida's rules.