Look for that TRIM notice in the mail …
but some might want smelling salts within reach
The cost of living in a very desirable area just caught up with a lot of people in Lee County, and whether or not you have a homestead exemption, it still feels like a pretty good bite out of anyone’s budget.
For some people, it was an almost 20 percent bite this year.
Overall, estimated property valuation in Lee County rose 30.25 percent over last year. County property valuation went up from $133,025,841,029 to $173 billion, an increase of more than $40.2 billion.
Total taxable valuation increased from approximately $96 billion to $111.3 billion, an increase of $15.3 billion, or 15.93 percent.
This pans out to be a lot of money for those who do not have a homestead exemption, which includes a $50,000 exemption from the assessed value of their home and a three percent Save Our Homes cap on property assessment increases.
Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell – who was just elected to fill the shoes of four-decade veteran appraiser Ken Wilkinson, said they started looking at Lee County parcels – all half-million of them – in January, knowing this would be an unprecedented year for increases.
In Boca Grande, property taxes for homesteaders appear to be status quo, though, and could even be a bit lower with a new millage rate proposed in the new County budget. The Boca Grande Fire Control District actually has a lesser millage this year if no new budget is adopted, and will be the same if it is. The same holds true with the Gasparilla Island MSTU and general revenue.
The median property tax in Lee County, Florida is $2,197 per year for a home worth the median value of $210,600. Lee County collects, on average, 1.04 percent of a property’s assessed fair market value as property tax.
Lee County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United States, and is ranked 364th of the 3,143 counties in order of median property taxes.
In Charlotte County the same information holds true, with homesteaded taxpayers seeing either a decrease in millage if no new budget is approved, or a very minor fluctuation higher if it is approved.
