Miami reporter finds city is getting tough on property tax scofflaws

Illegal claims are costing Miami-Dade millions of dollars.

Many cities are looking for ways to make up for budget shortfalls. In Miami-Dade, that means going after homeowners illegally claiming homestead exemptions to lower property taxes, writes Martha Brannigan of The Miami Herald.

In one month, the property appraiser wrote $11 million in homestead liens compared to $8 million total in 2011, she writes.

Martha found some great examples to illustrate the story, including one house with a tax lien of more than $400,000. “Florida’s strong public records law made it simple to get these examples,” she says. “People are passionate about property taxes, and stories on the subject always generate a lot of reader interest.”

In Florida, the property appraiser’s office in each county tracks homestead exemptions and files liens for improper exemptions. Martha says reporters should check with property appraisers or local tax collectors to see if they are pursuing violators.

Reporters also should ask how the counties are flagging suspicious claims. Martha writes that the appraisers use new software that helps cross-check property records against data such as deaths, voter registrations, auto tags and water bills, which “holds the promise of weeding out suspect exemptions in bulk, generating more and better leads than the hotlines and anonymous tips that have spawned many cases in the past.”