Welcome to Florida

State flower, orange blossom.

Famed beaches, such as those at Miami Beach , Daytona Beach , and Fort Lauderdale , attract hordes of vacationers. With more than 4,000 sq mi (10,360 sq km) of inland water and with the sea readily accessible from almost anywhere in the state, Florida is a fishing paradise. Other attractions include Everglades National Park, with its unusual plant and animal life; Palm Beach , with its palatial estates; and Sanibel Island's picturesque resorts.

Famous for its citrus fruits, Florida leads the nation in the production of oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, and market-ready corn and tomatoes. Other important crops include sugarcane and many varieties of winter vegetables. Cattle and dairy products are important, as is commercial fishing, with the catch including crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.

Voter Registration: You may register to vote when you receive or renew your driver's license or at several other convenient locations. Call the Supervisor of Elections office in Sarasota County call 951-5307

Vehicle Registration: Newcomers must register their vehicles within 10 days of gaining employment or enrolling their children in school. To register, bring your driver's license, proof of Florida automobile insurance, vehicle title and prior registration. If lien holder is holding your title, bring your payment book or lien holder's name and address and your account number. The Sarasota County Tax Collector's office number is 861-8300.

Driver's License: New residents have 30 days to apply for a Florida driver's license. State law requires that you first register your vehicle with the tax collector. Proof of this registration, your out-of-state license and your social security card must be shown to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles. For more information on Sarasota County call 361-6217. Compulsory no-fault insurance or personal injury protection insurance is required on all private passenger and commercial motor vehicles registered and licensed in Florida, as well as on automobiles of non-residents who have been physically in the state for more than 90 days during the preceding year.

Utilities:
Electricity:Florida Power & Light - 917-0708
Telephone:Verizon 800-483-4000
Gas:People Gas/TECO - Sarasota County - 366-4277
Water & Sewer:Siesta Key -
Cable:Comcast Cable 371-6700

Homestead (Current): Florida residents are eligible to declare the first $25,000 of their home's value as exempt for tax purposes, thereby reducing the ad valorem tax bill. To file for homestead exemption, you must establish residency by December 31st prior to the year you will claim the exemption. File for the exemption in January or February of the year being claimed. After March 1, an application may be filed for the following year.

Proposed Property Tax Reform: Portability issue explained: (Editor’s Note: On Jan. 29, 2008, Florida voters will decide whether or not to reform the property tax system in the state. Here is an explanation of the proposed changes related to portability.)

Property tax savings portability (money saved over time on property taxes because of yearly increase limits through Florida’s Save Our Homes amendment) applies to homesteaders (homeowners with a homestead exemption) moving anywhere within Florida. Up to $500,000 of accumulated savings, applied to taxable value, may be transferred when one home is sold and another is purchased, with the transfer applying to all taxes, including the school portion. Homeowners have two years after they sell a home to buy a new one and transfer the savings.

If buying a more expensive home, a homesteader calculates savings by subtracting the assessed value (taxable value) from the just value (market value). The amount (savings over time) is then subtracted from the just value on the new home purchased. In most cases, the $50,000 homestead exemption will also be subtracted.

Example 1: Susie currently owns a home and has lived there for a long time. The house’s just value is $500,000, but because of Save Our Homes, the assessed value is only $200,000. Susie buys a new house for $700,000. The following year, she’ll pay taxes on only $400,000, however, because she’s “porting” $300,000 in value to her new home. After factoring in the new homestead exemption of $50,000, her total assessed value would be $350,000. If buying a less-expensive home, the calculation changes and is based on the percentage of tax savings rather than a dollar amount. If the assessed value on the original home was 50 percent of the just value, for example, the homesteader would transfer that percentage to the new home, or have a new assessed value that is 50 percent of the new home’s just value. The percentage system was created to keep homesteaders from effectively eliminating their property taxes altogether by moving from a high-cost area of Florida to a low-cost area – a change that could severely hurt smaller rural economies.

Example 2: Susie currently owns a home and has lived there for a long time. The house’s just value is $500,000, but because of Save Our Homes, the assessed value is only $200,000. Susie buys a new town home for $300,000. She’ll pay taxes only on $120,000 because when buying down in value, she’ll keep the same ratio (40 percent) of assessed value to just value that she enjoyed in her old home. After factoring in the new homestead exemption of $50,000, her total assessed value would be $70,000.

Also, portability is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2007 – so everyone who bought this year and moved from an established homestead will be able to “port” their savings for next year. Since yearly tax values are based on ownership as of Jan. 1 each year, portability would not affect this year’s tax bills, which most homeowners have already received; but the savings will be applicable to next year’s tax bill.

For more information contact the property appraisers office; in Sarasota County call 861-8200.