In Yesteryears, it was sweat and back-breaking hard work that allowed your name to be put on the deed to the 160 acres you could call a homestead, but those days are many decades in the past. Today, however, the homestead has a slightly different meaning. You may not be working the land in the traditional sense; you may be raising a family on a quiet cul-de-sac or living out your golden years in a condo near the beach; in Florida, your homestead is where you lay your head at night and live out your life. It is the American Dream. So, it is vital as a realtor or mortgage broker that you remind or educate your clients about Florida’s Homestead benefit and its deadlines.

The following is a take and paste reminder to share with your new Floridian Homesteader Clients, Neighbors, and Friends! Those who take advantage will thank you for the tax savings for years to come! Out-of-staters or first-time homebuyers are often unaware of the ability to file for a homestead tax exemption in the Sunshine State. This reminder may prove useful to anyone who established a new permanent home in Florida as of January 1, 2022 – including those Floridians who relocated to a new home within the State and are unaware that homestead exemptions do not automatically carry over to a new property.

Beat the rush and start the process to apply for your homestead tax exemption now! The deadline is March 1, 2022, but do not delay. Every county in Florida has its own property appraiser. Each office can have varying requirements to prove your new permanent residency, potentially creating additional steps that must be completed before submitting your application.

The best place to start gathering information is your County’s Property Appraiser’s Office and not the tax collector’s office. You can do this on their website or in person. Access to the recorded deed will be necessary to gather some of the required application information. If your title company has not mailed the original deed yet, or if it has been misplaced, you can access a copy by searching for your property through the property appraiser’s website or searching your name in the county’s official records online.

Commonly requested proof of residence includes your Driver’s license with the updated address, evidence of relinquishing your out-of-state Driver’s license, Florida vehicle tag number, Florida voter registration number, proof of payment of utilities, and bank account mailing address.

Closer to the deadline, lines can get hours long if filing in person, and the online registration process can get bogged down – and after last year’s surge in residents, who knows what to expect! So beat the rush and save some time and money by filing online or taking a trip down to your county’s government center to get ahead of the curve.

AMENDS 558.004

Amends the Florida Construction Defects Statute, specifically § 558.004 Fla. Stat., by adding the following provisions:

• Requires a claimant who rejects a settlement offer to include the reasons for rejecting the offer within the notice rejecting the offer. The claimant must identify any items that were omitted from the offer and state in detail all known reasons why the claimant believes the settlement offer is unreasonable.

• Allows the person served with a notice of rejection of a settlement offer 15 days to make a supplemental offer and requires the claimant to serve a notice of rejection of this supplemental offer, including reasons for the rejection.

• Extends the court’s stay of any action until the supplemental process is concluded.
• Limits claimant’s right to recover attorney’s fees unless the claimant proves by a preponderance of the evidence that, at the time of the offer, additional repairs beyond those offered were necessary to remedy the defect. Also, the attorney’s fee limitation does not apply to any claim for attorney’s fees based on a contract between the claimant and the offeror.
•  If a claimant accepts an offer or supplemental offer, the claimant must, within 90 days after the acceptance, enter into a contract with one or more appropriately licensed contractors to correct the construction defect(s). The offeror or insurer shall pay the contractor directly for said repairs and the repairs must be completed within 12 months after claimant enters into the contract with the contractor, unless the offeror or insurer and claimant mutually agree otherwise.
• Creates a new § 558.0045 Fla. Stat., which requires the court, in construction defect litigation, to appoint an expert (e.g. engineer, contractor, etc.) to examine the alleged defect.  The court may not appoint an expert if all the parties object or if the court finds that the cost of the expert outweighs any potential benefits to resolution of the action.  Within 15 days after conducting the examination, or otherwise determined by the court, the expert shall submit a written report with detailed findings to the court and to the parties.  The parties shall compensate the expert, but the prevailing party is entitled to reimbursement from the non-prevailing party.  The expert may not be employed to do the repairs.
• The claimant must repair a construction defect if claimant receives full compensation for such a repair.  If a claimant receives full compensation and fails to repair the construction defect, claimant is liable to a purchaser of the property for any damages resulting from the failure to disclose the defect.
• Requires the claimant to serve a notice of claim for any construction defect, by certified mail, return receipt requested, on a mortgagee or assignee within 30 days after service of the notice of claim upon the contractor, subcontractor, supplier or design professional.  If repairs relating to the defect are completed after notice to a mortgagee or assignee is provided, or if any settlement, partial settlement, arbitration award, or judgment is obtained by the claimant, the claimant must provide an additional notice to the mortgagee or assignee, by certified mail, return receipt requested, within 60 days after completion of the repairs or any settlement, partial settlement, arbitration award, or judgment, whichever is later.