Grace McAlister
Riverbend News
With November here, Thanksgiving naturally comes to mind. However, people may not be so quick to remember that it’s also the beginning of the tax-paying season. Monday, Nov. 1, or soon thereafter, local Tax Collector Offices will begin mailing out property tax notices, which must be paid on or before March 31, 2022, at the latest or they become delinquent.
The way the process typically works in Florida is property appraisers mail out Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices in August; taxing authorities then set their millage rates in mid or late September; property appraisers certify the tax rolls to tax collectors in October and tax collectors mail out the tax bills in November.
Locally, depending where one lives, a tax bill may include ad-valorem taxes levied by the Suwannee, Lafayette or Hamilton County Commission; Suwannee, Lafayette or Hamilton County School Board and one of two water management districts, as well as the non-ad-valorem special assessments for landfill disposals and fire protection.
Property owners who pay their taxes early are rewarded with a small discount, which will decrease the later the payment is made, beginning at four percent in November, three percent in December, two percent in January and one percent in February. Property taxes that haven’t been paid by April 1, 2022, are declared delinquent and interest begins to accrue on the amount owed, with tax certificates sold on or before June 1 so the city, county and school district can get the moneys they need to operate their services.
When certificates are sold, the owner gets to continue living on the property, but the certificate purchaser is entitled to interest on the taxes owed, which interest can be as high as 18 percent. After two years, if the property owner fails to pay the back taxes, along with the interest that has accrued and other applicable fees, the certificate purchaser can apply for a tax deed to recoup his or her investment. The tax deed is then auctioned on courthouse steps and the property owner loses the land.
For more information on the process and property taxes in general, contact your local tax collector office. The Suwannee County Tax Collector can be reached at (386) 362-2816; the Hamilton County Tax Collector can be reached at (386) 792-1284; the Lafayette County Tax Collector can be reached at (386) 294-1991.