State tax breaks for homeowners survive in court

A pair of state constitutional amendments that give tax breaks to primary homeowners survived another legal challenge today as the Florida Supreme Court refused to hear the case. The Florida justices' unanimous decision lets stand rulings by a trial judge and appeal court upholding the Save Our Homes Amendment, which took effect in 1995, and Amendment 1, which was effective in 2008. Save Our Homes limits annual property tax assessment increases to 3 percent for primary homeowners. Amendment 1 has a "portability' provision letting those homeowners take at least part of their accumulated tax break to a new home. Save Our Homes limits tax increases when real estate values go up, but the state's recapture rule has the opposite effect. It raises assessments by up to 3 percent when values drop, which they've been doing in recent years. That's reduced some of the advantage longtime primary homeowners received from Save Our Homes.

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