Broward property appraiser warns homestead tax changes could cost Margate millions

Marty Kerr, Broward County property appraiser, told the Margate City Commission on Jan. 21 that multiple constitutional amendments and House proposals moving through Tallahassee would sharply reduce local property-tax revenue if enacted without offsetting measures. "If this were in effect this year, there would be about a $624,000,000 decrease," Kerr said of the largest proposal, and added the measure "would eliminate all homestead property taxes, except for the school portion of the tax bill."

Kerr presented specific estimates for Broward and Margate. He said Broward County levied about $1.8 billion in property taxes last year and that the elimination-of-homestead proposal (HJR 201, as described by Kerr) could reduce county collections by roughly 34.6 percent. For Margate, Kerr reported 15,316 homesteaded parcels and told commissioners the city would see a decrease on the order of tens of millions of dollars: "the city wouldn't receive approximately $14,500,000," he said, citing his spreadsheet.

Kerr walked the commission through several related proposals. One would phase out homestead taxes over 10 years by adding a $100,000 exemption each year; Kerr estimated a first-year Broward median savings of about $798 and a county loss near $200 million, and estimated a first-year Margate loss of roughly $7.7 million. Another measure under consideration would add a $200,000 homestead exemption for owners with multi-peril homeowners insurance; Kerr warned the impact is difficult to forecast but noted an upper-bound county impact cited in his slides of about $329 million if every owner qualified. Kerr also described HJR 211, which would eliminate the $500,000 portability cap and allow homeowners to transfer more accumulated assessed-value savings to new homes; he said Margate's prior-year revenue effect would have been nominal (on the order of $11,000) under the available data.

Kerr repeatedly emphasized that school taxes would not be affected by the homestead-only measures he described and cautioned that proposals commonly include language prohibiting reductions in funding for police (and increasingly, firefighters). He urged residents and commissioners to use upcoming Broward Days to talk with legislators and said his office prepared printed summaries for elected officials and taxing authorities.

Commissioners thanked Kerr and asked clarifying questions about how the proposals would be applied and how lost revenue might be replaced. No formal action or vote on a local response was taken during the meeting.