Florida property tax: assessment, millage, payment

Section 01Why this article exists for Canadian owners

Most published Florida property tax explainers are written for Florida residents who claim the homestead exemption and benefit from the Save Our Homes 3% cap. A Canadian who owns a condo in Hollywood or a single-family home in Cape Coral as a second residence is in a different category. The two protections that anchor the Florida-resident story (the USD 51,411 exemption and the 3% annual cap on assessed value) do not apply to non-residents. Without them, the property is taxed on its full market value, capped only by the 10% non-homestead limit on non-school millage, and the bill is materially higher than what a casual reading of "Florida is a low-tax state" would suggest.

This guide explains the mechanism end to end, then anchors every section in the Canadian owner's reality: which rules apply to you, which do not, what the dollar consequence is, and which deadline on the Florida calendar is yours to mark in red.

Section 02Who collects what: the three players

Florida property tax is administered at the county level. There is no state-level property tax in Florida (Art. VII, §1(a), Fla. Const.). Three distinct actors handle three distinct functions, and confusing them is one of the most common Canadian-owner errors.

The county Property Appraiser (PA) is an elected official, one per county, whose only job is to value property. Each January 1, the PA assigns a Just Market Value to every parcel in the county, applies any caps and exemptions, certifies an assessment roll, and mails the TRIM Notice in August. The PA does not set tax rates and does not collect money. F.S. §192.001 and §193.011 govern this role.

The taxing authorities are the bodies that adopt millage rates and decide how much revenue to raise. In a typical Florida county, the active taxing authorities are the county commission (general county services), the city council (if the property sits inside a municipality), the school board, the water management district, and a varying list of fire, EMS, library, hospital, and community development districts. Each authority adopts its own millage rate independently, after public hearings in September. The total millage applied to your property is the sum of every rate from every authority with jurisdiction over your parcel. Florida has no state property tax, so no state-level rate appears on the bill.

The county Tax Collector (TC) is also an elected official, one per county, whose job is to issue the bill in early November and collect payment. The TC also auctions tax certificates against delinquent parcels. F.S. §197.122 establishes the TC's authority and the owner's continuing duty to pay even if no bill is received.

The Florida Department of Revenue (DOR), at the state level, oversees both PAs and TCs, certifies tax rolls, publishes standard guides, and audits compliance. The DOR does not tax your property directly.

For a Canadian owner managing remotely, the practical takeaway is that you have three different county websites to bookmark and two different officials whose decisions affect your bill: the PA's valuation and the cumulative millage adopted by the taxing authorities. Both flow through to the TC's bill, but they are set in two different procedures at two different times of year.

Section 03The four values: JMV, AV, TV, and tax owed

Florida law distinguishes four values, and the move from one to the next is where exemptions and caps do their work. Understanding the chain is essential because Canadian owners benefit from only one of the two cap mechanisms, and from none of the resident-only exemptions.

Just Market Value (JMV) is the fair market value on January 1, computed by the PA using comparable sales, replacement cost, or the income method (the income method is typical for rental property). JMV is the starting point. F.S. §193.011 lists the eight factors the PA must consider.

Assessed Value (AV) is the JMV adjusted by an annual cap. There are two caps, and which one applies depends entirely on whether the property is your Florida homestead. On a homesteaded property, the Save Our Homes (SOH) cap holds the AV's annual increase to 3% or the change in CPI, whichever is lower (Art. VII, §4(d), Fla. Const.). For 2026, that cap is 2.7%. On a non-homesteaded property, including any property owned by a Canadian who lives in Canada or who claims homestead in another state, the 10% non-homestead cap applies under F.S. §193.1554 (residential properties with nine or fewer units) or F.S. §193.1555 (commercial and larger residential). Critically, the 10% cap excludes school board millage. School taxes on a non-homesteaded property are computed on the full uncapped JMV every year.

Taxable Value (TV) is the AV minus all applicable exemptions. The headline exemption is the homestead exemption, USD 51,411 in 2026, which only Florida residents who claim the property as their primary residence can obtain. Other exemptions (veteran, senior, agricultural, totally and permanently disabled) layer on top of homestead and are also generally unavailable to non-residents.

Tax owed is calculated as (TV ÷ 1,000) × total millage. School and non-school millage are applied to potentially different TVs because the exemption stack and the cap rules differ between school and non-school levies.

Section 04Millage: what it is, how it stacks, where the caps are

A mill is one dollar of tax per one thousand dollars of taxable value. A 1% tax rate equals 10 mills. Most Florida property tax bills land in a 15 to 22 mill total range, which translates to an effective rate of 1.5% to 2.2% of taxable value per year.

Each taxing authority sets its own millage independently. The composition of a typical Florida property tax bill looks like this:

Verified fact. The Florida Constitution caps non-school operating millage at 10 mills per authority (Art. VII, §9). The cap applies separately to the county and to the municipality, so a property inside a city legitimately faces both a 10-mill county cap and a 10-mill municipal cap. Special districts are typically not subject to the 10-mill ceiling. Voted millages for debt service and certain other purposes can also exceed the operating cap.

Typical range. In 2026, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties tend to land in the 19 to 22 mill range for a property inside a city. Lee County (Cape Coral) and Pinellas County tend to land in the 15 to 18 mill range. These are practical observations, not statutory limits, and the actual millage on your property can only be confirmed from the TRIM Notice or the current year's tax bill.

Opinion. For a Canadian buyer underwriting a purchase, treating the property tax as 2% of JMV per year is a defensible upper-bound assumption pre-purchase. Treating it as 1.5% will tend to understate the bill once the local school millage and any city millage are added. Verify against the prior owner's tax bill on the PA's website before committing.

Section 05The annual cycle: January 1, August TRIM, November bill, March 31 deadline

Florida property tax follows a fixed annual calendar. Knowing the four anchor dates is half the work of staying on top of the bill from outside the state.

January 1 is the assessment date. Whatever you own on January 1, in whatever condition, with whatever ownership structure, fixes your tax position for the year. A January 2 closing pushes your first tax exposure into the following year. A January 1 closing does not.

August is when the PA mails the TRIM Notice. The TRIM is not a bill. It is a one-page summary of your JMV, AV, TV, the proposed millage from each taxing authority, and an estimated bill if the proposed rates are adopted. It also lists the dates of the public hearings where each authority will vote on its final rate, and it states your deadline to petition the Value Adjustment Board if you disagree with the assessment. Most VAB petitions must be filed within 25 days of the TRIM mailing date.

September is when each taxing authority holds its public hearings and votes on the final millage. By statute, the final millage cannot exceed the rate proposed in the TRIM unless a separate notice procedure is followed.

Early November is when the TC issues the actual tax bill, with the final certified taxable value and final millage. The bill is payable as soon as it is mailed.

March 31 is the last day to pay without penalty. April 1 makes the account delinquent and triggers a minimum 3% interest charge plus a path toward a tax certificate sale.

For Canadian owners managing the property remotely, the practical move is to set calendar reminders on the August TRIM mail date (to confirm receipt and review the assessment), the November 30 discount deadline, and a backstop reminder in late February. Many county Tax Collectors offer email and text alerts; subscribing to those alerts on the TC's website is a free belt-and-suspenders measure.

Section 06Early payment discounts: the 4/3/2/1/0 schedule

F.S. §197.162 grants a sliding discount for early payment. The schedule is fixed in statute and applies across all Florida counties.

Verified fact. Discount end dates that fall on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday extend to the next business day under F.S. §197.162(4). The discount is computed on the entire tax bill, including all taxing authorities. The TRIM Notice and the bill both display the discount-by-month figures.

Worked example of the discount. On a USD 6,500 bill, paying in November saves USD 260 versus paying in March. The same arithmetic on a USD 12,000 bill saves USD 480. Many Canadians who hold US-dollar reserves use this to lock in a return at a fixed point in the calendar, and to time the CAD-to-USD conversion against the spot rate at the end of November rather than at the end of March.

Alternative path: the quarterly installment plan. F.S. §197.222 lets owners spread the tax over four installments due in June, September, December, and March, with a built-in effective discount of about 3.5%. The owner must apply by April 30 of the year for which they wish to be enrolled. The plan is administered by the TC. For Canadian owners with rental income that arrives quarterly or seasonally, the installment plan can match cash flow better than a single November lump sum.

Section 07What changes for a Canadian owner: no homestead, 10% cap not 3%

The two adjustments that drive the Florida-resident tax bill below the headline number are the homestead exemption and the Save Our Homes cap. A Canadian who owns a Florida second home is excluded from both, and the dollar consequence is significant.

Homestead exemption is unavailable to non-residents. The exemption requires the owner to claim the property as their permanent residence and to file a sworn application with the PA by March 1 of the year (March 2 in 2026, because March 1 falls on a Sunday). The PA confirms permanent residency through a documentary check including Florida driver's license, voter registration, vehicle registration, and a sworn declaration that the property is the owner's primary home. A Canadian on a B-2 visa, a snowbird visa applicant, or any non-immigrant who maintains a primary residence in Canada cannot make this declaration truthfully. F.S. §196.031 and §196.015 set the rule. The 2026 exemption amount, USD 51,411, therefore does not apply.

The Save Our Homes 3% cap is also unavailable. SOH is a homestead-only protection (Art. VII, §4(d), Fla. Const.). Because the Canadian-owned property never receives homestead, it never qualifies for SOH.

The 10% non-homestead cap applies instead, but only to non-school millage. F.S. §193.1554 caps the annual increase in AV on residential property with nine or fewer dwelling units at 10%, and F.S. §193.1555 covers larger residential and commercial property at the same 10%. Both statutes explicitly exclude school district millage. School taxes on a non-homesteaded property are computed on the full uncapped JMV every year. In a market growing at 8% per year, the SOH-protected resident absorbs a 3% AV increase across all millages, while the Canadian non-homestead owner absorbs an 8% increase on school millage and a 10%-capped increase on everything else. Over a decade of typical Florida appreciation, the resident's effective tax base grows about half as fast as the non-resident's.

Change of ownership resets the 10% cap. When the property changes hands, the AV resets to the current JMV the following January 1. The next year, the 10% cap begins to operate again. This means a freshly-purchased Florida property, regardless of who owned it before, starts at full market value with no embedded cap savings. Listings that advertise "low taxes" based on the prior owner's bill are misleading: those low taxes go with the prior owner, not with the property.

Florida property tax is generally deductible against rental income reported to the IRS. A Canadian who rents the property files Form 1040-NR or relies on the Canada-US tax treaty (Article VI for rental income) to report net rental income. Property tax paid to the county is a deductible expense against gross rents. The CRA does not give an automatic credit for the US property tax paid; instead, the Canadian owner reports world rental income on the Canadian return (typically T776 for the rental statement), and the US tax actually paid on net rental income generates a foreign tax credit on the Canadian return under the treaty. Property tax on a non-rented second home (used personally only) is generally not deductible on either side.

Currency timing affects the real cost. A Canadian who pays the November-30 bill from a CAD-denominated account is making a foreign-exchange decision at the same time as a tax-payment decision. A 4% early-pay discount is worth less if the CAD is weak that week than the same discount paid in February when the CAD is stronger. Some snowbirds time the conversion using a US-dollar account funded in advance.

Section 08Worked example: identical Cape Coral house, two owners

Consider a single-family home in Cape Coral, Lee County, with a Just Market Value of USD 400,000 on January 1, 2026. Lee County's typical millage in 2026 runs roughly 6.1 mills for school and 11.2 mills for non-school, total 17.3 mills. The property has been on the tax roll for several years. Compare the bill for two owners.

Owner A: Florida resident, homesteaded since 2018. The SOH cap, applied each year since homestead was granted, has held the AV below market growth. By 2026, the AV stands at USD 350,000 against a JMV of USD 400,000. The homestead exemption removes USD 25,000 from the school taxable value (down to USD 325,000) and USD 51,411 from the non-school taxable value (down to USD 298,589). The bill is:

• School portion: 325,000 ÷ 1,000 × 6.1 = USD 1,983
• Non-school portion: 298,589 ÷ 1,000 × 11.2 = USD 3,344
• Total: USD 5,327 per year.

Owner B: Canadian resident, owns the same house as a second home, bought in 2024. No homestead. The 10% non-homestead cap on AV has not yet generated meaningful savings because the property was placed on the roll at JMV in 2025 and has accrued only one cycle of capping. Assume AV equals JMV at USD 400,000. No exemption applies. School TV equals USD 400,000 (school is not capped), non-school TV equals USD 400,000.

• School portion: 400,000 ÷ 1,000 × 6.1 = USD 2,440
• Non-school portion: 400,000 ÷ 1,000 × 11.2 = USD 4,480
• Total: USD 6,920 per year.

Annual gap: USD 1,593 in year one. The gap will widen each year that Florida market values rise faster than 3% (the SOH cap on Owner A's AV) or faster than 10% (the non-homestead cap on Owner B's non-school AV). Over a ten-year hold in a normal Florida appreciation scenario, the cumulative tax gap on this single property typically runs USD 20,000 to USD 35,000.

Verified fact. The 2026 homestead exemption is USD 51,411 (USD 25,000 base plus USD 26,411 CPI-adjusted under Florida Statute §196.031, as amended by the Amendment 5 ratified in November 2024).

Typical range. Lee County millage in the 16 to 18 mill range is typical. Miami-Dade and Broward run 19 to 22 mills. The actual rate on your specific property can only be read from your TRIM Notice or your bill.

Section 09CA ↔ FL comparison: how property tax differs from Quebec

Quebec is used as the Canadian reference here because it is the province where most of CanadaFlorida's readership originates. Equivalents for Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta are forthcoming and will appear as separate guides as they are published.

Section 10Common mistakes Canadian owners make

These seven errors recur often enough that they merit explicit treatment.

1. Assuming the prior owner's tax bill carries over. Listings frequently quote the prior owner's tax as the future tax. If the prior owner had homestead and SOH, the new owner (especially a Canadian who cannot claim homestead) will face a materially higher first-year bill once the AV resets to JMV.

2. Believing the TRIM Notice is the bill. The TRIM is a notice of proposed taxes, mailed in August, with a deadline to petition the VAB. Paying off the TRIM is impossible because it is not a bill. The bill arrives in early November.

3. Missing the November 30 discount because the bill arrived "late". F.S. §197.122 puts the duty to know the bill amount on the owner regardless of mail delivery. A bill returned by the post office, or never received because of address-of-record errors, does not extend the discount window or excuse delinquency.

4. Forgetting to update the address-of-record after a Canada-side move. The PA mails everything to the address on file. A Canadian who sells the Montreal house and moves to Calgary, or who relocates to Florida and forgets to declare permanent residency to the PA, can lose mail and miss deadlines. Address updates go to both the PA (for TRIM and assessment correspondence) and the TC (for billing).

5. Treating the first November discount as a strategy gain rather than the baseline. A 4% early-pay discount is the default rational choice for a Canadian holder of US-dollar reserves or a property generating rental income. Skipping it without a reason costs measurable money every year.

6. Confusing CDD assessments with property tax. Properties in master-planned developments, especially in Central and Southwest Florida, often carry a Community Development District assessment that funds the streets, lakes, and infrastructure of the subdivision. CDD fees appear on the same bill but are not ad valorem property tax. They are not capped by SOH or by the 10% non-homestead cap, and they do not vary with assessed value. Underwriting a property using only the ad valorem tax line and ignoring the CDD line understates the carrying cost.

7. Assuming the US property tax automatically reduces the Canadian tax bill. It does not. The CRA taxes worldwide income, including net rental income from a Florida property, on the Canadian return. The US tax actually paid on rental net income generates a foreign tax credit under the Canada-US treaty, but the credit is limited and is computed on the Canadian side. Property tax on a non-rented snowbird property is generally not deductible on either side.

Section 11Delinquency, tax certificates, and tax deed sales

If the bill is not paid by March 31, the account becomes delinquent on April 1 (F.S. §197.122 and §197.333). The delinquency triggers a minimum 3% interest charge and starts the procedural countdown toward a tax certificate sale.

Tax certificate sale (on or before June 1). Under F.S. §197.402 and §197.432, the TC auctions a tax certificate against the parcel. Investors bid down the interest rate they are willing to accept, starting at 18% per year and bidding lower. The certificate is a lien on the property, not a transfer of ownership. The owner retains title and can redeem the certificate at any time by paying the original tax, accrued interest at the bid rate, and TC fees.

Two-year redemption window. The certificate holder cannot force a sale of the property for two years. During that window, the owner's path back is to redeem.

Tax deed application (after two years). If the certificate is not redeemed within two years, the holder may apply for a tax deed under F.S. §197.502. A tax deed sale is a public auction at which the property itself can be sold to satisfy the tax debt. Surplus funds beyond the tax, fees, and certificate redemption go to the owner of record, but the property is gone.

Practical implications for Canadian owners. A Canadian who misses a tax bill because of mail issues or banking-side payment failures has a long fuse, but not an unlimited one. The cure during the certificate period is comparatively cheap (the tax plus interest). Letting the certificate go to a tax deed application is catastrophic. A subscription to TC email alerts and a calendar item on November 1 (bill issuance) and March 15 (last reasonable cure date pre-delinquency) are inexpensive insurance against the worst case.

Section 12Actionable checklist for the calendar year

The following sequence covers the minimum touchpoints a remote Canadian owner should hit each year. Adjust the dates by one or two days for weekends and holidays.

1. January 1. Confirm ownership of record at the PA's website. Note the JMV that will form the basis of the year's bill.
2. March 1. Verify the address of record at the PA and the TC. Update if you have moved on the Canadian side.
3. August 15 to August 30. Watch for the TRIM Notice. Read the JMV, AV, TV, and proposed millage. If the JMV looks materially out of line with comparable sales, consult a Florida-licensed real estate professional and consider a VAB petition before the deadline (typically 25 days after the TRIM mail date).
4. September. Track the public hearings on millage if the proposed rates seem high. Hearings are usually streamed online by the county.
5. November 1 to November 5. Confirm receipt of the bill. If not received by November 10, contact the TC.
6. November 30. Pay the bill to capture the 4% discount, unless cash flow or FX timing dictates otherwise.
7. December 31, January 31, February 28. Backstop deadlines if November 30 was missed. The discount drops one percentage point each month.
8. March 31. Final non-penalty deadline. If unpaid by April 1, the account is delinquent.
9. April 30. Last day to apply for the quarterly installment plan for the following year (F.S. §197.222), if the cash flow rationale fits.

Section 13FAQ

Section 14What this guide does not cover

This guide explains the mechanism of Florida property tax for a Canadian owner of a typical second-home or rental residential property in Florida. It does not cover, in depth, the following adjacent topics, each of which warrants its own dedicated treatment:

• The homestead exemption application process and the step-by-step Florida-residency declaration (covered in the Homestead 2026 guide).
• The Save Our Homes 3% cap mechanics, history, and the post-Amendment 10 portability rules (covered in the SOH and the Portability guides).
• The 10% non-homestead cap mechanics in detail, including reset triggers and the differences between F.S. §193.1554 and §193.1555 (covered in the 10% non-homestead cap guide).
• VAB petition strategy, evidence requirements, and timelines (covered in the VAB petition guide).
• Reading the TRIM Notice line by line.
• The CDD assessment, how it differs from ad valorem property tax, and how to evaluate it pre-purchase.
• The quarterly installment plan in operational detail.
• The full delinquency, tax certificate, and tax deed sequence in operational detail.
• The Canadian tax treatment of the Florida property: T1135 reporting, T776 rental statement, foreign tax credit computation. These are covered in the Renting and Banking chapters.
• Equivalent comparisons for Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta. These are forthcoming.

Editorial team

CanadaFlorida Editorial Team. Research drawn from primary public sources cited at the bottom of every guide: U.S. and Florida statutes, U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, official Florida county and state authorities, and Canadian provincial bodies where applicable. Every figure, rate, threshold, and deadline in this guide is drawn from a verifiable primary source listed below. The article is updated whenever the underlying rules change, with a fresh review date stamped at the top.

Essential disclaimer

Educational purpose only. This document is reference information. It is not legal, tax, accounting, real estate, immigration, medical, or financial advice and does not create a client-professional relationship. Before any concrete decision, consult a licensed professional in the relevant jurisdiction: a Florida-licensed attorney, a cross-border tax professional, a Florida-licensed insurance broker, an immigration attorney, or your physician, depending on the question at hand. Treat this content as a research starting point. A consultation with a licensed professional in the relevant jurisdiction is indispensable before any decision.

Section 15Disclaimer

This guide is for educational purpose only. The figures, rates, thresholds, deadlines, and rules cited are drawn from public sources at the date shown above and may change. The interaction between Florida law, US federal tax, and Canadian federal and provincial law in particular cases is not covered exhaustively here, and may produce results different from the general pattern described.

No professional relationship is created by reading this site. CanadaFlorida.com does not act as your attorney, your accountant, your real estate broker, your insurance broker, your tax preparer, or your immigration consultant. Time validity is limited: thresholds, deadlines, statutes, and case law evolve. Always confirm against the current source before relying on any figure herein.

For a concrete decision involving a specific property, a specific transaction, or a specific tax position, consult a Florida-licensed attorney for legal questions, a cross-border tax professional (CPA or chartered accountant with US and Canadian credentials) for tax questions, a Florida-licensed real estate broker for valuation and market questions, and a Florida-licensed insurance broker for coverage questions. Limitation of liability: CanadaFlorida.com, its editors, and its contributors disclaim liability for any decision made in reliance on this guide. External links are provided for convenience and do not imply endorsement; their content is the responsibility of the linked party.