What is Homestead Fraud? Homestead non-compliance or fraud occurs when a person who has filed for homestead exemption or is currently receiving homestead exemption is determined not to be a permanent resident of Lee County, i.e. no longer holds a valid Florida driver’s license, no longer has Florida vehicle license tags on their auto or is registered to vote in another jurisdiction, etc., or who is not in good faith residing on the property on which he or she filed. Married persons each claiming exemption in separate locations may also be non-compliant. Married persons can claim only one location as the homestead location and cannot each claim a residency based exemption, roll back or tax credit in separate jurisdictions. If you have questions about what constitutes non-compliance or fraud – contact our office immediately.
What is Agriculture Exemption Fraud? Agriculture exemption fraud occurs when evidence is fabricated in support of obtaining an exemption due to land being used for agricultural purposes. Section 193.461 of the Florida Statutes describes in detail what constitutes bona fide agricultural use of a property and the process for applying for this exemption.
What does the law say? Pursuant to Sections 193.155 (9) and 196.161 of the Florida Statutes , property owners who intentionally cheat on their homestead exemption will have a tax lien placed against their properties, be back taxed for up to 10 years (as applicable), be required to pay a sizable penalty (50% of the unpaid taxes for each year), and pay interest at a rate of 15% per year.
How does this affect me? Fraudulent exemptions steal from our law enforcement, our schools, our libraries, and lower our quality of life in Lee County. Those tax dollars have to be made up somewhere, and the honest tax payers get stuck making up the difference.
What can I do to help? If you know or suspect exemption fraud or non-compliance is taking place, let us know about it. You are not required to provide your name when reporting suspected fraud. Any identifying information provided by you becomes part of the public record and is subject to disclosure upon request. If you wish to remain anonymous and do not want your email address, contact or other identifying information released in response to a public-records request, do not include that information in your correspondence. Please complete the form below or you may call (239) 533-6299 to report Homestead non-compliance or fraud or (239) 533-6172 to report Agriculture Classification non-compliance or fraud.
Report Exemption Fraud