Property tax rebates, extensions available for Florida Helene victims

Florida property owners whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Helene can receive tax rebates under a 2022 law, and businesses affected by the storm will receive extensions to pay a variety of taxes under an order issued by the Department of Revenue (DOR) on Wednesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed the need to provide tax relief to those in Helene’s path: “It’d be wrong to collect taxes from somebody who’s not even able to use their home as a result of damage from the storm,” he told reporters Wednesday in Madeira Beach while giving updates on the state’s recovery.

Lawmakers passed a law in 2022 to refund property taxes for the Surfside condo building collapse the previous year. When Hurricane Ian hit in September 2022, DeSantis issued an executive order extending the deadline to pay property taxes and lawmakers amended the law to apply to those whose homes were demolished by the storm and rendered uninhabitable for at least 60 days. It required county property appraisers to process applications for the rebates for future catastrophes.

The DOR order also extends the deadline for businesses and individuals in Charlotte, Citrus, Dixie, Franklin, Hernando, Hillsborough, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Taylor and Wakulla counties to pay a series of taxes.

Sales taxes, unemployment taxes, communications services taxes, gas taxes, gross receipts taxes, documentary stamp taxes, insurance premium taxes, severance taxes and the tourist development tax are extended until Nov. 22.

“We want businesses to focus on taking care of themselves, focus on rebuilding, not on sending money to the state government,” DeSantis said. “We’ve got enough money. I mean, we’ve got big surpluses in Florida.”