Gov. DeSantis signs property tax cut bill for Hurricane Ian victims

If politics are a series of popularity contests, Ron DeSantis is another winner.

Victims of Hurricane Ian with extensive property damage are in line for major reductions in property taxes — or the complete elimination of them — after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday providing tax relief for those with homes left uninhabitable by the storm.

The bill (SB 4A) allows residents with a property that can’t be lived in for at least 30 days by Hurricane Ian to receive a property tax refund for the time during the year it was unavailable.

“These recoveries from major storms are really marathons,” DeSantis said at a bill signing event in Fort Myers Beach. “This is going to make a big difference for people. You don’t want to get hit with a big tax bill right after getting hit with a major hurricane.”

Hurricane Ian smashed into Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm Sept. 28 and cut across the state, bringing massive storm surge and damaging winds and rain that killed more than 100 people.

Residents affected by the storm can apply with their local county property appraiser between Jan. 1 and April 1 for the rebate. Property appraisers are required to notify applicants about whether they qualified and how much and send a notice to the local tax collector by June 1. If the applicant has already paid the property taxes, the tax collector will then issue a rebate to the resident.

Taxpayers will save an estimated $18.3 million through the rebates, according to a Senate staff analysis of the bill.

The measure also pushes back tax deadlines for hurricane victims, provides $350 million to help local governments pay for Federal Emergency Management Agency matching funds, uses $150 million for the Florida House Finance Corporation to use on affordable housing projects and repairing and replacing homes in affected areas, and spends $250 million for beach restoration projects in areas hit by Ian.

The bill passed unanimously in both chambers of the Legislature during its Special Session this week.

“We will never forget this community,” said House Speaker Paul Renner, a Palm Coast Republican, at the event. “We are with you every step of the way and we’ve made a huge down payment to make sure we’re taking care of this area.”