Jacob Ogles
House candidate Shon Owens wants to serve in the Florida Legislature. But he and his wife claim a homestead exemption in Georgia, and he never applied for one on the Jay home he owned since 2007.
Owens told Florida Politics he believed he did have an exemption in his Highway 4 home, but acknowledged that his wife for years claimed one on a Jackson County property listed in both of their names.
“My wife claims that, separate from me,” he said. “I claim a homestead here, she claims the Georgia address, and we have kids in college in Georgia.”
Jackson County records show Owens and Jina Cadena Jones as the owners of the Georgia property, but list a Jay address as the owners’ home address. Nevertheless, the county property records in Georgia show a homestead exemption on the Jackson County property.
Georgia law requires a home to be occupied and considered a legal residence in order for the property to be eligible for a homestead exemption. A state website also clearly states that to be eligible, an individual “cannot already claim a homestead exemption for another property in Georgia or in any other state.”
Owens said it was his wife who claimed the Georgia exemption, not him. He also said Jones had a Georgia driver’s license and grew up in Georgia. Both Owens and Jones have adult children from previous relationships, all of whom live in Georgia.
But there may be a reason not to worry about the Georgia requirements on exemptions. Owens does not have, and has never sought, a homestead exemption on his Jay home. According to the Santa Rosa Property Appraiser’s Office, he has owned the home on Highway 4 since 2007 but has never applied for an exemption.
Owens notably owns several properties in Santa Rosa County, most of which are owned by corporations in his control. But none of the properties have a homestead exemption.
Yet Owens served at the Jay City Council for 15 years, including seven as Mayor.
“All of my businesses are here,” he said. “This is where I work out of every week. I spend 90% of my time here in Florida.”
Owens, head of Owens Custom Homes & Construction, is one of eight Republicans qualified as candidates for a Special Election in House District 3. The seat opened after former Rep. Joel Rudman, a Navarre Republican, resigned to run for Congress, though he lost a Republican Primary in January to Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.
The Republican Primary in HD 3 will be held on April 1. The winner advances to a June 20 Special General Election.
