There are a lot of colder climate folks (New Englanders,
Canadians, Europeans et al) who work hard, scrimp and save to be able to retire
to warmer climes in the Southeast as they get old – For some it’s part of
the American Dream. But, then, they
find they’re not welcome in
Florida
unless they pay tribute to the locals.
The
Florida
land mania of The Roarin’ 20’s has been dubbed “the greatest real estate
swindle in
U.S.
history.” Back then, the
swindlers were scoundrels selling swamp land to
that era’s unwary suckers. More
recently, real estate pro’s have said that
“
Florida
has a murky past in its real estate dealings.
Stories from the 1980’s abound about swamp land sales and multiple
buyers for single properties.”1
Florida
real estate remains under a cloud. Today’s
suckers are
Florida
real estate buyers that, for one reason or another, can’t be
”homesteaders”. The swindlers
are
Florida
’s officials and citizens who have excused themselves from paying the same
escalating property taxes they charge the “foreigners.”
These taxes are often many times higher than the taxes paid by the
locals.
Why don’t out-of-state property buyers simply become
Florida
citizens and get the homesteader’s benefits?
A few of many reasons are:
·
Non-U.S. citizens would have to surrender their nationality;
·
Health insurance is often not portable from state to state;
·
Pre-existing occupational licenses are not readily transferred;
·
Contracts, wills and legal agreements can be muddled by changing
domiciles.
There are many groups advocating reform of
Florida
’s “loony” property taxes. A
new one The Committee for Fair Florida real Estate Taxes at www.comffret.com/forum/.
COMFFRET believes similary-valued
properties should be taxed similarly—not based on when you bought or where
you’re from.
They can use your support by signing
up.
1. Mazor Realty,
Boca Raton
,
FL