Florida Property Taxes Made Simple

Florida Taxes Made Simple

How Do Property Taxes Work In Florida?

If you own a house or a piece of land in Florida, you have to pay something called property tax. This is money that goes to local government to help pay for things like public schools, libraries, roads, and some medical services. The amount you owe depends on how much your property is worth and the tax rate set by your local area.

In Florida, local governments like your county, city, and school district—decide what the property tax rates will be. The interesting thing is, the state of Florida doesn’t get any of this money, it all goes straight to the local governments.

Now, here’s where it might get a little tricky, property taxes are often calculated using something called a "millage rate." Think of the millage rate as a way to measure how much tax you'll pay based on the value of your property. Here’s how it works: one mill equals one dollar for every $1,000 of value. So if your property is worth $100,000 and the millage rate is 10, that means you’ll pay $10 for every $1,000 of value, which adds up to $1,000 in property taxes.

Every year, property appraisers (the people who decide how much your property is worth) look at the market value of your property. They also check for any special exemptions (like the homestead exemption) that can lower how much tax you have to pay.

Once your property value is set, tax collectors are responsible for sending you the property tax bill. If you pay your property tax through your mortgage, you might not have to worry about it directly.

Who Pays Property Taxes In Florida?

In Florida, if you own a home, you’re going to pay property taxes. The amount you pay depends on how much your home is worth and the tax rates in your county or city. But it’s not just homeowners who have to pay these taxes!

If you run a business that owns a building, have any rental properties (even if you live in another state), or if you’ve inherited a property from someone in your family, you also have to pay property taxes on those properties.

What’s interesting is that there’s no set amount for property taxes in Florida. Whether you have a tiny cabin worth $5,000 in a remote area or a fancy beach house in Miami, you’ll still owe property taxes based on what that property is worth.

How To Pay Property Taxes In Florida?

If you pay your mortgage every month, you might already be paying your property taxes without even realizing it! Many mortgage payments include a little bit of money for your property taxes. This money goes into something called an escrow account.

When your property taxes are due, your mortgage company takes the money from that escrow account and pays the taxes for you.

To check if this is true for you, take a look at your monthly mortgage statement. There should be a line that says how much you’re paying for property taxes.

If you don’t see that line, it means you'll need to pay your county’s tax collector directly. Don’t worry! The Florida Department of Revenue can help you find out how to pay your property taxes in each county.

How Is Property Tax Calculated In Florida?

Calculating property tax in Florida is based on a few important things: where you live, any exemptions you might have, and the assessed value of your property. Here’s a simple formula to understand how much you might owe in property tax:

(Taxable Value of Your Property / 1,000) x Millage Rate = Property Tax Owed

Let’s break it down with an example. Say you own a house in Pompano Beach, in Broward County. The county appraiser says your home is worth $650,000.

But don’t worry! You might not have to pay taxes on the full value if you qualify for certain exemptions. For example, if you get the homestead exemption (which helps many homeowners), you can subtract up to $50,000 from your home’s value. That means you’ll only pay property tax on $600,000 of your home.

Now, let’s talk about the millage rate. For Broward County, it’s 5.6690 mills (in 2025). Remember, one mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of your home’s value. So for the $600,000 value, you would pay about $5.60 in property tax for every $1,000.

Now, using our property tax formula, here’s how you’d calculate your taxes:

($600,000 / 1,000) x 5.6 = Property Tax Owed

That equals:

$3,360

So, you would owe $3,360 in property taxes for the year to Broward County. If you pay your property taxes as part of your monthly mortgage payment, that means you’d be paying about $280 each month for property taxes.