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Value Adjustment Board keeps 2025 filing fee at $15; will raise to $50 in 2026
Summary
Hardee County's Value Adjustment Board voted to keep the current $15 filing fee for 2025 petitions and adopt the higher $50 maximum for 2026 after a change in state law; low-income filers may request a waiver and per-parcel charges vary by petition type.
The Hardee County Value Adjustment Board voted Sept. 9 to leave the filing fee for 2025 petitions at $15 and to raise the maximum filing fee to $50 for the 2026 petition year, following a change enacted by the Florida Legislature.
Rinki Parwani, the board attorney, told members the legislature passed a change allowing boards to increase the maximum filing fee and recommended that the board keep the fee at $15 for petitions already filed for 2025 and adopt the $50 maximum for 2026. "It remained $15 for this year and be increased to $50 in 2026," Parwani said during the meeting.
The board's action responds to HB 7031, which amends state law governing maximum filing fees for value adjustment petitions and is cited by staff as amending Florida Statutes section 194.013. Parwani told the board that the higher fee primarily affects taxpayer advocates and representatives who file petitions on behalf of clients; she also noted that low-income petitioners may request a fee waiver. "If somebody is low income, they can file and request a waiver and not have to pay those fees if it applies to them," Parwani said.
Board members asked for clarification about how the $50 maximum is applied when an entity files for multiple parcels. A member noted that the transcript of the meeting and staff materials indicate the per-parcel charge may vary depending on the nature of the petition. As staff explained: "It depends on what they're filing for. Sometimes it can still be $5 for the additional parcel. So it really depends on what the petition is for and what they're, how the parcels are contiguous or not and who's filing and is it value? Is it exemption? Is it classification?" The board discussed that application details will be governed by the statute and implementing guidance from staff.
The motion to set the 2025 fee at $15 and adopt the statutory $50 maximum for 2026 passed without recorded opposition.
Board staff and the attorney said they will include information about fee waivers and application of per-parcel charges in petitioner materials and at hearings scheduled for January 2026 so affected filers understand whether the higher amount applies to a particular filing.
The meeting also included routine organizational items and scheduling, which the board handled in subsequent votes.
