Property appraiser: March 2 homestead deadline approaching and county launches 'calamity calculator'

Pinellas County Property Appraiser Mike Twitty on Feb. 25 urged residents to meet an approaching March 2 filing deadline for homestead and personal-exemption applications and described county tools to help homeowners navigate valuation and rebuilding after storm damage.

Twitty said his office sent surveys to owners of flood-impacted properties to establish property condition as of Jan. 1, the valuation effective date, which affects whether structures can be restored to prior assessed values for tax purposes. "If we know that they've already returned to pre-storm condition as of January 1, then we can restore that structure value," Twitty said.

Twitty also introduced a newly launched online 'calamity calculator' that lets property owners and builders estimate whether proposed rebuilding and elevation will change real-estate taxes under current rules. He described legislative changes that expanded calamity rebuilding allowances: "As of June of last year, the legislature passed a new law and increased it to 130% of your original square footage for homesteaders," Twitty said, noting different rules may apply for non-homesteaded properties.

The appraiser invited residents to use the online tool and said most modest rebuilding scenarios will not increase taxes materially. He encouraged filings and outreach to available county office locations and the county website for additional guidance.

The council applauded Twitty and his staff for outreach efforts and tools to support residents and municipal partners through post-storm valuation and planning.