Veteran Exemptions
Service Connected Disability Exemption - $5,000
This exemption is available to any property owner who is a permanent resident of the state of Florida and a Veteran. Veterans entitled to this exemption must submit a letter from the Veterans Administration (Summary of Benefits) stating a service connected permanent disability to a degree of 10% or more. This letter can be obtained by contacting the Department of Veterans Affairs at (800) 827-1000 and requesting the form letter listed above. The un-remarried surviving spouse of such a disabled ex-service member is also entitled to the exemption.
Total and Permanent Disability Exemption (Service Connected) – Ad Valorem Taxes Waived
A veteran who was honorably discharged from the armed forces and who sustained a "service-connected total and permanent disability" can qualify for exemption from all ad valorem taxes on his or her homesteaded property.
To qualify, the veteran must:
- Be a permanent resident of Florida on January 1 of the year that he or she is applying
- Have a homestead exemption
- Have been honorably discharged from the military
- Have sustained a service-connected total and permanent disability
A veteran applying for the first time must file a Homestead Exemption Application by March 1 and include a letter, (Summary of Benefits), from the Veteran’s Administration certifying a Service Connected Total and Permanent disability.
A veteran can access their benefit information using the Department of Veterans Affairs eBenefits portal, https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage, or by contacting the Department of Veterans Affairs at (800) 827-1000.
The surviving spouse of a service member who qualified for this exemption, and who owns and permanently resides on the homestead property, may continue to receive the benefit of this exemption. If the surviving spouse remarries the exemption is removed.
It is very important to know: According to the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, a veteran can access their own information from the Veteran’s Administration through their eBenefits portal to verify their status as totally and permanently disabled and the date as of which that status was granted. The veteran may present the Summary of Benefits letter to the Property Appraiser as proof of eligibility. This letter may also be obtained by contacting the Department of Veterans Affairs at (800) 827-1000.
Discount for Veterans 65 years and older with a Combat-Related Disability
This discount is available to any honorably discharged veteran who is at least 65 years old and is deemed to be totally and permanently disabled to a degree of 10% or more. All or a portion of such disability must have been combat related. The veteran must own and occupy property in Sarasota County as their permanent residence as of January 1st of the year for which the exemption is being filed.
The surviving spouse of a service member who qualified for this discount, and who owns and permanently resides on the homestead property, may continue to receive the benefit of the discount until he or she remarries, or sells or otherwise disposes of the property. The discount may be transferred to a new homestead property of the un-remarried surviving spouse under certain conditions.
Veterans who qualify will receive a percentage discount on the taxable value of their homestead property equal to the percentage of the Veteran’s permanent service-connected disability.
Surviving Spouse of Military Veteran or First Responder - Ad Valorem Taxes Waived
This exemption is also called the "Fallen Heroes Family Tax Relief Act" and is available to the surviving spouse of a military veteran who died from service-connected causes while on active duty as a member of the U.S. armed forces, and, to a surviving spouse of a first responder (law enforcement officer, correctional officer, firefighter, emergency medical technician or paramedic employed by the state or any political subdivision of the state) who died in the line of duty.
The surviving spouse of a Florida first responder must qualify for homestead and must have been a permanent resident of Florida on January 1 of the year in which the death occurred, and provide a letter attesting to the first responder’s death in the line of duty.
The surviving spouse of the active duty member of the United States Armed Forces must provide a letter from the Department of Veteran's Affairs certifying the service member’s death in the line of duty.
If the surviving spouse remarries the exemption is removed.