At any VFW Post in the nation, we are extremely proud and protective of our members. Since they have done so much to serve our country, we feel it is only fair we find a way to serve them now and thank them for their service. We want to be able to help Florida Disabled Veterans and have found a way to do so with no cost. I bet all of you would be willing to do the same! Well, the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts is asking exactly that of Florida lawmakers.

Disabled Veterans with a 100% disability rating are exempt from real estate property tax in all of our Florida counties. As a matter of fact, since July of 2023, any real estate taxes which were paid by the Veteran after closing on a home are fully refundable. But, Florida still needs to improve this important legislation because our Disabled Veterans are still being hurt by the taxes.

Right now, many Veterans have to often wait months after closing to apply for that exemption. The big problem here is that during the loan process, they’re not considered exempt so the taxes they don’t have to pay are still considered a debt, reducing the price of a home they are qualified to purchase. This could possibly push them out of a market which is already high enough. They may even have to settle on buying a house they could actually afford because the debt ratio is skewed by a tax bill which is not theirs.

With thousands of dollars collected from Disabled Veterans for prorated escrows, the money is held from their savings until the exemption comes through and the refund is on its way. This is not only unfair, at times it can be a hardship for the Veteran and his family since the money is actually for a debt which isn’t theirs and takes time to get refunded.

The State Advocacy Captain of AIME, Laura Ray, who is also owner of Liberty Mortgage Lending Group in Lee County , stated during 20222, over $14.6 billion in VA home loan purchases occurred. The sum doesn’t include non-VA loans. Maryland and Virginia have already solved the problem by passing legislation allowing the exemption to happen during the loan process. This ends the problems at no cost to taxpayers or their respective states. Now, it’s Florida’s turn!

The way to help is to let your state Senators and Representatives in your district know you want this legislation to be supported. Also, inform the Property Appraiser who is also an elected official know this is important. You’ll be glad you did!