Devyn LeBlanc
reporter@greenepublishing.com
With November right around the corner, Thanksgiving comes to mind, but it’s also the beginning of the tax-paying season. Come Nov. 1 or soon thereafter, the Madison County Tax Collector's Office will begin mailing out property tax notices, which can be paid on or before March 31 of 2022 without penalty.
The way the process typically works in Florida, is property appraisers mail TRIM notices sometime in August. Taxing authorities set their millage rates in mid or late September. Property appraisers then certify the tax rolls to tax collectors in October, and tax collectors mail the tax bills in November.
Property owners who pay their taxes early are rewarded with a small discount, decreasing the later the payment is made, beginning at four percent in November, three percent in December, two percent in January and one percent in February.
Property taxes that haven’t been paid by April 1 of 2022 will be declared delinquent. A three percent interest begins to accrue on the amount owed, with tax certificates sold on the properties in the beginning of June so the city, county and school district can get the funds needed to operate.
When certificates are sold, the owner can continue living on the property, but the certificate purchaser is entitled to interest on the taxes owed, which can be as high as 18 percent.
If, after two years, the property owner fails to pay the back taxes, along with the interest that has accrued on the certificate and other applicable penalties, the certificate purchaser can apply for a tax deed to recoup their investment. The tax deed is then auctioned on the courthouse steps and the property owner loses the land.
For more information regarding property taxes, call the Madison County Tax Collector's Office at (850) 973-6136.