PROPERTY TAXES
A common misconception that many in Canada have is that Florida charges Canadians more in property tax than United States citizens pay. This is simply not true. Property taxes are the same for a Canadian snowbird as they are for a Buffalo snowbird. All non-full-time residents are treated the same. The difference in the property tax structure is for those that can claim Florida property as their homestead (6 months or more).
There is no difference in the property appraisal for snowbirds. The tax rate is the same for all residential property owners and the methods for assessing the taxable value are also the same.
The difference is that Homesteaders have an annual cap of 3% on the property’s taxable assessed value and snowbirds have an annual cap of 10% on the property’s taxable assessed value. So when property values increase, there is a limit to how much the property appraiser can increase the assessed value.