Florida's Save Our Homes benefit can be worth six figures in a divorce settlement, and an over-assessed property can mean years of excess tax bills. We help homeowners and business owners in Manatee County with portability analysis, residential appeals, and commercial appeals.
Manatee County, including Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch, is home to many long-tenured, high-value homesteads. Decades of Save Our Homes protection on properties that have appreciated dramatically can mean an enormous gap between assessed and market value — often the single largest financial asset at stake in a divorce.
We work with homeowners and family law attorneys throughout Manatee County to make sure that gap is properly accounted for in a settlement.
From waterfront homes near downtown Bradenton to master-planned communities in Lakewood Ranch and growing areas throughout the county, Manatee County's housing market varies significantly by area. We base portability calculations and assessment appeals on recent sales specific to your part of Manatee County.
If one spouse is keeping the homestead, or the home is being sold and both parties are starting over, the accumulated Save Our Homes benefit needs to be identified and valued before the settlement is finalized. We calculate the portability value, the annual tax savings, and what happens if the homestead is abandoned.
Submit your Manatee County property address and we'll tell you whether a meaningful Save Our Homes / portability benefit exists, at no cost. If it's worth a full written report, the analysis is $1,250.
Every August, Manatee County property owners receive a TRIM notice showing the proposed assessment for the coming tax year. If that number looks too high, there's a limited window to challenge it with the county's Value Adjustment Board.
The Manatee County Property Appraiser mails TRIM notices (Notice of Proposed Property Taxes) in mid-to-late August, showing your proposed assessed value and the deadline to file a Value Adjustment Board petition for that year.
Manatee County VAB petitions must be filed within 25 days of the TRIM notice mailing date, with the Manatee County Value Adjustment Board. We review your assessment against recent comparable sales before you decide whether a petition is worthwhile.
Your Manatee County tax bill depends on whether the property is in Bradenton, Palmetto, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria Island, or unincorporated Manatee County, each with its own combined millage rate. We apply the correct rate for your address when estimating potential savings.
Your assessed value, exemptions, and TRIM notice details are on file with the Manatee County Property Appraiser. Use their property search tool to look up your parcel before requesting a review.
Free check or a $1,250 written portability valuation report for settlements.
TRIM notice review and Value Adjustment Board petition support for homeowners.
Data-driven VAB petitions for commercial property owners and investors.