Dear Taxpayer:

Happy Spring!

My office continues to work on the 2025 tax roll and make preparations for the release of the estimated 2025 taxable property values to the Palm Beach County taxing authorities at the end of May.

These preliminary estimates assist the county, municipalities, and other taxing authorities in projecting their budgets and tax rates and also provide a benchmark as to what revenue they can expect to receive from property taxes in the coming year.

After the taxing authorities have determined their budgets and proposed tax rates based on the preliminary estimates, my office will mail the TRIM notice, or Truth in Millage, to every property owner in August. This is the notice of proposed taxes that will detail the assessed value of your property, your proposed tax rates, and an estimate of your tax bill. Stay tuned.

Also, as “Snowbird Season” comes to a close, we’ve included important information on short-term rental of a homesteaded property for those property owners who benefit from the homestead exemption and are considering renting all or a portion of their homesteaded property.

I hope you find this information beneficial and interesting.

Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office Service Centers 

While a vast array of services and information are available online 24/7 at pbcpao.gov, my office maintains five service centers, conveniently located throughout Palm Beach County and staffed by qualified professionals. They administer the homestead exemption, additional property tax exemptions, mailing address and ownership changes, portability applications, and more.

2024 customer service by the numbers:

• Phone calls: 86,167, down 3% from 2023 Counter visits: 27,232, down 4% from 2023
• E files: 15,835, nearly flat from 2023
• Total new homestead exemptions: 25,256, up 2% from 2023
• Portability applications: 6,401, down 7% from 2023

Main Office & Downtown Service Center

County Governmental Center

Main Office - 5th Floor

Downtown Service Center (Exemptions)- 1st Floor

301 North Olive Avenue, 5th Floor

West Palm Beach, FL33401

561.355.2866

South County Service Center

14925 Cumberland Drive

Delray Beach, FL33446

561.276.1250

North County Service Center

3188 PGA Boulevard, 2nd Floor

Palm Beach Gardens, FL33410

561.624.6521

Short-Term Rental of a Homesteaded Property

A provision in state law allows you to rent your home for a short time without affecting your homestead exemption.

Florida law allows the following:

• Rental for 30 days or less per calendar year.
• Rental for more than 30 days and less than six months in one year. If you rent again the following year for more than 30 days, you will lose your homestead exemption.
• Rental on any day except January 1. If your home is rented on January 1, you will lose the homestead exemption.

Rental for more than six months constitutes abandonment of a homestead exemption. Property owners are required to notify the Property Appraiser’s Office when their property no longer qualifies for exemption. Failure to do so could result in a homestead tax lien with substantial penalty and interest.

Be aware of the law before deciding to rent your property. For more information, visit pbcpao.gov or contact Exemption Services at 561.355.2866.

Florida Statute 196.061

Florida Statute 196.011 (9) (a)