Florida Homestead Exemption in Manatee and Sarasota Counties

This page is general information about Florida’s homestead exemption for homeowners in Lakewood Ranch, Florida (Manatee and Sarasota counties). It is not legal or tax advice. For questions about your own property, contact your county property appraiser or a tax professional.

Who qualifies for the homestead exemption?

You qualify if you own the home and make it your permanent residence on or before January 1 of the tax year, then apply by March 1. Both conditions are tested on January 1. Owning a second home here while keeping your main home in another state does not qualify.

The property appraisers look for evidence that the Lakewood Ranch home is your permanent home: a Florida driver license or ID with the property address, Florida vehicle registration, and voter registration in the county. Non-citizens need a permanent resident card. Only permanent Florida residents can claim homestead.

How much does the homestead exemption save?

The 2026 exemption takes $25,000 off your assessed value for all property taxes, plus up to $26,411 more for non-school taxes, which is worth roughly $430 to $560 a year in Lakewood Ranch at 2025 tax rates. The second exemption applies to assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000 and is now adjusted for inflation each year: $25,722 for 2025 and $26,411 for 2026, according to the Florida Department of Revenue.

	Manatee County (East Manatee Fire Rescue district)	Most of unincorporated Sarasota County
2025 total millage	14.16 mills	11.4737 mills (before non-ad valorem assessments)
School millage	6.304 mills	6.095 mills
Saving from the first $25,000	About $354	About $287
Saving from the additional $26,411 (non-school only)	About $207	About $142
Estimated yearly saving	About $561	About $429

These are our estimates using the counties’ 2025 adopted rates and the 2026 exemption amounts. Your saving depends on your tax district and the current year’s rates. CDD assessments on the same bill are not reduced by the exemption.

What is the Save Our Homes cap?

Save Our Homes limits how much your homestead’s assessed value can rise each year to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. It starts the year after your first homestead year. Over time it matters more than the exemption itself.

Here is how it works. Suppose your home is assessed at $600,000 in your first homestead year, and the market pushes its just value up 8% the next year to $648,000. Your assessed value can rise only to $618,000 (3%), so you are taxed on $30,000 less. If the cap that year is 3%, at 14.16 mills that is about $425 saved in a single year, and the gap can keep growing.

The cap resets when the home changes ownership. A buyer is assessed at full just value, and the cap starts again once that buyer qualifies for homestead.

How does portability work when you move within Florida?

If you are leaving another Florida homestead, you can transfer up to $500,000 of your Save Our Homes savings to your new Lakewood Ranch home. You must establish the new homestead by January 1 of the third year after you leave the old one. For the 2026 tax year, Manatee County says you may be eligible if you had a Florida homestead in 2023, 2024 or 2025.

• Upsizing (the new home is worth more): you generally carry over the full difference between the old home’s just value and assessed value, up to $500,000.
• Downsizing (the new home is worth less): the benefit transfers in proportion to the values.

You apply for portability with the homestead application, using Form DR-501T (Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference), by March 1. Portability does not apply to homes moving in from another state.

How do you apply in Manatee County vs Sarasota County?

Apply with the property appraiser in the county where the home sits, online or in person, by March 1. Northern Lakewood Ranch is in Manatee County and the southern part is in Sarasota County. Check the county on your deed or the appraiser’s parcel search.

	Manatee County Property Appraiser	Sarasota County Property Appraiser
Website	manateepao.gov	sarasotapropertyappraiser.gov
How to apply	Online, in person or by mail	Online (check the site for in-person options)
Deadline	March 1	March 1
Documents	Florida driver license or ID, Florida vehicle registration, Manatee County voter registration card, permanent resident card if applicable, Social Security numbers, trust documents if the home is in a trust	Florida driver license or ID with the permanent address, plus voter registration, vehicle registration or a declaration of domicile; proof of ownership; Social Security numbers
Local notes	Renews automatically if nothing changes; in-person office at 915 4th Ave. W., Bradenton	Allow 30 days after closing for the deed to be processed; married couples must apply in the same session

Both counties let you apply for related exemptions on the same application, such as the widow or widower, blind, disability and service-connected disability exemptions.

What other exemptions can stack on top of homestead?

Several smaller exemptions add to homestead if you qualify. Manatee County lists these:

• $5,000 widow or widower exemption, for a surviving spouse who has not remarried.
• $5,000 blind exemption and $5,000 disability exemption.
• $5,000 veterans disability exemption for a service-connected disability of 10% or more.
• Total exemption (except special assessments) for certain quadriplegics, totally and permanently disabled veterans, and some low-income disabled owners.
• Low-income senior exemption: an additional $25,000 off county taxes in Manatee County for owners 65 or older on January 1 who meet an income limit adjusted each year for inflation. Income documents are due by June 1.

Sarasota County offers its own senior, disability, veteran and first responder exemptions. Ask the property appraiser which apply to you.

What if you miss the March 1 deadline?

Missing March 1 generally waives the exemption for that year, but Florida law allows a late application in limited cases. You can file by the 25th day after the property appraiser mails the annual TRIM notice (late summer), if you can show you were unable to apply on time or have other extenuating circumstances. The property appraiser decides whether to grant it. If you are not sure you qualify, apply anyway by March 1 and let the office decide.

What is the 2026 homestead amendment?

A proposed constitutional amendment, Amendment 3 (CS/HJR 1-F), would sharply raise the homestead exemption for non-school taxes if voters approve it at the November 3, 2026, general election. The Florida Legislature passed it on June 2, 2026. Its ballot title is “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes.”

	Today (2026)	2027 if approved	2028 if approved
Exemption for non-school taxes	$25,000 plus $26,411	$150,000	$250,000
Exemption for school taxes	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000

The ballot summary says it would also require the Legislature to set “a schedule for full elimination” of homestead property taxes through general law. Constitutional amendments need at least 60% of the vote to pass. If it passes, it takes effect January 1, 2027. The amounts in the table apply to existing homesteads. People who establish Florida residency on or after January 1, 2027, would start with a $50,000 non-school exemption and become eligible for the larger exemption in their fifth year, according to the Manatee County Property Appraiser. You would still need a homestead exemption in place to benefit, so file on time either way.

What should new owners do next?

Apply as soon as you can after closing and moving in, and keep proof of your residency. Then:

1. Watch for the TRIM notice each summer, which shows your assessed value and exemptions.
2. Tell the property appraiser if you rent the home, move out or change the deed.
3. Budget for the first year without homestead if you closed after January 1.

For the full set of tax steps when you move here, see our Florida tax checklist for movers. To see how property tax fits with CDD fees, insurance and utilities, read our Lakewood Ranch cost of living breakdown. A CPA can help if you are coordinating homestead with a home sale or retirement income, and a local real estate agent can pull a property’s tax history before you buy.