Florida Senate committees advance bills on homestead leasehold exemptions and DHSMV privacy
Florida Senate committees advance bills on homestead leasehold exemptions and DHSMV privacy
Publish Date: 2026-02-06 13:37:00
Source Domain: flvoicenews.com
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two Senate bills aimed at clarifying property tax exemptions for long-term lessees and shielding driver email addresses from public records requests advanced through key committees Thursday.
Homestead tax savings for residents with long-term leases
What it does: SB 110 clarifies that residents who hold a leasehold interest of 98 years or more in a residential or condominium parcel are eligible for the homestead tax exemption, even if their lease includes a provision that terminates the agreement upon their death.
Key details of the bill include:
- Title and ownership status: The bill provides that qualifying lessees are considered to have legal, beneficial, and equitable title to the property for the purpose of claiming homestead exemptions.
- Clarifying intent: The legislation is described as remedial and clarifying, designed to address potential ambiguities regarding long-term leases and homestead eligibility.
- Committee refinements: A committee substitute was added to specify that leases containing “termination upon death” clauses remain valid for exemption purposes under current law.
- Statutes affected: The measure amends Section 196.041 of the Florida Statutes.
The sponsors: The bill is sponsored by Democratic Sen. Kristen Arrington. A similar bill, HB 227, is sponsored by Republican Rep. Patt Maney in the House.
Next steps: The bill passed a Senate committee on Thursday with a 16-0 vote and has one remaining committee stop. The House bill also has one remaining committee stop.
If passed, the bill is scheduled to take effect immediately upon becoming law.
DHSMV customer email addresses from public records requests
What it does: SB 490 would shield email addresses collected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, or DHSMV, from public records requests.
Key details of the bill include:
- Expanded public records exemption: The bill broadens the current exemption to include all…
