St. Johns County Homeowners Discover They Are Eligible for Thousands of Dollars in Property Tax Exemptions
Summary
The new initiative, launched in March, sought to tackle a key component of equitable tax payment in St. Johns County: ensuring that local homeowners — including low income, senior and military communities — are not overpaying their property taxes. “Through our partnership with TrueRoll, we’re proud to be the first county in the U.S. to use data science practices to proactively identify and notify homeowners who may be eligible for tax savings.” Exemptions can help reduce the taxable value of an individual’s home. St. Johns County has 148,000 residential parcels and 70,000 homestead exempt parcels; using TrueRoll, a data-driven solution to maintain accurate tax rolls, Creamer’s office identified more than 900 properties with unqualified exemptions and collected nearly $1 million in back taxes and penalties. “TrueRoll is dedicated to a fair and equitable process, so we’re thrilled that this progressive initiative with the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s Office not only uncovered unqualified exemptions and helped recover lost tax revenue, but has likewise been successful in finding individuals who could greatly benefit from an exemption they qualify for but have not yet claimed,” said Tyler Masterson, CEO of TrueRoll. It’s the only homestead analysis solution built specifically to make appraisers’ and auditors’ jobs easier and outcomes more accurate and equitable.