Lee County homeowner could lose tax break because of her marriage

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A Lee County homeowner is at risk of losing her homestead tax exemption because of her marriage to a Canadian citizen.

Connie Brown says she has lived in Lee County for 46 years and has received the homestead tax exemption since the 90s. The exemption takes $50,000 off the value of her McGregor-area home.

Recently, she received a letter in the mail saying that is going to change because of her marriage.

"I don't want to leave the US, he doesn't want to leave Canada, so we make it work," Brown said.

She tells WINK News Reporter Bella Line she has been married to her husband Ross for 10 years. Because he's a Canadian citizen, she says the county told her she wouldn't get her tax exemption anymore.

"I don't want to leave, but if it's financially not affordable, then I won't have an option," Brown said.

She says the change could cost her potentially thousands more dollars to live in her home. On a fixed income, the financial impact is significant.

"A lot of my retirement is going just to own this house," Brown said.

Lee County Property Appraiser Matt Caldwell says this issue is becoming more common.

"Things have evolved over the years. Clearly, the way that people live has changed, but the law really hasn't," Caldwell said. "We certainly want to try to come to the best resolution for the taxpayer that we can, but at the end of the day, we can only reach as far as the law will let us."

Caldwell tells WINK News he has reached out to lawmakers about the issues Southwest Floridians like Brown are facing.

"The non-Florida resident spouse owns a 100% interest in the property, and creates a real legal quagmire for us to try to figure out," Caldwell said.

Caldwell explained that because marriages are legally binding, so are the properties to each other. He says it's not like a business deal where each person owns 50/50—it's as if they both own 100% of each other's homes.

Brown feels that without this tax exemption she has had for decades, she could be forced out of the state.

"I've been married 10 years, it’s not like I got married last week," Brown said. "Every penny is important nowadays."

Line asked Caldwell if the county could go back and collect the last 10 years of taxes from Brown, and he said they would evaluate each situation to see if that is what is best for the public and individual taxpayers.