Interim assessment rolls.

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that no undue restraint shall be placed on the ability of local government to finance its activities in a timely and orderly fashion, and, further, that just and uniform valuations for all parcels shall not be frustrated if the attainment of such valuations necessitates delaying a final determination of assessments beyond the normal 12-month period. Toward these ends, the Legislature hereby provides a method for levying and collecting ad valorem taxes which may be used if:

(a) The property appraiser has been granted an extension of time for completion of the assessment of all property pursuant to s. 193.023(1) beyond September 1 or has not certified value pursuant to s. 200.065(1) by August 1; or

(b) All or part of the assessment roll of a county is disapproved pursuant to s. 193.1142;

provided a local taxing authority brings a civil action in the circuit court for the county in which relief is sought and the court finds that there will be a substantial delay in the final determination of assessments, which delay will substantially impair the ability of the authority to finance its activities. Such action may be filed on or after July 1. Upon such a determination, the court may order the use of the last approved roll, adjusted to the extent practicable to reflect additions, deletions, and changes in ownership, parcel configuration, and exempt status, as the interim roll when the action was filed under paragraph (a), or may order the use of the current roll as the interim roll when the action was filed under paragraph (b). When the action was filed under paragraph (a), certification of value pursuant to s. 200.065(1) shall be made immediately following such determination by the court. When the action was filed under paragraph (b), the procedures required under s. 200.065 shall continue based on the original certification of value. However, if the property appraiser recommends that interim roll procedures be instituted and the governing body of the county does not object and if conditions of paragraph (a) or paragraph (b) apply, such civil action shall not be required. The property appraiser shall notify the department and each taxing authority within his or her jurisdiction prior to instituting interim roll procedures without a court order.

(2) The taxing authority shall, in its name as plaintiff, initiate action for relief under this section by filing an “Application for Implementation of an Interim Assessment Roll” in the circuit court. The property appraiser and the executive director of the Department of Revenue shall be named as the defendants when the action is filed. The court shall set an immediate hearing and give the case priority over other pending cases. When the disapproval of all or any part of the assessment roll is contested, the court shall sever this issue from the proceeding and transfer it to the Circuit Court in and for Leon County for a determination.

(3)(a) If the court so finds as provided in subsection (1), the property appraiser shall prepare and extend taxes against the interim assessment roll. The extension of taxes shall occur within 60 days of disapproval of all or part of the assessment roll, or by November 15, in the event that the assessment roll has not been submitted to the department pursuant to s. 193.1142; however, in no event shall taxes be extended before the hearing and notice procedures required in s. 200.065 have been completed.

(b) Upon authorization to use an interim assessment roll, the property appraiser shall so advise the taxing units within his or her jurisdiction. The millage rates adopted at the hearings held pursuant to s. 200.065(2)(d) shall be considered provisional millage rates and shall apply only to valuations shown on the interim assessment roll. Such taxing units shall certify such rates to the property appraiser.

(4) All provisions of law applicable to millage rates and limitations thereon shall apply to provisional millage rates, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(5) Upon extension, the property appraiser shall certify the interim assessment roll to the tax collector and shall notify the tax collector and the clerk of the circuit court that such roll is provisional and that ultimate tax liability on the property is subject to a final determination. The tax collector and the clerk of the circuit court shall be responsible for posting notices to this effect in conspicuous places within their respective offices. The property appraiser shall ensure that such notice appears conspicuously on the printed interim roll.

(6) The tax collector shall prepare and mail provisional tax bills to the taxpayers based upon interim assessments and provisional millage rates, which bills shall be subject to all provisions of law applicable to the collection and distribution of ad valorem taxes, except as otherwise provided in this section. These bills shall be clearly marked “PROVISIONAL—THIS IS NOT A FINAL TAX BILL”; shall be accompanied by an explanation of the possibility of a supplemental tax bill or refund based upon the tax roll as finally approved, pursuant to subsection (7); and shall further explain that the total amount of taxes collected by each taxing unit shall not be increased when the roll is finally approved.

(7) Upon approval of the assessment roll by the executive director, and after certification of the assessment roll by the value adjustment board pursuant to s. 193.122(2), the property appraiser shall, subject to the provisions of subsection (11), recompute each provisional millage rate of the taxing units within his or her jurisdiction, so that the total taxes levied when each recomputed rate is applied against the approved roll are equal to those of the corresponding provisional rate applied against the interim roll. Each recomputed rate shall be considered the official millage levy of the taxing unit for the tax year in question. The property appraiser shall notify each taxing unit as to the value of the recomputed or official millage rate.

(8)(a) Upon recomputation, the property appraiser shall extend taxes against the approved roll and shall prepare a reconciliation between the interim and approved assessment rolls. For each parcel, the reconciliation shall show provisional taxes levied, final taxes levied, and the difference thereof.

(b) The property appraiser shall certify such reconciliation to the tax collector, unless otherwise authorized pursuant to paragraph (d), which reconciliation shall contain sufficient information for the preparation of supplemental bills or refunds.

(c) Upon receipt of such reconciliation, the tax collector shall prepare and mail to the taxpayers either supplemental bills, due and collectible in the same manner as bills issued pursuant to chapter 197, or refunds in the form of county warrants. However, no bill shall be issued or considered due and owing, and no refund shall be authorized, if the amount thereof is less than $10. Approval by the Department of Revenue shall not be required for refunds made pursuant to this section.

(d) However, the court, upon a determination that the amount to be supplementally billed and refunded is insufficient to warrant a separate billing or that the length of time until the next regular issuance of ad valorem tax bills is similarly insufficient, may authorize the tax collector to withhold issuance of supplemental bills and refunds until issuance of the next year’s tax bills. At that time, the amount due or the refund amount shall be added to or subtracted from the amount of current taxes due on each parcel, provided that the current tax and the prior year’s tax or refund shall be shown separately on the bill. Alternatively, at the option of the tax collector, separate bills and statements of refund may be issued.

(e) Any tax bill showing supplemental taxes due or a refund due, or any warrant issued as a refund, shall be accompanied by an explanatory notice in substantially the following form:

NOTICE OF SUPPLEMENTAL BILL

OR REFUND

OF PROPERTY TAXES

Property taxes for (year) were based upon a temporary assessment roll, to allow time for a more accurate determination of property values. Reassessment work has now been completed and final tax liability for (year) has been recomputed for each taxpayer. BY LAW, THE REASSESSMENT OF PROPERTY AND RECOMPUTATION OF TAXES WILL NOT INCREASE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TAXES COLLECTED BY EACH LOCAL GOVERNMENT. However, if your property was relatively underassessed on the temporary roll, you owe additional taxes. If your property was relatively overassessed, you will receive a partial refund of taxes. If you have questions concerning this matter, please contact your county tax collector’s office.

(9) Any person objecting to an interim assessment placed on any property taxable to him or her may request an informal conference with the property appraiser, pursuant to s. 194.011(2), or may seek judicial review of the interim property assessment. However, petitions to the value adjustment board shall not be filed or heard with respect to interim assessments. All provisions of law applicable to objections to assessments shall apply to the final approved assessment roll. The department shall adopt by rule procedures for notifying taxpayers of their final approved assessments and of the time period for filing petitions.

(10)(a) Delinquent provisional taxes on real property shall not be subject to the delinquent tax provisions of chapter 197 until such time as the assessment roll is reconciled, supplemental bills are issued, and taxes on the property remain delinquent. However, delinquent provisional taxes on real property shall accrue interest at an annual rate of 12 percent, computed in accordance with s. 197.172. Interest accrued on provisional taxes shall be added to the taxes, interest, costs, and charges due with respect to final taxes levied. When interest begins to accrue on delinquent provisional taxes, the property owner shall be given notice by first-class mail.

(b) Delinquent provisional taxes on personal property shall be subject to all applicable provisions of chapter 197.

(11) A recomputation of millage rates under this section shall not reduce or increase the total of all revenues available from state or local sources to a school district or to a unit of local government as defined in part II of chapter 218. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (7), the provisional millage rates levied by a multicounty taxing authority against an interim roll shall not be recomputed, but shall be considered the official or final tax rate for the year in question; and the interim roll shall be considered the final roll for each such taxing authority. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (7), millage rates adopted by vote of the electors pursuant to s. 9(b) or s. 12, Art. VII of the State Constitution shall not be recomputed.

(12) The property appraiser shall follow a reasonable and expeditious timetable in completing a roll in compliance with the requirements of law. In the event of noncompliance, the executive director may seek any judicial or administrative remedy available to him or her under law to secure such compliance.

(13) For the purpose of this section, the terms “roll,” “assessment roll,” and “interim assessment roll” mean the rolls for real, personal, and centrally assessed property.

(14) Chapter 120 shall not apply to this section.