Partial payment of ad valorem taxes; proceedings before value adjustment board.

(1)(a) A petitioner before the value adjustment board who challenges the assessed value of property must pay all of the non-ad valorem assessments and make a partial payment of at least 75 percent of the ad valorem taxes, less the applicable discount under s. 197.162, before the taxes become delinquent pursuant to s. 197.333.

(b)1. A petitioner before the value adjustment board who challenges the denial of a classification or exemption, or the assessment based on an argument that the property was not substantially complete as of January 1, must pay all of the non-ad valorem assessments and the amount of the tax which the taxpayer admits in good faith to be owing, less the applicable discount under s. 197.162, before the taxes become delinquent pursuant to s. 197.333.

2. If the value adjustment board determines that the amount of the tax that the taxpayer has admitted to be owing pursuant to this paragraph is grossly disproportionate to the amount of the tax found to be due and that the taxpayer’s admission was not made in good faith, the tax collector must collect a penalty at the rate of 10 percent of the deficiency per year from the date the taxes became delinquent pursuant to s. 197.333.

(c) The value adjustment board must deny the petition by written decision by April 20 if the petitioner fails to make the payment required by this subsection. The clerk, upon issuance of the decision, shall, on a form provided by the Department of Revenue, notify by first-class mail each taxpayer, the property appraiser, and the department of the decision of the board.

(2) If the value adjustment board or the property appraiser determines that the petitioner owes ad valorem taxes in excess of the amount paid, the unpaid amount accrues interest at an annual percentage rate equal to the bank prime loan rate on July 1, or the first business day thereafter if July 1 is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, of the year, beginning on the date the taxes became delinquent pursuant to s. 197.333 until the unpaid amount is paid. If the value adjustment board or the property appraiser determines that a refund is due, the overpaid amount accrues interest at an annual percentage rate equal to the bank prime loan rate on July 1, or the first business day thereafter if July 1 is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, of the tax year, beginning on the date the taxes would have become delinquent pursuant to s. 197.333 until a refund is paid. Interest on an overpayment related to a petition shall be funded proportionately by each taxing authority that was overpaid. Interest does not accrue on amounts paid in excess of 100 percent of the current taxes due as provided on the tax notice issued pursuant to s. 197.322. For purposes of this subsection, the term “bank prime loan rate” means the average predominant prime rate quoted by commercial banks to large businesses as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

(3) This section does not apply to petitions for ad valorem tax deferrals pursuant to chapter 197.