March 1 is the deadline for making application for the homestead exemption. Obtaining homestead exemption is important to the homeowner in two ways. First, homestead exemption reduces the assessable value of property by $25,000. Second, persons who properly file for homestead exemption receive the benefit of Article VII of the…
Changes in the transfer tax laws effective January 1, 2006, will benefit many estate planning clients. However, these increases may cause some unintended results. For this reason, this is a good time for clients to review their estate plans to be sure that their goals are still being met under…
During this time of year, many of you are probably thinking about your ad valorem real property taxes and how much the assessed value has increased since last year. However, you should also be thinking about another, albeit less known, Florida ad valorem property tax, the so-called annual intangible personal…
In today’s rapidly appreciating real estate market, it is oftentimes desirable for asset protection purposes to separate the ownership of real property from the ownership of an operating business that utilizes the real property, particularly when the operating business is especially susceptible to lawsuits for malpractice or negligence. For example,…
On April 20, 2005, President Bush signed into law the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 (the “Act”), making the most significant change to the Bankruptcy Code since 1978. Most of the changes made by the Act do not go into effect until October 17, 2005. A…