The property tax rate in Davenport, FL for 2025 is 19.3579 mills, which works out to about $19.36 per $1,000 of taxable value on a home inside city limits.1Polk County Tax Collector. 2025 Final Millage Rates That single number is the sum of five separate levies, and what you actually owe depends on which exemptions you qualify for and when you pay the bill.
Who Charges What
No one agency sets your Davenport tax bill. Five taxing authorities each levy their own millage, and the total for a property inside city limits in 2025 looks like this:1Polk County Tax Collector. 2025 Final Millage Rates
- City of Davenport operating levy: 7.2500 mills
- Polk County General Fund: 6.6348 mills
- School Board, state-required portion: 3.0420 mills
- School Board, local portion: 2.2480 mills
- Southwest Florida Water Management District: 0.1831 mills
Properties inside Davenport city limits do not pay the county’s Municipal Services Taxing Unit charges for parks, libraries, and stormwater, because the city provides those services directly. That is why the Davenport combined rate is 19.3579 mills, while unincorporated areas of Polk County sit around 12.93 mills plus their own MSTU add-ons.1Polk County Tax Collector. 2025 Final Millage Rates
One thing the millage rate does not include: non-ad valorem assessments. Flat charges for fire protection, solid waste collection, and street lighting appear on the same November tax bill but are not tied to your property’s value, so they will not show up in any millage-based estimate you run.2Polk County Tax Collector. Property Taxes
Why Your Taxable Value Is Lower Than Your Market Value
Millage rates get multiplied against taxable value, not market value, and in Florida those two numbers can be very far apart. The Polk County Property Appraiser first sets a “just value,” which approximates fair market value from comparable sales and inspections.2Polk County Tax Collector. Property Taxes Then two things happen before any millage is applied: constitutional caps limit how fast the assessed value can grow, and exemptions chop a fixed dollar amount off the top.
Save Our Homes
If the home is your permanent residence and you have a homestead exemption, the Florida Constitution limits annual increases in assessed value to 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower.3Florida Senate. Florida Constitution In a hot market, that cap is the main reason long-term homeowners pay far less than their neighbors who just bought in. The assessed value resets to full market value when the property changes hands.
The 10% Cap on Everything Else
Rental homes, second homes, and certain commercial parcels do not get Save Our Homes, but they are protected by a separate cap limiting annual assessment increases to 10%.4Florida Legislature. Florida Code 193.1554 – Assessment of Nonhomestead Residential Property Looser than the homestead cap, but still a meaningful ceiling for investors.
Your August TRIM Notice
Each August, the property appraiser mails a Truth in Millage notice showing your proposed values, exemptions, and estimated tax from each authority.5Florida Department of Revenue. Truth in Millage (TRIM) It is not a bill. It is a preview, and it is the right moment to check that your exemptions are correctly applied before the November bill arrives.
Exemptions That Reduce Your Bill
Homestead Exemption
The homestead exemption is the biggest tax break most Davenport homeowners will ever claim. If you own the home and it is your permanent residence as of January 1, you can take up to $50,000 off the taxable value. The first $25,000 applies to all levies including school taxes; the second $25,000 applies to everything except school district levies and only kicks in on assessed value between $50,000 and $75,000.6Florida Legislature. Florida Code 196.031 – Exemption of Homesteads On a home assessed at $250,000, that is roughly $900 a year in Davenport at current millage.
File the application with the Polk County Property Appraiser by March 1 with proof of permanent residency, such as your Florida driver’s license or voter registration. Miss March 1 and you wait a full tax year.
Veterans With Service-Connected Disabilities
Veterans with a total and permanent service-connected disability can receive a complete exemption from property taxes on their homestead, meaning the entire assessed value comes off the rolls.7Florida Legislature. Florida Code 196.081 – Exemption for Certain Permanently and Totally Disabled Veterans You will need a VA letter confirming the rating. Veterans with partial service-connected disabilities may qualify for a $5,000 reduction instead.
Widowed, Blind, or Disabled Residents
Florida offers a $5,000 exemption for residents who are widowed, blind, or totally and permanently disabled.8Florida Department of Revenue. DR-501 Original Application for Homestead and Related Tax Exemptions Modest on its own, but it stacks with homestead.
Senior Low-Income Exemption
Homeowners 65 and older whose total household income is at or below $38,686 (the 2026 limit) may qualify for an additional local exemption of up to $50,000, but only where the local government has adopted the ordinance authorizing it.9Florida Department of Revenue. Property Tax Benefits for Persons 65 or Older Household income counts Social Security, pensions, and every other income source for everyone living in the home.
Portability When You Move
When you sell a Florida homestead and buy another one, you can transfer the Save Our Homes benefit you built up on the old home. The maximum transferable assessment differential is $500,000. You must establish homestead on the new Davenport property within three tax years of abandoning the old one, and the portability form (DR-501T) is due by March 1 along with your homestead application. Upsize and the full dollar amount transfers; downsize and the benefit is reduced proportionally based on the ratio of new value to old.10Florida Legislature. Florida Code 193.155 – Homestead Assessments; Limitations on Annual Increases A lot of homeowners forget to file the form, and the cost is real every year afterward.
When and How to Pay
The Polk County Tax Collector mails final bills in November, and Florida law rewards you for paying early:11Florida Legislature. Florida Code 197.162 – Tax Discount Payment Periods
- Pay in November: 4% discount
- Pay in December: 3% discount
- Pay in January: 2% discount
- Pay in February: 1% discount
- Pay in March: no discount, no penalty
On a $3,500 bill, paying in November instead of March keeps about $140. You can pay online through the Tax Collector’s website, by mail, or in person at a branch office.12Polk County Tax Collector. Property Tax Bills Will Be Delivered to Polk County Mailboxes Soon
Quarterly Installments
If a lump-sum payment is tough, apply by April 30 to split the bill into four quarterly installments. The estimated annual tax must exceed $100 to qualify.13Florida Legislature. Florida Code 197.222 – Prepayment of Estimated Tax by Installment Method The first three installments carry their own discounts:
- First quarter, due June 30: 6% discount
- Second quarter, due September 30: 4.5% discount
- Third quarter, due December 31: 3% discount
- Fourth quarter, due March 31: no discount
The plan auto-renews each year, but missing the June 30 first installment drops you from the plan and you have to reapply the following April.13Florida Legislature. Florida Code 197.222 – Prepayment of Estimated Tax by Installment Method
Unpaid taxes become delinquent on April 1 of the following year, at which point the county sells tax certificates on the balance to investors and interest begins to accrue.12Polk County Tax Collector. Property Tax Bills Will Be Delivered to Polk County Mailboxes Soon You keep ownership for now, but the clock on a potential tax deed sale starts the day you go delinquent.