Fort Lauderdale Property Tax: Millage, Exemptions, and Deadlines

The Fort Lauderdale property tax rate for 2025 falls between roughly 18.4 and 19.4 mills, depending on which combination of taxing districts covers your parcel. The Broward County Property Appraiser publishes composite rates by millage code, and Fort Lauderdale properties sit in codes 0311, 0312, and 9312, with 2025 composite rates of 18.5714, 18.4464, and 19.4143 mills respectively.1Broward County Property Appraiser. Millage Rate One mill equals one dollar of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value,2Florida Department of Revenue. A Florida Homeowner’s Guide – Millage so a composite rate of 18.57 works out to about $18.57 per $1,000.

Why the range? Your bill isn’t set by a single government. Several independent authorities each stack their own millage on top of each other, and the mix of special districts shifts from block to block.

What Makes Up the Composite Rate

The taxing authorities layered into a Fort Lauderdale bill include:

  • City of Fort Lauderdale, which funds police, fire, and parks
  • Broward County, covering countywide operations
  • Broward County School Board
  • North Broward Hospital District
  • South Florida Water Management District
  • Children’s Services Council and smaller special districts for libraries and youth programs

Each levy is set independently every year. Add them up and you get the composite millage printed on your Truth in Millage (TRIM) notice.

Separate from the ad valorem rate, your bill also carries non-ad valorem assessments: flat charges that don’t move with your property’s value. In Fort Lauderdale these may include a fire assessment, stormwater fee, nuisance abatement, a business improvement district levy, and an undergrounding-of-utilities assessment, depending on the parcel.3Broward County Property Appraiser. Non Ad Valorem Service Period Multiplying the millage by your taxable value won’t capture these; they’re added on top.

How the Rate Turns Into a Dollar Figure

Every January 1, the Broward County Property Appraiser sets the market value — the “just value” — of your property using qualified sales from the prior year.4Broward County Property Appraiser. BCPA – Dates From there, Florida’s assessment caps may hold the assessed value below just value. Exemptions come off the assessed value to produce the taxable value. The composite millage is applied to that.

A worked example for a homesteaded property with a $400,000 just value, a $350,000 assessed value (held down by the Save Our Homes cap), and the $50,000 homestead exemption:

  • Taxable value: $350,000 − $50,000 = $300,000
  • Ad valorem tax at 18.57 mills: 300 × $18.57 = $5,571
  • Plus non-ad valorem fees, added separately

New owners often get a shock here. The caps reset when a property changes hands, so the assessed value snaps back toward full market value the year after a sale. Estimating your taxes from the previous owner’s bill will almost always understate what you’ll owe.

Homestead Exemption and the Save Our Homes Cap

If the property is your primary residence, the homestead exemption removes up to $50,000 from your taxable value, but it comes in two pieces that behave differently. The first $25,000 applies against every taxing authority, including the school district. The second $25,000 applies only to the portion of assessed value above $50,000 and does not reduce school taxes.5The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 196.031 – Exemption of Homesteads A home assessed at $45,000 gets only the first exemption; the second kicks in once assessed value crosses $50,000.

Once you’re homesteaded, Save Our Homes caps your annual assessed value increase at the lower of 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index.6Florida Senate. Florida Constitution It isn’t a flat 3%, as many homeowners assume. The protection compounds, and long-time residents often sit on an assessed value far below what their home would sell for. Selling resets it: a buyer taking over a home the previous owner held for 15 years will see the assessed value jump to full market value in the following year.

Non-Homestead Cap

Rental homes, second homes, vacant land, and commercial parcels get a separate 10% annual cap on assessment increases, applied to every levy except the school board.7The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 193.1554 – Assessment of Nonhomestead Residential Property This cap also resets at sale.

Exemptions for Seniors, Veterans, and Disabled Homeowners

Several categories of homeowners can push their taxable value lower than the standard homestead allows.

Homeowners aged 65 or older who meet income limits may qualify for an additional exemption of up to $50,000, where the city or county has adopted the authorizing ordinance.8Florida Department of Revenue. Property Tax Benefits for Persons 65 or Older A separate long-term-residency exemption can wipe out city and county ad valorem tax entirely for seniors who have held the homestead at least 25 years, provided just value stays under $250,000. The income thresholds are reset annually by the Florida Department of Revenue.

Veterans with at least a 10% service-connected disability rating receive a $5,000 reduction in assessed value on any property they own, not just a homestead. A total and permanent service-connected disability can exempt a homestead from ad valorem tax entirely. Partially disabled veterans aged 65 and older may receive a percentage discount matching their disability rating, and surviving spouses can often carry the benefit forward.9Florida Department of Revenue. Property Tax Benefits for Active Duty Military and Veterans

Florida residents who are totally and permanently disabled or legally blind qualify for additional homestead reductions as well. All of these must be applied for through the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office.

Early Payment Discounts

Paying early is one of the few guaranteed returns in the system. The Broward County Tax Collector applies a sliding discount depending on when you pay:10Broward County Tax Collector. Property Tax

  • 4% off in November
  • 3% off in December
  • 2% off in January
  • 1% off in February
  • Full amount due by March 31

On a $5,500 bill, paying in November saves $220. The schedule is set by state law and applies to both ad valorem taxes and the non-ad valorem charges on the bill.11The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 197.162 – Tax Discount Payment Periods If a lender pays your taxes from escrow, it will typically pay in November to capture the full discount, but confirm that with your servicer.

If You Think Your Assessment Is Too High

The millage is fixed by the taxing authorities, but the value it’s applied to is open to challenge. If the Broward County Property Appraiser’s number looks wrong, you can petition the Value Adjustment Board using Form DR-486.12Florida Department of Revenue. DR-486 – Petition to the Value Adjustment Board The filing deadline is 25 days after the TRIM notice is mailed, which usually happens in August.13My Florida Legal. Value Adjustment Board, Petition Filing Deadlines The fee can run up to $50 per parcel and is non-refundable, though appeals of homestead denial or tax deferral denial carry no fee.14Florida Senate. Florida Code 194.013 – Filing Fees for Petitions

Petitions turn on evidence. The strongest cases cite recent comparable sales in the neighborhood that closed below the appraiser’s value, an independent appraisal, or documentation of damage or conditions that reduce value. A special magistrate reviews the file at a hearing and recommends an outcome; the board issues the final decision. If you already paid, a reduction produces a refund of the overpayment.

Dates That Drive the Bill