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Largo may get break on taxes

A judge rules for the city in a disagreement with Pinellas County over when annexed land is added to the tax rolls and then taxed.

By SHANNON TAN
Published January 27, 2005

LARGO - The city has won a dispute with the county property appraiser and tax collector, and could benefit to the tune of $263,042.86.

Since 2002, the county property appraiser has set earlier deadlines for including annexed property in a city's tax rolls. But Largo disagreed and filed suit, arguing that state statute requires annexed property to be included if it is brought into the city before the millage rate is adopted, typically in September.

On Friday, Pinellas County Circuit Judge Crockett Farnell granted Largo's motion for summary judgment. The city will now try to collect taxes paid to Pinellas County for properties annexed by Largo before the property tax rate was levied over the past three years.

The earlier May and June dates meant that Largo lost a total of $263,042.86 for the past three years, said City Attorney Alan Zimmet. Property owners also had to pay more taxes, he said, because they were taxed based on the county's property tax rate.

Pam Dubov, chief deputy property appraiser, said the appraiser's office has not decided whether to appeal the order. The change in cutoff dates was necessary, she said, to ensure that the information provided to taxing authorities was accurate.

"We really don't have a desire to stop annexation," she said. "Our desire was to have annexations accomplished by a certain date so the annual steps in the budget and taxation process after that date would be accurate."

If Property Appraiser Jim Smith accepts the judge's order, the change in policy would affect all Pinellas County cities.

Largo is asking the county tax collector to withhold the amount now owed the city from future taxes, "rather than require the county to pay money out of money they already have," Zimmet said.

Judge Farnell had previously ordered the tax collector to hold on to taxes received after Dec. 1, 2004, for properties the city annexed after the property appraiser's deadline for that year.

Shannon Tan can be reached at shtan@sptimes.com or 445-4174.

[Last modified January 27, 2005, 00:40:21]