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Jul 6, 2009 5:53 pm US/Eastern
High Property Taxes Price Widow Out Of Her Home
MARATHON (CBS4) ―
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Lenor Rowe and her husband bought this house more than 30 years ago, but now she says the high property taxes are pricing her out of her home.
CBS
Leonor Rowe is a child of the Great Depression.
The 73-year-old Michigan native and her husband built their retirement home in the Florida Keys almost 30 years ago. Their original property tax bill was about $600.
But today, it has soared to about $5,000 and she says she just can't afford it anymore, especially after losing her husband.
The Marathon homeowner says, "It's time to get out of here, I can't afford the bills. I'm just on Social Security and don't have enough savings to make it all work anymore since my husband died."
The Monroe County Tax Appraisers' Office says Leonor's home is assessed at $617,000.
"They tell me this year, because of dropping real estate values, it should be quote 'substantially lower,'" she said.
And Leonor's already getting her $25,000 homestead exemption and another $500 off her bill for being a widow. She's now applying for another $50,000 dollar senior citizen exemption.
Monroe County Commissioner Sylvia Murphy says in about one out of every four cases, high tax bills are being appealed and slashed.
She's a member of the Monroe County Value Adjustment Board, which hears tax appeals. Though in most cases, Special Masters are approved to hear complaints and recommend new valuations when the tax man makes a mistake.
And it turns out Leonor is already working with the local property appraisers' office to double check her tax bill.
But with growing expenses and her social security checks not going as far as she needs, her Florida Keys retirement could soon be nearing an end.
Her daughter wants her to move into her North Carolina home with her. Local lawmakers know residents like Rowe just can't afford the rising prices.
Commissioner Sylvia Murphy warns, "If you feel you can't pay the bills, maybe it's time to start thinking about selling your house."
And I'm told thousands of Florida Keys have done just that after being priced out of their homes by high property taxes and the rising cost of insurance.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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