There probably is not a charity, nor non-profit, in Tallahassee that doesn’t receive support from a Tallahassee REALTOR®. We tend to be generous with our time, as well as our monetary support. But in addition to individual efforts to give and even to promote ourselves, did you know that TBR also supports and promotes REALTORS® as professionals through its annual public relations campaign?

The Communications Committee at its March meeting approved the media buy for 2013 to give us more exposure to the public, to promote REALTORS® and Affiliates as the experts in our fields. Our media schedule for this year includes the following:

1. Clear Channel to support FSU baseball from February through June on their radio schedule;
2. Fox 49 will run TBR ads during the morning news, Daily Buzz, and Fox 49 News at Ten in August and September—to  include hurricane season and the  beginning of the school year to ensure greater viewer exposure;
3. NPR WFSU radio during drive-time hours in May and June;
4. Comcast Spotlight TBR-branded commercials, which will air in April, May, and June, targeting programs with higher viewer ratings;
5. WTXL 27 “first week of the month” commercial package in August and September; and
6. Cumulus Radio will feature ads during FAMU’s seven football games.

Our public relations campaign is designed to encourage the public to use professional REALTORS® when buying, selling or leasing real property. This is just another way that YOUR Board of REALTORS® is using your dues to promote you!

Ann Cleare
Capital Property Consultants

RPAC.

Florida REALTORS® has a list of legislative priorities that they are tracking to promote the best interests of our members and customers—another example of your RPAC dollars at work to protect our profession. A $15 donation to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee helps further our interests and contributes to our Board’s participation goal. Let’s try to get 161 more contributors at a minimum $15 donation to meet our goal. Read more in Lucretia Thomas’s article.

GARD.

Great American REALTOR® Days is coming, April 9 – 10. Show our state lawmakers that homeownership matters! To make a huge impression in the Capitol courtyard, a Rally in Tally is planned for April 10—a sea of blue to demonstrate the power of real property and REALTORS® as community leaders. Preregister to get your Tshirt and boxed lunch—it’s free! And for TBR members only (REALTORS® and Affiliates), your registration and attendance will enter you for a chance to win one of two iPad minis. This is our opportunity to make a HUGE impression for all Florida legislators to see.

Habitat Build Days.

The Community Affairs Committee and chairman Sarah Kosturko is excited about our work with Habitat for Humanity this year. Look for more details as we get closer to the build days, planned for this fall.   

Committees.
Thanks to all of the committee members who’ve volunteered and jumped right in to 2013. How can you make a difference? It’s easy—just share your talents and a bit of your time by serving on a committee. Here’s a list of who we are and what we do—find one or two that suit you, whether it’s something you’re good at or something you’d like to learn more about…and sign up; you’ll be glad you did.

Communications.

You’re professionals and experts in your fields—whether it’s residential, commercial, property management; whether you’re a lender, home inspector, electrician, or plumber. TBR members, REALTORS® and Affiliates, are a brain trust of knowledge of real estate and its related industries. Share what you know with fellow members (in the Tallahassee REALTOR® eZine) and with the public (“Real Estate Corner” in the Sunday Democrat). Educate each other—and get to know your fellow industry professionals in the process. Inform the public—and, with your name in the byline of TBR’s article, promote yourself—and your profession, fellow members, and Board. It’s excellent PR, and keeping consumers informed is great for business.

Education.

TBR has a wide variety of REP classes (most with CEs) and technology classes—as well as informative speakers at marketing meetings, Commercial Council lunches, and Brokers’ Outreach meetings. Take a moment to review the upcoming education schedule, and learn more about the work of the Professional Development Committee in this article.

Frank A. McClean
2013 TBR President
Community Property Management, Inc.

Selling homes in a changing environment is what REALTORS® have always done. We have seen it all change in the last few years, both with finances and lifestyle. It’s now normal to get patted down at the airport, hear Congress screaming and fighting over the least little thing so someone will win and someone will lose, and even now, people would rather text than just simply pick up the phone and talk.

Courts have led the way with an unbelievable deluge of foreclosures; something we have never seen in Florida, not even in the Depression. And that was topped off with failed banks; some law firms  for lenders using crooked documents (“robosigners”); and a new statute every year, like a band aid, regulating the real estate profession.

But now there is hope that a new market is here. We see good, consistent news, sold signs are again displayed, and people smile at open houses. But we are still suffering a bad hangover. The next ten years, if the courts and Congress do not derail us, should be rather tepid. Lawsuits on REALTORS® who are sloppy or new will slowly grow again. Financing will be hard to obtain and the new norm may be more or all cash at closing. But the biggest single influence may be older people staying in the workforce. This is the demographic no REALTOR® should ignore.

People are postponing retirement.

According to the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget, nine percent of the nation’s total economy  output will  be consumed by 2023, paying for Social Security, Medicare, and federal retirement programs. That is up 25 percent in four decades.

When Social Security started with the Social Security Act in 1935, it was intended to stop workers from leaving long-time jobs with prosperity and retiring instead to pure poverty.

But a funny thing happened—older people did not die ten years after retirement, the way it used to be. Instead they lasted decades, and the balance of new income earners is decreasing as the demand for Social Security is growing and the demand is for a longer period.

Because older voters vote, and for a lot of other reasons, don’t expect Congress to rein in the expense. But forecasters are predicting that more and more workers will postpone retirement, even past their mandatory Social Security and Medicare ages, because the health insurance and other benefits at work far exceed the benefits of a 20- or 30-year retirement.

At the same time, the Budget Office is predicting a need for older citizens to stay in the job market and there has been a decline in the new entries to the labor market. Blame the economy or schooling or anything else, but it is real. The Congressional Budget Office expects that slow growth in the labor supply will reduce our potential growth rate over the long term, to 2.25 percent a year, a full percentage point less that the average since 1950.

But what does that mean to you as a REALTOR®? It means there are no more “normal” retirement ages. Skilled, competent people need to work in to their 70s and maybe 80s. There was a pretty good football coach here that did that for a long time.

It also means that when you are marketing property, age and especially senior age may have nothing to do with buying power. With today’s life expectancies for non-smokers, a 30-year mortgage for a 60-year-old is not a joke, especially if it is located near his or her place of work.

And older workers staying in the job market does not deprive younger people of jobs. It postpones the government paying senior benefits and helps grow the economy, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Everyone healthy and smart should expect to stay in the job market into their seventies, say all surveys. It makes sense…and gives them another chance to buy at least one more house.

Joe R. Boyd
TBR Legal Counsel
Board Certified Real Estate Attorney
Boyd, DuRant & Sliger, P.L.

Being a REALTOR® is very complicated…and ever-changing. Education and training is often put at the bottom of the To Do list, but with constant changes in our field, you might want to consider putting it back at the top. Take the time to learn and it will breathe new life into your role as a REALTOR® and could even make you more money.

Easy way to start? Get online and check out the classes TBR offers, go to the Tuesday Marketing meetings, attend a conference, buy a real estate book, or simply visit the NAR or Florida REALTORS® websites. If you spend 30 minutes on Facebook a day, commit to spending just 30 minutes a week on the newest ideas in real estate. Maybe you need some help with technology?  Call the TBR helpdesk at (850) 224-7713—it’s not just for MLS questions. Instead of a work lunch, take a TBR course together; you will have fun, learn, and get ideas that can make you money instead of costing you money. Take action to improve your value!  Wake up and commit to learning; you and your customers will be glad you did.

At a glance:

• TBR Tech Support Helpdesk, (850) 224-7713
• Florida REALTORS® Technology Helpline, (407) 587-1450
• Marketing meetings 9 a.m. Tuesdays at the TBR office
• Classes at TBR
• FR video learning: http://www.floridarealtors.org/MediaLibrary/index.cfm
• NAR library: http://www.realtor.org/library

Danielle Galvin
1^st Choice Real Estate Service
Member, Professional Development Committee

If your clients or past customers are looking to purchase a new washing machine, dryer, refrigerator ,or water heater, take this opportunity to inform them that NOW is a great time to consider the option of purchasing ENERGY STAR or natural gas appliances. The City of Tallahassee, as part of its popular Energy Appliance Rebate Program has doubled its existing rebates on certain natural gas and ENERGY STAR appliances purchased locally as of Feb. 14. They have allocated funding to supplement the regular rebate program in order to stimulate the local economy and encourage energy efficiency.

This new offer will continue until April 30 or until funds are depleted. You can apply either on Talgov.com/YOU or by calling 891-4YOU (4968), and the full amount of the rebate will be credited toward your City utility bill.

Qualifying purchases include the following ENERGY STAR-certified and natural gas appliances and systems:

Your client’s purchase of energy-efficient products or renewable energy systems for the home may also be eligible for federal tax credits. Qualifying equipment includes solar thermal and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems; geothermal heat pumps; heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems; water heaters; insulation; windows; roofs; and biomass stoves. For details, search online for Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency 2013.

They can also take advantage of free energy audits, ceiling insulation grants, duct leak repair, solar net metering, low-interest loans, and many more products and services offered through the Energy Smart Plus (e+) program.

For City rebate information, forms and instructions, please visit Talgov.com/YOU or call 891-4YOU (4968).

Christic Henry
Kingdom First Realty

Over the past few months we have read in Florida REALTORS® publications advertisements featuring REALTORS® explaining why they give to RPAC. There have been some wonderful, informative, and profound testimonials. I found all the responses thought-provoking and, while I’ve been a contributor for many years, they made me want to be better.

Now I have a bigger question for you, Mr. and Mrs. REALTOR®, and I hope you will give it some sincere thought: Why haven’t you given? Please don’t tell me you don’t know what RPAC is. If you don’t know, call me and let’s talk; I promise I will never tell anyone that you are a REALTOR® who doesn’t know what RPAC is. If you dare not disclose that info to me, you can read about it online.

The Tallahassee Board of REALTORS® doubled its percentage of participants in RPAC last year. Thanks to all who participate, but it is 2013 and we need to kick it up a notch; we are working toward an all-time high goal of 50 percent participation. Florida REALTORS® has asked us to make it 37 percent… but Tallahassee doesn’t usually just do the minimum in anything, so let’s go for 50 percent.

Last year we had seven Sterling R members—those who gave at least $1,000 for the year. We also 99 who contributed $99 (part of the $99 Club), and three members who contributed $250 to $999. Did you know that many of our Board staff gave to RPAC in 2012, and have contributed again in 2013? What does that tell you about the importance of RPAC? Must be important, right?

The majority of contributors gave $15, and that is great because every time we collect at least $15 from a member, that increases our percentage goal. So come on, let’s get some $15 contributors on board! Many of you have given $5, $10, etc., this year. If you will please just add to the amount you have already given to make it $15, I can count you in the percentage and this will help.

The newly formed YPN Group has kicked off this year with a drive to help us make our percentage goal. Anyone that wants to be a part of the YPN, now sporting a new name—the Capitol Area YPN—is asked to complete an application, and must be an RPAC donor of at least $15.

Susan Gwynn, President of the Women’s Council of REALTORS® was so impressed with what she learned recently about RPAC that she has asked all her members to give $15 to RPAC. Thank you, WCR! And Lori Mattice, WCR member, is a new Sterling R contributor for 2013. Thanks Lori!

The RPAC Committee is asking each TBR member to contribute at least $15 to RPAC. And in keeping with our spirit of never doing the minimum, let’s increase $99 Club membership to 125 and Sterling R members to ten.

REALTORS® are involved; we do more than list and sell houses. We care about our communities, our state, and our country. Protecting private property rights is a big deal and your RPAC contributions help protect the private property rights of all, and helps insure you have the right to list and sell homes.

Giving to our profession is a practice in responsible giving; it is our responsibility. Talk this up at your committee meetings, social after-hours meetings with other agents, and at your office sales meetings. Agents, ask your broker if he gives; if he doesn’t, ask him why he doesn’t. You need to know who is supporting your business.

Lucretia Thomas
Chairman, RPAC Committee
Thomas Acquisition & Property Specialists

Most REALTORS® have a website of some description. The question to ask your web provider: “Is my site optimized for real estate, for generation of buyer and/or seller leads, and for mobile use?”

Too many REALTORS® have websites that are merely a page on the Internet with their picture, contact information, and a link to their broker’s site. While your broker may offer you a site like that for “free,” is this site bringing you business? That is the question.

Often I’m asked where to find the answers to these questions. I would offer you the following tips:

1. Ask your broker, or your provider if you have a lead capture system in your website.
2. If you have a free broker site, ask your broker where your leads go and how they track them, and to whom are they being distributed ?
3. Ask your website provider if your site is optimized for results and to show you the analytics results to your site (that may make a few of them shudder!).

If your phone is not ringing, if you are not getting emails with leads coming straight from your website, chances are you do not have an effective website. Learning what is an effective website takes research, including interviews with competent website developers with a specialty in real estate websites. Often it takes visiting these providers at trade shows, hours of consultations, and checking their client references. Most website designers do not understand IDX feeds and why those are important to REALTORS®, much less how to optimize those for the results you need for your business. If you are going to do something right, educate yourself before you throw money and time into a product or service provider. Attend technology conferences and learn about effective websites and content.

If you are concerned about costs, it is important to consider the following:

1. How much time do I have to devote to building content and managing my own website?
2. How much would I be willing to pay to build a website that generates leads and is productive enough to support itself and help me build my business?
3. How much am I willing to budget into my business to allow someone else to manage my website?
4. What is included in building a website and what is critical for it to be productive?

Like everything else in any marketing business, a learning curve is to be expected. You will only be as successful and as knowledgeable as your efforts in educating yourself about technologies like websites and applications that can be used to your success.

One last tip: is your website optimized for mobile viewing? Test it here.

Debbie Kirkland
Armor Realty of Tallahassee

Participate.

One month into the year, and we’re off to a rousing start! The committee chairs and volunteers are hard at work, and our RPAC numbers are strong. The key to continued success for both? Your participation—and I think you’ll be pleased with the return on your investment.

When you invest time on a committee, you’re obviously investing in the backbone of our association. But the return to you is so much more—networking, camaraderie, professional growth. Our committee chairmen welcome your expertise and input; let’s work together to build a stronger association, to “advance, safeguard, and unite the profession” –which is the foremost goal of our strategic plan.

When you invest in RPAC, you’ll save money. How? REALTORS® Political Action Committee advocates for issues that affect you and your customers. You’re truly “investing in your profession,” and the savings add up. Try out Florida REALTORS® PAC calculator to see for yourself. Here are just a few examples of your RPAC dollars at work:

• $3,825 per REALTOR® saved annually by cutting Capital Gains
• $2,300 per REALTOR® saved annually by defeating Commission Tax
• $130 per REALTOR® saved annually by repealing Communications Tax

Your “fair share” contribution to RPAC starts at just $15; for $99, you’ll be part of the $99 Club. Right now, 22% of TBR’s members have contributed towards our goal of 37.5%. We need your participation.

Communicate.

On February 7^th, we held a Communications Forum at TBR to get input and feedback on TBR’s internal and external communications—eBoard Briefs, Tallahassee REALTOR® eZine, Real Estate Corner in the Tallahassee Democrat, social media, TBRnet.org, and public relations. With TBR’s strategic plan and mission statement to guide us, we brainstormed several topic ideas and Board and community contacts to improve our content and ensure we’re communicating the right information, in the right format, to the right target audience(s).

The lines of communication are always open—if you have any concerns or ideas, contact Communications Chairman Christic Henry at christic@kingdomfirstrealty.com. Consider joining the committee, or send articles or suggestions to our communications staff liaison, Susan Ray, at Susan@TBRnet.org.

Celebrate!

The 2012 Awards Ceremony honoring award winners and volunteer leaders will be Friday, February 22, 4 p.m. at FSU’s Turnbull Conference Center. In addition to awards for production, we’ll reveal the results of your vote for REALTOR®, Affiliate, and Rookie REALTOR® of the year, and name the recipients of the Leadership, Volunteer, and 2012 President’s Spirit awards.

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. Ethics training is required for every REALTOR® member each quadrennial, and elevates REALTORS® beyond the training required for real estate licensees. Celebrate your professionalism, and take pride in our Code of Ethics, which outlines our duties to clients and customers, to the public, and to other REALTORS®.

Frank A. McClean
2013 TBR President
Community Property Management, Inc.

Noise is always a concern for someone looking for a home. Few people want to live near an airport runway. In Tallahassee, the tranquility with a quiet neighborhood is appreciated. But everyone has been at a stoplight and angered by loud music emanating from the next car.

Toward that end, the Florida Legislature long ago adopted section 316.3045, Florida Statutes, prohibiting drivers and passengers from amplifying  sound that is “plainly audible” at a distance of 100 feet. In 2005, the distance was changed to 25 feet.

But in 2007 and 2008, several drivers in Pinellas County were ticketed for excessive sound, and decided to fight the statute.

Arguments were made that the law was vague, overbroad, subject to selective enforcement, and impinged on free speech under the First Amendment. Defending the statute, the State of Florida argued that the law adequately notified the public of common intelligence what was the proscribed conduct. The Court agreed with the State, saying, basically, that if the noise could be heard more than 25 feet away, it was a violation.

However, the Supreme Court went on to strike down the law as overbroad and an unreasonable restriction on the First Amendment. The Court struck down the whole law and not just parts of it, leaving it to the Legislature to repair and reenact the law, if it can do so constitutionally.

One of the elements of the law that contributed to it being struck was that it contained some exceptions; i.e., it did not apply to business or political messages being broadcast. When the State argued that the noise law would lead to safe travel, it could not justify how that same goal was being ignored on political and business broadcasts.

Finally, it is clear that the Legislature will have a difficult time in resurrecting this law if its real intent is to get rid of super loud music from cars on the roadways. The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment protects a person’s right to play loud music in public. There are some exceptions but they are rare.

So as you show homes in neighborhoods full of quiet and tranquility, do not assume it will stay that way. First Amendment expression will trump most laws, and a homeowner will have few legal remedies, if the area becomes raucous. Fortunately, most people do not know of these cases and the limitations on law enforcement to quiet the area.

Keep up with the Legislature to see what, if any, changes in this law are proposed.

Joe R. Boyd
TBR Legal Counsel
Board Certified Real Estate Attorney
Boyd, DuRant & Sliger, P.L.

The 2013 Regular Session of The Florida Legislature will convene Tuesday, March 5, 2013 here in Tallahassee. Here is a list of real-estate-related substantive legislative bills that have been filed for possible consideration during the Session. A link is provided to each bill in the list. A future posting will provide details about real-estate-related fiscal/appropriations legislation.

REAL ESTATE BROKERS AND SALESPERSONS

House Bill (HB) 481 – Leasing Agent: This bill creates new statutory definitions for “landlord” and “leasing agent,” and revises real estate licensure exemptions relating to landlords and leasing agents to require licensure. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0481/BillText/Filed/PDF

ALIENS, NONCITIZENS; RIGHT TO OWN REAL ESTATE

Senate Bill (SB) 486 - Right to acquire and possess real property; proposing an amendment to the State Constitution to protect the rights of all persons to acquire and possess real property, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0486/BillText/Filed/PDF

House Joint Resolution (HJR) 367 - Proposes amendment to s. 2, Art. I of State Constitution to eliminate authority granted to Legislature by constitutional amendment that at time of adoption in 1926 allowed Legislature to regulate or eliminate real property rights of aliens ineligible for citizenship. As amended, State Constitution will state that all natural persons are equal before law & have inalienable right to acquire, possess, & protect property. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0367/BillText/Filed/PDF

APPRAISERS

SB 182 - Homestead Exemption; authorizing a person to report to a local property appraiser a possible homestead exemption violation under certain circumstances; requiring that the tax collector pay a specified maximum reward to the reporting individual after the recovery of any back taxes, interest, or penalties; requiring associations for condominiums and cooperatives to provide a list of rented units to the property appraiser’s office, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0182/BillText/Filed/PDF

STORM DAMAGE REIMBURSEMENT

SB 246 & HB 43 - Assistance for Persons whose Primary Residences were Damaged by Tropical Storm Debby or Hurricane Isaac; providing for reimbursement of a portion of the ad valorem tax levied on a house or other residential building if the building was rendered uninhabitable due to Tropical Storm Debby or Hurricane Isaac; requiring that the property owner provide documentation that the property was uninhabitable; requiring each property appraiser to determine an applicant’s entitlement to reimbursement and the reimbursement amount; authorizing an applicant to file a petition with the value adjustment board if the application for reimbursement is not fully granted, etc. APPROPRIATION: $2,570,000
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0246/BillText/Filed/PDF
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0043/BillText/Filed/PDF

TAX DEED/AUCTION SALES

SB 556 – Specifying the bid process for tax deed sales at public auction; providing a procedure for the disbursement of proceeds from a tax deed sale if delinquent or current taxes are due. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0556/BillText/Filed/PDF

LAND TRUSTS
HB 229 - Land Trusts; Revises provisions relating to vesting of ownership in trustee; revises rights, liabilities, & duties of land trust beneficiaries; provides exclusion & applicability; revises provisions relating to land trust transfers of real property & vesting of ownership in trustee, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0229/BillText/Filed/PDF

MORTGAGES

HB 371 – Mortgages; deficiency Judgments; Homestead Foreclosure Relief; provides that act’s provisions apply to homestead property mortgaged within certain time period; provides statute of limitations for entering deficiency judgment; limits period that lienholder can collect moneys owed; provides that collection time may be tolled if debtor commits fraud or if debtor is held in contempt of court. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0371/BillText/Filed/PDF

SB 516 & HB 169 – Residential Tenancies; Requiring the owner of a residential property that is in foreclosure proceedings or for which mortgage payments are in arrears for a specified period to provide notice to tenants within a specified period; prohibiting a person from knowingly leasing such residential property unless the tenant signs a notarized statement containing certain waivers, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0516/BillText/Filed/PDF
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0169/BillText/Filed/PDF

HB 87 - Mortgage Foreclosures; Revises limitations period for commencing action to enforce claim of deficiency judgment after foreclosure action; provides for applicability to existing causes of action; specifies required contents of complaint seeking to foreclose on certain types of residential properties; authorizes sanctions against plaintiffs who fail to comply with complaint requirements; requires court to treat collateral attack on final judgment of foreclosure on mortgage as claim for monetary damages; prohibits court from granting certain relief affecting title to foreclosed property, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0087/BillText/Filed/PDF

TAXATION:

Delinquent Taxes

HB 421 – Delinquent Real Property Taxes; Revises interest rate applicable to delinquent real property taxes. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0421/BillText/Filed/PDF

Exemptions

SB 354 & HB 531 – Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions; Providing that certain leasehold interests and improvements to land owned by the United States, a branch of the United States Armed Forces, or any agency or quasi-governmental agency of the United States are exempt from ad valorem taxation under specified circumstances; providing that such leasehold interests and improvements are entitled to an exemption from ad valorem taxation without an application being filed for the exemption or the property appraiser approving the exemption, etc.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0354/BillText/Filed/PDF
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0531/BillText/Filed/PDF

Homestead Property/Millage/Property Tax Assessments

HB 277 –  Assessment of residential & nonhomestead real property; excludes value of certain installations, changes, or improvements made after specified date from assessed value of residential real property; requires filing of applications by specified times in order for installations, changes, or improvements to be excluded from assessed value of residential real property; requires nonrefundable filing fee for petition to value adjustment board; specifies additional exceptions to assessment of homestead property at just value; specifies additional exceptions to assessment of nonhomestead property at just value; deletes definition of terms “renewable energy source device” & “device”; repeals provisions relating to property tax exemption for renewable energy source devices; provides for applicability. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0277/BillText/Filed/PDF

Rental of Homestead

SB 342 & HB 279 - Rental of homestead property; revising criteria under which rental of homestead property is allowed for tax exemption purposes and not considered abandoned, etc.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0342/BillText/Filed/PDF
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0279/BillText/Filed/PDF

Transient Rental Taxes

HB 505 -  Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement; revises definitions; specifies certain facilities that are exempt from transient rentals tax, etc. http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0505/BillText/Filed/PDF

SB 336 &  HB 555 – Tourist Development Tax; Clarifies that the proceeds of the tax may be used for the benefit of certain museums or aquariums.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0336/BillText/Filed/PDF
http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2013/0555/BillText/Filed/PDF

Wanda Carter
Keller Williams Town & Country Realty