Dozens of residents had the opportunity to meet with Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser Carlos Lopez-Cantera at the Miami Springs Community Center’s Rebeca Sosa Theater on Feb. 21 to determine if they qualified for exemptions that could lower their property tax bill.

This was accomplished through the joint effort of Mayor Zavier Garcia, Commissioner Rebeca Sosa and Lopez-Cantera.

Garcia welcomed residents to the Senior Homestead Exemption Workshop, followed by Sosa kicking the evening off with a legally blind exemption question directed to Lopez-Cantera.

Residents learned about exemptions, including several new exemptions, and asked questions directly to Lopez-Cantera. The Appraiser’s Office staff offered the services of the office to help residents complete online exemption filing.

“I was very pleased when the mayor reached out and offered this opportunity to talk to residents,” Lopez-Cantera said. “One of the frustrations of office is not having enough avenues to communicate either the new policies we’re implementing or the services we provide to the public. So any opportunity we get to do something like this we jump at it! This is something that the office has never done before. We brought our computer system and staff to the community rather than forcing people to go downtown. … One of the platforms I ran on was making people’s lives easier.”

Nobody likes paying extra in taxes. Yet when it comes to property tax bills, some homeowners pay too much because they are not aware of the property tax exemptions that exist. Many exemptions aren’t automatic. You’ll need to determine what they are and whether you qualify.

Previously homeowners had only two options — either apply in person or mail the application to the Property Appraiser’s office.

As promised, homeowners can now complete the application process for Florida’s Homestead Exemption and for the Homestead Assessment Difference (commonly referred to as Portability) online and submit their application directly to the Property Appraiser’s Office.

Property owners can also file applications for the following additional exemption/classification benefits: Widow/widower; Homestead for Persons 65 and older (Senior); Veteran Disability; Civilian Disability; Blind Disability; Deployed Military; Grandparents/Parents Assessment Reduction; Institutional Exemptions; Agriculture; Historical Properties; and Real Property/Land Use Conservation benefits.

For more information, call 305-375-4122 or visit www.miamidade.gov/pa.