237 Jacksonville-Area Homeowners Slammed w/ $1.1 Million In Property Tax Liens In Last Six Months Arising From Improper Homestead Exemption Claims; County Official: "We Haven't Seen Any Willing Cases [Of Fraud] ... There's Nothing We See To Turn Over To The State Attorney's Office"

In Jacksonville, Florida, WJXT-TV Channel 4 reports:

• Duval County property appraiser Jerry Holland continues his crackdown on homeowners who file more than one homestead exemption.
  
  The practice, perpetrated by hundreds of Jacksonville property owners, costs the city thousands of dollars. It happens when homeowners, who are eligible for a property tax break on a home they own and live in, claim a second exemption for a property they own but don't reside in.
  
  The homestead exemption can not be claimed on a rental property or a secondary residence.
  
  But within the last six months, Holland and his staff have found 237 people with bogus claims, and he there are a lot more out there.
  
  Some of the perpetrators are actually unsuspecting.
  
  William Richardson inherited a house from his father, but it came with a problem he was not aware of: a homestead exemption in his father's name. Richardson never changed the paperwork and the property appraiser found out about the false claim and placed a $36,000 lien on the house.
  
  “That blows you away. It's hard to sleep at night ever since I learned that,” Richardson said. “I have no choice but to take care of it.”
  
  Holland hired two new staff members and their job, along with others, is to track down those who are not paying their fair share.
  
  “I do believe there are many people who did not intend to commit fraud,” Holland said. “So in those cases we believe that. We haven't seen any willing cases where there was an attempt to do this. There's nothing we see to turn over to the State Attorney's Office.”
  
  In the last six months, Holland's office has uncovered $1.1 million in money that will eventually end up paying for city services. In all, 237 liens have been filed against property owners in that time.
  
  Compare that to the same time a year ago when $445,000 was billed with only 68 liens.
  
  Holland said this is just a start.
  
  “We are also looking to contract an outside firm that can do more data research for us,” Holland said. “They can check more out of state records for us. Do things our department can't do within their own confines.”
  
  Many homeowners said they just did not know and were just made aware that they were not in compliance.
  
  Officials advise double-checking all exemptions, particularly for homeowners who live in a house once owned by their parents. They said it's important to switch all the paperwork into your name if you're the owner.

Source: Crackdown on property tax fraud continues (Property appraiser places liens on 237 homes for false exemption claims).