<\/p>\n
Aurelio Chum blows grass cuttings with a leaf blower on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Coral Gables in 2010.<\/p>\n
Charles Mostoller<\/p>\n
Miami Herald Staff<\/p>\n
Gas blowback<\/p>\n
Re: the Feb. 19 Miami Herald story, \u201cSome Miami-Dade cities ban gas lawn equipment. Florida lawmakers want to end that.\u201d<\/a> While I vehemently object to State Sen. Keith Truenow\u2019s effort to roll back bans on noisy and polluting lawn equipment, this legislation will have little or no effect due to the scoff law attitude of lawn service companies and the completely futile attempts of cities to enforce their regulations.<\/p>\n Miami Beach\u2019s supposed 2022 ban has not improved the daily drone of blowers in my neighborhood. While contractors now appear to use quieter electric blowers, lawn service companies remain the primary noise polluters. Residents, as usual, are blown off by the Beach\u2019s complete lack of enforcement. Sad.<\/p>\n Jeremy Hyne,<\/p>\n Miami Beach<\/p>\n Exemption deadline<\/p>\n March 1 is the deadline for Miami-Dade homeowners to file for homestead exemption and any other qualifying property tax exemption. If you purchased a home in 2025 and made it your primary residence, filing can reduce your property\u2019s taxable value by up to $50,000 and help protect you from steep increases under Florida\u2019s Save Our Homes protections.<\/p>\n Property taxes remain one of the biggest drivers of Florida\u2019s affordability crisis. I hear it constantly from residents across our community, including seniors on fixed incomes, young families who stretched to buy their first home and parents trying to stay in their home. They are doing everything right, yet rising assessments continue to put pressure on their stability.<\/p>\n Homestead exemptions are important protections for homeowners, lowering taxable value and limiting how much the assessed value of a primary residence can increase each year, bringing predictability and protection against spikes that threaten families\u2019 ability to remain in their homes.<\/p>\n Homeowners should also explore additional exemptions that may apply to their situation, including those for seniors who meet income limits, residents with qualifying disabilities, veterans and certain surviving spouses, deployed active duty military members and widowed homeowners.<\/p>\n Homeowners who moved to a new primary residence from another Florida homesteaded property should also review whether they qualify for portability. Florida law allows eligible homeowners to transfer up to $500,000 of their prior Save Our Homes benefit to a new homestead.<\/p>\n