Thousands of seniors in a Florida city are getting property tax rebate checks. Here's what homeowners elsewhere can do to get relief

“They said it couldn’t be done, and we did it,” Mayor Bryan Calvo told reporters after the measure unanimously passed a first vote in February (1). Final approval was given following a second vote on March 10.

So, what does this mean for local seniors’ tax bills, and what can homeowners elsewhere do to find property tax relief?

How the rebate will work

To qualify for the Hialeah rebate, residents must be 65 or older, own a homesteaded property in the city and have an income at or below $37,694, according to CBS Miami. It’s expected rebates will average $539 per household, with checks going out in March.

“Some will get a little bit more, some will get less, depending on what their tax bill looks like toward the city,” Calvo said.

The program raised questions among lawyers who argue the city can’t use funds from property tax revenue to benefit a narrow demographic. But the mayor doesn’t seem concerned about potential legal challenges, saying the checks will come from the city’s general fund, which receives money from various sources.

“We’re providing a relief program, which has been done in the past, although the amounts were different, and the groups were different, but it’s something that has been completely vetted by our legal department,” Calvo told the Miami Herald (2).

Managing high property taxes

Property taxes fund essential local services, including schools, police, fire departments and infrastructure. But they can also be a source of financial stress for retirees. A homeowner may have paid off their mortgage years ago, but property taxes can continue indefinitely. If home values climb, tax bills can increase as well.

For seniors living on fixed incomes from Social Security, pensions or retirement savings, those increases can become difficult to absorb. Because property taxes are primarily set at the local level, relief programs vary widely across municipalities.