On Wednesday, April 26th, Representative Marie Woodson’s (D-Hollywood) HB 101 passed unanimously on the House floor. Current legislation allows state and local officers killed in the line of duty to receive a property tax exemption. Unfortunately, incidents have occurred in which federal officers have died in the line of duty in our community, and our ability to provide relief to their surviving spouses was limited.Current legislation does not cover the homesteaded property of the surviving spouse of a first responder who dies in the line of duty while employed by the federal government. This bill expands the definition of “first responder” to include certain federal law enforcement officers.
Representative Marie Woodson (D-Hollywood) issued the following statement:
“I am so grateful to have been able to get this bill across the finish line. It is only fitting for first responders who become permanently and totally disabled in the line of duty and their spouses to receive this exemption. In the spirit of fairness, the federal officers killed in the line of duty and their spouses should be entitled to the same benefits as their state and local counterparts. Yesterday we passed legislation to ensure the process of legislative tax exemptions is equitable for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our communities. I am grateful and thankful for the expertise of Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, who was a critically important partner in moving this piece of legislation forward.”
Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, also a former State Representative, said:
“Federal law enforcement officers risk their lives for their community every day. Representative Woodson’s legislation ensures that federal law enforcement officers who become totally and permanently disabled in the line of duty, as well as the surviving spouses of federal law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, will qualify for the same tax saving exemption currently afforded to our state first responders. Thank you, Representative Woodson, for working so hard for all of our American hero first responders.”
