If you own property in Florida, a notice arrived in your mailbox within the last few weeks. It is dense, full of columns, and easy to mistake for junk mail. Do not throw it away. It is your Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, commonly called the TRIM notice, and it carries a deadline.
Here is what it is and what it is not.
It is not a bill. The tax bill comes later this fall.
The numbers are estimates. Local governments set a millage rate each year. When the notice is mailed, most have not finalized theirs. That is why the second page shows several different figures. Each column reflects a different scenario, not a final amount.
Your taxes are split among many agencies. You pay with one check, but the money is divided among the county, the school district, your municipality and special districts you may not recognize, such as the Health Care District. That is why each column carries so many line items.
"Market value" is a legal term, not your opinion. The notice defines market value as "just value," determined under the eight factors listed in Section 193.011, Florida Statutes, and set as of January 1. In plain terms, the number comes from a formula. What you believe your home would sell for, or what your neighbor's house sold for, does not control.
You can contest two things. The value assigned to your property, and the exemptions you are or are not receiving. The most common exemption is homestead.
There is a hard deadline, and it is close. Palm Beach County: petitions must be filed with the Clerk of the Value Adjustment Board by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 14, 2026, at 301 North Olive Avenue, West Palm Beach.
Broward County: the filing deadline is Friday, September 18, 2026.
Deadlines vary by county, and the date printed on your own notice controls. Start with the Property Appraiser's office. If that office cannot resolve the matter, a petition to the Value Adjustment Board is the next step. Petition forms are available from the Property Appraiser. The Board cannot extend the filing date, and once it passes there is very little that can be done about your value or your exemptions for this tax year.
One practical note. As a rough rule of thumb, every $100,000 in value reduction is worth about $2,000 in tax savings. Reaching that reduction means meeting the county's standards on the county's terms. Attorneys and appraisal specialists handle these petitions, some for a percentage of the savings, others for a flat or hourly fee.
Find the notice. Read it. Check the date.
Michael S. Weiner is a partner at Sachs Sax Caplan Kaskel & Schner, PLLC, where he practices real estate, corporate and land use law and governmental and lobbying representation. He can be reached at mweiner@ssclawfirm.com or 561.994.4499.