ALF BLAKE, ETC., APPELLANTS,
v.
MIAMI JEWISH HOME AND HOSPITAL FOR THE AGED, INC., A NON-PROFIT FLORIDA CORPORATION, APPELLEE

Fla. 3d DCA | 1978-08-01
No. 77-2664
Before HENDRY and HUBBART, JJ, and CHARLES CARROLL (Ret.), Associate Judge.
361 So. 2d 797 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1978) Positive Treatment
Cited by 1 case

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Synopsis

The Florida District Court of Appeal reversed a summary judgment order and held that a charitable organization waived its tax-exempt status by failing to timely file its annual application for exemption before the March 1 deadline required by Florida law.


Holding

The court held that the appellee waived its tax-exempt status for 1976 by failing both to file its annual application timely and to submit a certified statement in lieu thereof. The failure to comply with the statutory deadline constitutes a waiver of the exemption privilege as a matter of law.


Headnotes

[1] Failure to file an annual application for tax exemption by the statutory deadline constitutes a waiver of the exemption privilege for that year.

[2] A certified statement under oath, attesting to no change in ownership or use, may be accepted in lieu of an annual application for tax exemption for property previously d…

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Key Quotes

“Failure to make application, when required, by March 1 of any year shall constitute a waiver of the exemption privilege for that year.”

Establishes the statutory waiver provision that is central to the court's holding.

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Facts & Procedural History

Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged sought a charitable exemption for its property in Dade County for the year 1976. The organization failed t…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Appellants/defendants appeal from an “order on motion for summary judgment” rendered in favor of appellee/plaintiff in an action which (1) challenged the 1976 ad valorem tax assessment on certain real and personal property owned by appellee and located in Dade County, Florida and (2) sought injunctive relief therefrom. Said order denied appellants’ motion to dismiss the complaint and motion for summary judgment. We reverse.

Succinctly stated, appellee sought a charitable exemption upon its property for the year 1976. It failed, however, to file its annual application for exemption from taxation on or before March 1, 1976, pursuant to Section 196.011(1), Florida Statutes (1975). Said section provides as follows:

“196.011. Annual application required for exemption.

“(1) Every person or organization who has the legal title to real or personal property which is entitled by law to exemption from taxation as a result of its ownership and use shall, before March 1 of each year, file an application for exemption with the county [property appraiser], listing and describing the property for which exemption is claimed and certifying its ownership and use. The Department of Revenue shall prescribe the forms upon-which the application is made. Failure to make application, when required, by March 1 of any year shall constitute a waiver of the exemption privilege for that year. However, application for exemption will not be required on public roads rights-of-way and borrow pits owned, leased, or held for exclusive governmental use and benefit or on property owned and used exclusively by a municipality for municipal or public purposes in order for such property to be released from all ad valorem taxation. The owner of property that received an exemption in the prior year may reapply on a short from as provided by the department.”

Section 196.011(4) provides an alternate means of acquiring tax exempt status without the filing of an application for exemption. Said section provides that: “(4) When any property has been determined to be fully exempt from taxation because of its exclusive use for religious, literary, scientific, or charitable purposes and the application for its exemption has met the criteria of s. 196.195, the [property appraiser] may accept, in lieu of the annual application for exemption, a statement certified under oath that there has been no change in the ownership and use of the property.”

The record, however, is uncontroverted, that the property appraiser never received any certified statement in lieu of an application for exemption.

Accordingly, appellee having both failed to file its annual application, for exemption in a timely manner or alternatively, to submit a certified statement to the property appraiser in lieu of an annual application, it is our opinion that appellee has waived its tax exempt status for the year 1976. See Horne v. Markham, 288 So. 2d 196 (Fla. 1973) and Jar Corporation v. Culbertson, 246 So. 2d 144 (Fla.3d DCA 1971).

As no genuine issues of material fact remain and it affirmatively appearing that appellants are entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law, the order appealed from is reversed and the cause remanded with directions to enter-judgment in favor of appellants.

Reversed and remanded with directions.


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Cited By

  • …1994) (construing state statute). Florida law provides that if the exemption is not timely applied for, exempt status may not be granted for property, even if it would otherwise qualify. See Blake v. Miami Jewish Home and Hosp. for Aged, Inc., 361 So.2d 797 (Fla.App.1978) (failure to file annual application or certified statement constitutes waiver of tax exempt status). The granting of an exemption under Florida law is strictly construed, where the applicant is required to comply with all conditions.…

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