Does an old Florida farming law give certain landowners a significant tax break?

A Florida law allows land owners to receive tax breaks on property claimed for agriculture, even when it’s slated for new development.

The 1959 Greenbelt law was designed to protect farmers, but a loophole has allowed real estate developers and other businesses to benefit by putting a few grazing cows on their empty sites.

Property owners must apply for the tax rate, with county appraisers evaluating applicants on the type of operation and income produced. 

Tax breaks are awarded if appraisers determine the land meets “good faith” commercial agricultural use. Critics say the law’s broad language clutters the legal evaluation – leaving the door open for others to qualify.

Last year, Sarasota and Manatee counties lost a combined $6.6 million in potential tax revenue from Greenbelt lands owned by four real estate developers alone, according to a Suncoast Searchlight investigation in February.