Property tax bills start going out November 1. Every year that’s when the texts start. “Neal, we’re thinking about moving, but if we buy something new, aren’t our taxes going to double?”
It’s a fair fear. If you’ve owned your home in St. Johns County for a while, your tax bill is probably a lot lower than what a new buyer would pay on the same house.
Here is the short version: you don’t lose that savings when you sell. Florida lets you carry up to $500,000 of it to your next homestead, as long as you buy within about three years and file one extra form. It’s called homestead portability, and it is the most underused tool I see when I sit down with long-time owners.
Below I’ll walk you through how it works, show you the actual math, and tell you what the Amendment 3 vote on November 3 does and doesn’t change.
Prefer to watch? I walk through all of this in about five minutes on my YouTube channel, St. Johns Living & Listings.
What is Florida homestead portability?
When you homestead your primary home in Florida, the Save Our Homes cap limits how much your assessed value can rise each year: 3% or the change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower (Florida Statutes 193.155).
Your market value doesn’t follow that rule. It moves with the market.
Over time a gap opens up between the two. You pay taxes on the lower assessed number, not the market number. That gap is your Save Our Homes benefit.
Picture it like a savings account the county has been quietly filling for you every year you’ve lived there. Portability lets you take that account with you when you move to another Florida homestead.
The St. Johns County Property Appraiser puts it simply: portability “enables them to transfer their accumulated tax savings from one homesteaded property to another within the state.”
Why it matters so much in St. Johns County
Values here have climbed a lot over the past decade, and the assessed values of long-time homesteaded owners haven’t kept up. That’s by design.
The median sold price for residential property in St. Johns County was $499,000 in September 2026, per the Northeast Florida MLS. If you bought years ago, there’s a good chance your assessed value sits well below what your house would sell for today. Pull up your TRIM notice from August and look at the two numbers side by side. The difference is roughly what you could carry.
How much of my homestead savings can I take with me?
Up to $500,000. How much you actually carry depends on whether your next home costs more or less than the one you’re selling.
If you buy a more expensive home (upsizing)
You carry the full benefit, up to $500,000.
If you buy a less expensive home (downsizing)
You carry a proportional share. The property appraiser explains it this way: if the new home’s market value is half of the old home’s, you carry half of the benefit.
Both rules come straight from section 193.155(8) of Florida law.
Show me the math
These figures come from the St. Johns County Property Appraiser’s 2026 portability handout. I like them because they’re the county’s own numbers.
Your current home:
- Market value: $400,000
- Assessed value: $250,000
- Your portability benefit: $150,000 (that’s 37.5% of market value)
Scenario 1: You buy a $600,000 home.
| Without portability | With portability | What it means | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market value of new home | $600,000 | $600,000 | Same house, same price |
| Assessed value | $600,000 | $450,000 | You carried the full $150,000 |
| Homestead exemption (2026) | $51,411 | $51,411 | Same exemption either way |
| Taxable value | $548,589 | $398,589 | $150,000 less to tax |
Source: St. Johns County Property Appraiser, Portability 2026 handout, accessed October 5, 2026. Comparison column added by me.
So what’s $150,000 of taxable value worth in real dollars? Every “mill” of tax is $1 per $1,000 of taxable value. That makes $150,000 worth $150 a year for every mill your area levies.
Here are the real St. Johns County numbers for this year’s bills:
- County: 6.7573 mills. Commissioners adopted the FY2027 budget on September 15 and kept the millage rate flat at the 6.7573 mills set last year.
- School district: 6.264 mills for 2026-27, per the St. Johns County School District’s final budget hearing.
That’s about 13.02 mills from those two alone. So in this example, $150,000 less taxable value saves you roughly $1,950 a year ($150 × 13.02). Every year you live there. And the cap keeps working on the new home going forward.
Your exact total runs a little higher, because smaller levies like the water management district get added on, plus any city or special-district taxes where you live. Your TRIM notice lists every one.
Scenario 2: You buy a $200,000 home.
The new home is worth 50% of your old one’s $400,000 market value, so you carry 37.5% of the new home’s value:
- Portability carried: $75,000
- New assessed value: $125,000
- Taxable value after the $51,411 exemption: $73,589
Smaller house, smaller bill, and you still keep a big piece of the savings.
What are the deadlines and how do I apply?
This is where people lose money. Portability is not automatic.
You have about three years
You have to set up your new homestead within three tax years of giving up the old one. The statute words it this way: you qualify if you had a homestead exemption as of January 1 of any of the three years right before the new one.
In plain English: if your current home is homesteaded on January 1, 2026 and you sell it this year, you generally need the new place to be your homestead by January 1, 2029. Confirm your exact date with the property appraiser, because the January 1 rules can trip people up.
You file one extra form with your homestead application
When you apply for homestead on the new house, you also file Form DR-501T (Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference). Florida law makes it an attachment to the homestead application, and the deadline is March 1. In St. Johns County you can file through the property appraiser’s website or in person.
If you want a refresher on homestead itself, I wrote up the St. Johns County homestead exemption deadline earlier this year.
Portability only works Florida to Florida
It moves a benefit from one Florida homestead to another Florida homestead. If you’re moving here from out of state, there’s nothing to carry over. If you’re leaving Florida, it stays behind.
You can use it more than once
The property appraiser says portability “can be used an unlimited number of times.” Sell, buy, sell again, it follows you each time.
Does Amendment 3 change portability?
Short answer: no, not according to the county property appraisers who’ve published guidance on it.
Amendment 3 is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Here’s what it would do if it passes, based on the Pinellas County Property Appraiser’s Amendment 3 FAQ:
- Raise the homestead exemption on non-school taxes to $150,000 starting January 1, 2027 and $250,000 starting January 1, 2028.
- Leave school taxes with the same $25,000 exemption they get today.
- Leave Save Our Homes and portability in place. Their FAQ says plainly: “The amendment does not change Florida’s portability provisions.”
- Start people who become Florida residents on or after January 1, 2027 at a smaller exemption, with a wait before they reach the larger one.
Like any constitutional amendment in Florida, it needs at least 60% of the vote to pass.
What’s still unclear
The details of how Amendment 3 would treat a current Florida homeowner who sells and buys another Florida home haven’t been spelled out. That FAQ notes the amendment “would require implementing legislation,” so some of the mechanics won’t be known until the Legislature acts.
I’m not going to tell you how to vote. My advice is simpler: don’t put your move on hold waiting to find out. Portability works today, under today’s rules. I covered the rest of the amendment in my TRIM notice post.
When portability changes the sell-or-stay decision
Here’s where I see it matter most.
You’ve outgrown the house. You need more space, or you want to be closer to work or family in Nocatee, Fruit Cove, or World Golf Village. Without portability, moving up can mean a tax bill that looks like a second car payment. With it, the jump is much smaller.
You want less house. Maybe you’re tired of the yard, the stairs, or the pool upkeep. Moving from a big place in Julington Creek to something smaller on Anastasia Island or in St. Augustine Shores often means a lower bill, and portability shrinks it further.
You’re staying in Florida but leaving the county. It works across counties. Selling in St. Johns and buying in Duval, Clay, or Putnam still counts, as long as it’s a Florida homestead.
You’re holding off because of the tax bill alone. This is the one I want to talk you out of. Plenty of people stay in a house that doesn’t fit them anymore because they assume moving resets everything. It doesn’t have to.
Florida costs that portability doesn’t fix
Portability helps your property taxes. It doesn’t touch the other costs that move with you:
- Insurance. Your new home’s roof age, construction and flood zone drive the premium. Get quotes before you write an offer.
- Flood zone. Check the address on FEMA’s flood map. Near the Intracoastal or the St. Johns River, it can change your monthly cost a lot.
- CDD and HOA fees. Many newer communities in St. Johns County carry a CDD assessment on the tax bill. Portability lowers the property tax part, not the CDD part.
- Special districts. Your total millage depends on where the new home sits.
If any of those terms are new to you, my real estate dictionary explains them in plain English.
What I would do if I were selling and buying in the next year
- Find your number. Look up your home on the St. Johns County Property Appraiser site and subtract assessed value from market value. That’s roughly your benefit (capped at $500,000).
- Get a real market value. The appraiser’s market value is a mass-appraisal estimate, not what a buyer will pay. Ask me for a pricing breakdown on your home. My take on pricing in this market is in this post on selling in St. Augustine.
- Run both scenarios. Estimate taxes on your target price range with and without portability so you know your real monthly number.
- Watch the calendar. Homestead status is set on January 1. If you’re close to year-end, talk timing through with me and your title company.
- File DR-501T with your new homestead application by March 1. Put it on the calendar the day you close.
- Line up the buy and the sell together. If you’re selling and buying locally with me, I offer a break on the listing side through my buy-and-sell program, and I can coordinate both closings so you aren’t carrying two homes.
- Talk to a pro on the edge cases. Divorce, a co-owner, a trust, or a rental conversion can change the math. Call the property appraiser’s office or your tax advisor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is homestead portability automatic when I sell my house in Florida?
No. You have to apply for homestead on your new home and attach Form DR-501T, generally by March 1 of the year you want the benefit.
How much homestead savings can I transfer in Florida?
Up to $500,000 of the difference between your old home’s market value and assessed value. If your new home costs less, you carry a proportional share.
How long do I have to use portability after I sell?
You generally have three tax years. You need to establish the new homestead by January 1 of the third year after the last January 1 your old home was homesteaded.
Can I use portability if I move from St. Johns County to Duval or Clay County?
Yes. Portability works between any two Florida homesteads, in any county.
Does Amendment 3 eliminate portability?
According to county property appraiser guidance published before the November 3, 2026 vote, no. The amendment does not change Save Our Homes or portability, although some details would depend on implementing legislation if it passes.
Can I use portability if I’m moving to Florida from another state?
No. Portability only transfers a benefit from one Florida homestead to another.
Can I use portability more than once?
Yes. The St. Johns County Property Appraiser says it can be used an unlimited number of times, as long as you meet the deadlines each time.
Let’s figure out what your move really costs
Most people guess at this and guess high. I’d rather show you the real number.
Send me a note through my contact page with your address and roughly where you’d like to go next. I’ll pull your portability estimate, give you an honest market value for your home, and show you what taxes would look like on a few homes in your price range. If you want to see how I handle the selling side, start with my seller page or read what past clients say on my testimonials page.
If the honest answer is “stay put for now,” that’s what I’ll tell you. No pitch.
I’ve been in Jacksonville since 1990, when my family moved here from outside Chicago. I’m a Realtor® with iHeart Realty, Inc., and I buy investment property in this market myself, so I look at every move through both the homeowner’s lens and the numbers. I live in St. Johns County, and I help sellers and buyers across St. Augustine, Jacksonville, and Palatka.
This post is general information as of October 2026 and is not legal or tax advice. Property tax rules and exemption amounts change; confirm your situation with the St. Johns County Property Appraiser or a tax professional. Market data: Northeast Florida MLS (realMLS) via flexmls, residential, St. Johns County median sold price, data pulled October 5, 2026.