PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — If your home was damaged by one of the three major hurricanes last year to the point where you couldn’t live there for at least 30 days, you are eligible for a partial property tax refund.

This is the second year that Pinellas County has had the ability to reduce property tax bills due to significant hurricane damage. The deadline for Property Tax Refund due to a Catastrophic Event (Form DR-465 / PC-465) is March 3 at midnight.

The original deadline of March 1 was extended, because the cutoff originally fell on a Saturday.

As of this week, the county has received roughly 5,400 applications. Kevin McKeon, Deputy of Assessment Administration for Pinellas County, says that’s less than half of the homes that could be eligible.

What You Need To Know

  • If your home was badly damaged by a hurricane and you couldn't live there for 30 days you could be eligible  

  • 5,400 applications submitted as of Feb. 20

  • Deadline is March 3 at midnight

  • APPLY HERE: Partial Property Tax Refund

“There were upwards of 15,000 to 16,000 homes that were damaged, with major damage by a hurricane,” he said, “Not all of them were displaced for 30 days and may not be eligible, but that’s what we’re considering the universe of those who are eligible if they were displaced.”

McKeon says the application process takes less than 10 minutes and can be done online using the Property Appraisers website. You must file your taxes before you can apply, and then it will take 5 to 6 weeks to get that refund from the tax collector and then it will be processed.

This program is only for the amount of days a homeowner was displaced in 2024, which is 151 for Hurricane Debby, 97 for Hurricane Helene and 84 for Hurricane Milton.

McKeon says this is the second time the county has worked to give homeowners partial reimbursements and the only time on a scale this large.

“This program was introduced last year with Hurricane Idalia when the state did approve this type of refund,” he said. “We processed refunds for Hurricane Idalia but at much less of a volume, I think it was something like 400 or 500 total refunds.”

In order for your application to process smoothly, McKeon recommends attaching up to 10 photos showing the damage. Other possible options include dated contractor statements, a utility bill that has gone down substantially to show you haven’t lived there, work permits or a lease agreement showing you have been living somewhere else.

To date, about 60% of applications have been processed and the county is working through the rest.