Miami-Dade resident relieved to have tax increase fixed thanks to Local 10 News report

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Tuesday was a good day for a South Florida Air Force veteran and Pentagon 9-11 survivor who was in fear of losing his family home.

Master Sgt. Steve Friedman was braced for the worst, but instead received the best news he could’ve imagined.

Friedman had been extremely concerned about a paperwork glitch that was so expensive, he was worried about losing his family home.

The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser suddenly ended Friedman’s longtime homestead exemption because of a different driver’s license address, and despite other documentation proving it was in fact his home.

Two years of property taxes climbed, and so did his mortgage escrow. So much so that he feared he’d lose his home.

On Tuesday, he paid a visit to the seventh floor of the Miami-Dade Property Appraiser’s Office.

That’s where officials revisited his two-year ordeal, following Local 10 News’ report on Monday about his seemingly unfair situation.

Ad

Friedman was informed that his taxes would be going back to the way it was before the recent hike, when he was granted a homestead exemption, and that he would be receiving a refund for the extra taxes he’d paid over the past two years.

The property appraisers said the address on his income taxes finally proved his residence.

Friedman’s refund for past taxes will likely take a few weeks before they arrive.