Davie Florida Property Taxes 2026: The Complete Homeowner Guide
Davie Florida Property Taxes 2026: The Complete Homeowner Guide
Property taxes are the single largest ongoing cost of owning a home in Davie after the mortgage itself. Buyers get this wrong constantly. They look at the seller’s current tax bill, assume theirs will be similar, and budget accordingly. Then the first post sale tax bill hits and the number is double what they expected.
This guide explains exactly how Davie property taxes work in 2026, how to estimate yours correctly, and how the homestead exemption and Save Our Homes cap actually protect long term owners.
The Short Version
Your annual Davie property tax bill is built from four main layers:
- Town of Davie millage (approximately 5.8118 mills)
- Broward County millage (5.6658 mills for FY 2026)
- Broward County Public Schools millage (6.4845 mills tentative FY 2025 to 2026)
- Special districts and dependent taxing authorities (varies)
Add those together, apply the total to your taxable value, and that is your annual bill. The math is simple. The variables are where most buyers get tripped up.
How Millage Actually Works
A millage rate is expressed in mills. One mill equals $1 of tax for every $1,000 of taxable value. A total millage of roughly 18 mills means you pay about $18 per $1,000 of taxable value annually, or $18,000 on a $1M taxable value.
Florida uses three key numbers on every property:
Just Value. The market value as determined by the Broward County Property Appraiser.
Assessed Value. The just value minus any assessment limitations like the Save Our Homes 3% cap.
Taxable Value. The assessed value minus exemptions like the homestead exemption.
The millage is applied to the taxable value. Not the market value. Not the price you paid. The taxable value.
The Town of Davie Millage
The Town of Davie millage rate is 5.8118 mills, broken out as 5.6250 mills for operating and 0.1868 mills for debt service. This is the portion of your tax bill that funds municipal services inside Davie: police, fire rescue, parks, public works, and town administration.
Davie reviews its millage every year as part of the budget process. Verify the current rate at davie-fl.gov or by calling the Budget and Finance Department before you estimate your own bill for a specific budget year.
The Broward County Millage
For Fiscal Year 2026, Broward County commissioners approved a millage rate of 5.6658 mills. The county rate funds the Broward County Sheriff, county wide services, libraries, transit, and regional infrastructure.
This is a decrease from the previous fiscal year’s rate. That does not automatically mean lower tax bills. Because just values across Broward continued to rise in 2025, many homeowners will still see a higher total tax bill in 2026 even with the lower county millage rate. The news headlines conflate millage with actual taxes owed. Those are two different numbers.
The Broward County Public Schools Millage
Broward County Public Schools adopted a tentative millage of 6.4845 mills for the 2025 to 2026 school year. The school portion breaks into five components:
- Required local effort: 3.072 mills
- Basic discretionary: 0.748 mills
- Capital improvement: 1.5 mills
- Voted referendum: 1.0 mill
- Voted debt: 0.1645 mills
The school millage is the largest single line on most Davie tax bills. It applies uniformly across all of Broward County, which means Davie homeowners, Fort Lauderdale homeowners, and Coral Springs homeowners all pay the same school millage rate.
Note one critical detail: the first $25,000 of the homestead exemption applies to the school millage. The additional $25,000 of the homestead exemption does not apply to school millage. This is why school taxes are calculated on a slightly different taxable value than county and city taxes.
Special Districts and Other Adders
Beyond town, county, and school, your bill may include:
- South Broward Hospital District (for homes in the SBHD service area)
- South Florida Water Management District
- Children’s Services Council of Broward County
- Florida Inland Navigation District
- Community Development District (CDD) assessments if you live inside a CDD community
These special district rates are small individually but add up. CDD assessments in particular can be significant in newer master planned communities, and they are a separate line from the standard property tax. Always check for a CDD when you are pricing a home in a new construction community.
Estimating Your Total Millage
A reasonable 2026 total millage estimate for a typical Davie homeowner is approximately 18 to 19 mills when you combine town, county, schools, and standard special districts. That translates to roughly $1,800 to $1,900 per year in total property taxes for every $100,000 of taxable value.
On a $750,000 home with full homestead and no Save Our Homes cap impact yet, you are looking at a taxable value around $700,000 and a total bill in the ballpark of $12,500 to $13,500 in year one. Year two and beyond, the Save Our Homes cap limits how fast your assessed value can climb, which is where the real long term protection kicks in.
Always run the exact numbers through the Broward County Property Appraiser’s tax estimator at bcpa.net before making a buying decision. Estimates are just estimates.
The Homestead Exemption Explained
Florida’s homestead exemption is one of the strongest owner occupant tax protections in the country. If you own a home in Davie, make it your primary residence, and establish residency in Florida, you qualify.
The exemption has two tiers:
First $25,000. Applies to all taxing authorities including the school board. This is the base exemption every qualified homeowner gets.
Additional $25,000. Applies only to non school taxes. It kicks in on assessed values above $50,000 and applies to the portion between $50,000 and $75,000.
Total exemption for most Davie homeowners is $50,000 against non school taxes and $25,000 against school taxes. Amendment 5, passed by Florida voters in November 2024, added an annual CPI based positive inflation adjustment to the second $25,000 layer. This means that starting with the 2025 tax year, the second tier exemption grows slightly each year based on inflation. The 2025 figure was reported at approximately $50,722 total. Check the current year value with the Broward County Property Appraiser.
You must file for homestead by March 1 of the tax year you want the exemption to apply. File through bcpa.net. Miss the deadline and you wait another full year.
Save Our Homes: The 3% Cap
Save Our Homes is the constitutional amendment that caps annual assessed value increases on homesteaded properties at 3% or the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower. For 2026, the Save Our Homes cap is 2.7%, based on CPI.
Here is why this matters more than any other number on this page. Without Save Our Homes, your assessed value would reset to just value every year, which means as Davie market values rose your tax bill would rise proportionally. With Save Our Homes, the assessed value climbs at CPI or 3% maximum regardless of what the market does.
A homeowner who has been homesteaded in the same Davie property for ten years during a decade of rising values is paying taxes on a fraction of the current just value. New buyers reset to the current just value on purchase. This is why two identical homes on the same street can have radically different tax bills. The bill follows the owner’s homestead history, not the property itself.
Never estimate your future tax bill from the seller’s current tax bill. Pull a fresh estimate at bcpa.net using the current just value.
Portability: Taking Your Cap With You
If you already own a homesteaded home in Florida and you are selling to buy another Florida home, you can transfer your Save Our Homes benefit to the new property. This is called portability.
Current portability cap: up to $500,000 of accumulated Save Our Homes differential can move with you. You must establish homestead on the new property within three consecutive tax years of abandoning the old one.
A ballot measure, HJR 211, has been proposed for the November 2026 general election that would remove the $500,000 cap entirely and allow unlimited portability. Watch the election result if you are planning a move inside Florida in late 2026 or 2027.
To claim portability, file Form DR-501T with your Homestead Exemption application through the Broward County Property Appraiser. Portability is not automatic. You have to file for it.
TRIM Notice and How to Challenge Your Assessment
Every August, the Broward County Property Appraiser mails a TRIM notice (Truth in Millage) to every property owner. The TRIM shows your proposed just value, assessed value, exemptions, and estimated tax bill for the upcoming year.
If you believe your just value is wrong, you have a small window to challenge it. Options:
- Informal review with the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office
- Formal petition to the Value Adjustment Board
- Circuit court action if the VAB denies your petition
The informal review is free and often effective. File it the same week you receive the TRIM notice. Do not wait until September.
The grounds for a successful challenge are narrow: comparable sales data showing your just value is out of line with the market, physical characteristics of the property that were recorded incorrectly, or functional obsolescence not captured in the assessment. Emotional objections do not work. Data does.
What Buyers Get Wrong
Mistake 1. Using the seller’s tax bill as their budget number. Covered above. Do not do this.
Mistake 2. Forgetting to file for homestead. You have until March 1 of the first full tax year. Set a reminder the day you close.
Mistake 3. Ignoring CDD assessments in new construction. CDDs are separate from property tax and can add meaningful carrying cost. Ask your agent for the CDD breakdown before you write the offer.
Mistake 4. Not running portability math. If you already own a homesteaded Florida home and you are upgrading, your transferable Save Our Homes differential could be worth tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your next ownership. Run the math.
Mistake 5. Missing the TRIM notice. Open it the day it arrives. Do not let it sit in a pile until October.
Who Sets the Rates
Three separate bodies set the three main layers of your tax bill:
- The Town of Davie Town Council sets the Davie millage during September budget hearings.
- The Broward County Board of County Commissioners sets the county millage.
- The School Board of Broward County sets the school millage.
All three hold public hearings in late summer. Anyone can attend and comment. If you want to understand where your taxes go before you vote in local elections, attend one budget hearing in September. You will walk out with a different understanding of how this works.
The Math on a Real Davie Home
Consider a $900,000 Davie purchase in 2026. No CDD. Homesteaded immediately.
- Just value: $900,000
- Homestead exemption: $50,000 (for non school), $25,000 (for school)
- Non school taxable value: $850,000
- School taxable value: $875,000
- Estimated non school millage: approximately 11.5 mills
- Estimated school millage: 6.4845 mills
- Non school tax: about $9,775
- School tax: about $5,674
- Total estimated first year tax: approximately $15,449
Year two with Save Our Homes at 2.7%, your assessed value climbs to roughly $924,300 while just value might climb faster. You still pay on the assessed value. Year three the gap widens. By year five, the Save Our Homes differential is real money every year.
This is how long term Florida homeowners end up paying materially less tax than identical neighbors who bought last year. The cap compounds.
Key Dates Every Davie Homeowner Should Know
- January 1. Assessment date for the upcoming tax year.
- March 1. Homestead exemption filing deadline.
- August. TRIM notice mails.
- September. Public budget hearings for Town of Davie, Broward County, and the School Board.
- November 1. Tax bills mail.
- March 31 next year. Final deadline to pay property taxes before they become delinquent.
Pay in November and you earn a 4% discount. Pay in December for 3%. January 2%. February 1%. March full price. The discount is meaningful on a five figure tax bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Davie FL millage rate for 2026?
The Town of Davie millage rate is 5.8118 mills (5.6250 operating plus 0.1868 debt service). Broward County FY 2026 millage is 5.6658 mills. Broward County Public Schools tentative millage for 2025 to 2026 is 6.4845 mills.
What is the Florida homestead exemption worth?
Up to $50,000 total for non school taxes and $25,000 for school taxes. Amendment 5 added a small annual CPI adjustment to the second $25,000 tier starting in 2025.
What is Save Our Homes?
A Florida constitutional cap that limits annual assessed value increases on homesteaded properties to 3% or CPI, whichever is lower. For 2026 the cap is 2.7%.
Can I transfer my Save Our Homes benefit to a new Florida home?
Yes, up to $500,000 of accumulated differential. You must establish homestead on the new property within three consecutive tax years of abandoning the old one.
When do I file for homestead exemption in Broward County?
By March 1 of the tax year. File through bcpa.net.
Why is my tax bill higher than the seller’s?
Because the seller’s assessed value reflected their accumulated Save Our Homes differential. Your taxable value resets to current just value on purchase. The seller’s bill is not a useful predictor of yours.
Do Davie homeowners pay a CDD?
Some do. CDDs are specific to certain master planned communities. Check with your agent before writing an offer on a new construction home.
How do I challenge my property assessment in Broward?
Start with an informal review at the Broward County Property Appraiser’s office after your TRIM notice mails in August. If that fails, file a formal Value Adjustment Board petition.
Are property taxes deductible on federal returns?
State and local property taxes are deductible up to the SALT cap. Talk to a CPA about your specific situation.
When are Davie property taxes due?
Tax bills mail November 1. Pay by November 30 for a 4% discount. Pay by March 31 to avoid delinquency.
Next Step
If you want a custom tax estimate for a specific Davie property before you make an offer, request one through livingindavieflorida.com and I will pull it from bcpa.net and walk you through the numbers.
Goals. Data. Results.
