BACKGROUND: I have owned a home in Hillsborough County, Odessa Fl
since 1982.  I had homestead exemption on the property until the mid
1990's when I moved out of State.  I still own this home.  I am
currently working in Stamford Ct.  I am resident of Ct. and file A
joint income tax return in Ct. I have a rental apt in CT and commute
back and forth to my home in Odessa Fl. on weekends.  My wife lives
full time in the Odessa house.  She has a Fla. drivers lic.,and is a
registered voter in Fl.  We have two cars registered in Fl. I plan to
retire in Feb. or march of 2006 and remain full time in the Odessa
residence with my wife.  QUESTION:  Am I eligible to apply for Fl.
Homestead Exemption for 2006.  The cut off for applying is 1 March
2006.

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Request for Question Clarification by hagan-ga on 10 Jan 2006 09:44 PST

Posboss, I think I can answer this for you, but I need a little more
information to be sure of the answer:
-- Do you hold title to the property yourself alone, or is your wife also on title?
-- Do you have a Florida driver's license, and are you registered to
vote in Florida?

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Clarification of Question by posboss-ga on 10 Jan 2006 11:48 PST

My wife and I own the home jointly and both mames on on the title.  I
am a registered voter in Fl.  I have a Ct. drivers lic.  It is
possible for me to get a Fl lic. before March 06

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Clarification of Question by posboss-ga on 10 Jan 2006 13:00 PST

wife and I jointly own home.  Both names are on title.  Wife has Fl
drivers lic and voter registration card.  Both cars are registered in
Fl.  I have Fl. voter registration card.  I have a Ct. drivers lic.  I
could get a Fl drivers lic by end of March id needed.

I was hoping both names would be on the title!  Hooray!

Here's the problem I was having.  According to my research, even
though you don't have to file until March, you have to have been a
resident of Florida as of December 31 of last year.  So moving back to
Florida after you retire wouldn't help.

But your wife can apply for the exemption herself, both in her own
name and as your agent.  She is a Florida resident, has a Florida
driver's license, etc.  You're home free.

http://www.myflorida.com/dor/property/exemptions.html
"If filing for the first time, be prepared to answer these questions: 
In whose name or names was the title to the dwelling recorded as of January 1? 
What is the street address of the property? 
How long have you been a legal resident of the State of Florida? (A
Declaration of Domicile or Voter's Registration will be proof of date
before January 1.)
Do you have a Florida license plate on your car and a Florida driver's license? 
Were you living in the dwelling on January 1?"

http://www.alipman.com/snowbirdguide/chap16.html
"The usual procedure is to appear personally at the county property
appraiser's office and apply for the exemption. The tax assessor will
require a copy of the deed or a tax bill showing the property
description and a Florida driver's license and Florida voter
registration or declaration of domicile dated prior to January 1."

See also:
http://www.westontitle.com/media_articles2.html

Since you are in Odessa, I assume your house is in Hillsborough
County.  The Hillsborough County webpage dealing with Homestead
Exemption is here:
http://www.hcpafl.org/www/downloads/homestead_exemption.shtml

And here's a link to the application itself:
http://www.hcpafl.org/www/downloads/pdfs/dr501.pdf

I'm very happy I could provide this information; if there's anything
else you need, please don't hesitate to ask.  Best of luck.

very thorough answer plus valuable related info and reference to key
web sites with pertinent forms/instructions

Thank you so much for the kind comments and generous tip!  I
appreciate it very much.