Bay County Stormwater Utility Fee: No Fee on a Disabled Veteran Homestead

Section 25-126 of the Bay County Code (Ordinance 05-01, as amended by Ordinance 06-33 and Ordinance 14-23) imposes a non-ad valorem flat-rate stormwater utility fee on developed property in the unincorporated areas of Bay County: $40 a year for each parcel of residential developed property, including each condominium unit, and $200 a year for each parcel of nonresidential property. It is collected under the uniform method of section 197.3632 on the tax roll, so it appears with the November tax bill. The veteran exemption. The same section exempts from the fee "the homestead of any individual who qualifies for the additional disabled veteran ad valorem homestead exemption under F.S. § 196.081, § 196.082 and § 196.091" - the total and permanent exemption, the combat-related discount and the wheelchair veteran exemption. The section also exempts senior citizen homesteads under section 196.075, disabled person homesteads under section 196.101, and disabled first responder homesteads under section 196.102, and cancels and refunds fees charged before the exemptions were adopted. In practice. A Bay County veteran who qualifies for any of the three named exemptions should see no stormwater fee on the tax bill; because the fee rides the same roll, the Property Appraiser's exemption determination carries over. A veteran whose exemption was granted mid-year who is still billed the fee should take the exemption letter to the Tax Collector and ask for the fee to be removed. The fee applies only in the unincorporated areas; Panama City, Panama City Beach, Lynn Haven and the other municipalities levy their own stormwater fees if any.