Florida $5,000 Disabled Ex-Servicemember Property Exemption

Section 196.24, in the 2026 Florida Statutes, exempts property to the value of $5,000. The person has to be an ex-servicemember as section 196.012 defines that word, a bona fide Florida resident, and discharged under honorable conditions. The disability has to be 10% or more, and it has to be by misfortune or while serving during a wartime period defined in section 1.01(14). The Department of Veterans Affairs describes the proof as a VA certification of a service-connected disability of 10% or greater, filed with the county tax official. The statute itself is the wartime-or-misfortune test, not a blanket rule for every peacetime rating. The exemption is $5,000 of property value. It is not a full exemption of the tax bill, and it is not limited by the statute text to the house. The unremarried surviving spouse of a disabled ex-servicemember is entitled to the same exemption. A certificate of disability from the United States government or VA is prima facie evidence. The applicant can file before that certificate arrives. The refund of excess tax is limited to the four-year period in section 197.182. A 2025 Senate bill would have raised this amount to $10,000 starting with the 2026 tax roll. The 2026 statutes still state $5,000, and the history line on section 196.24 does not show that increase. Use $5,000 until the published statute changes. This is not the total-and-permanent homestead exemption in section 196.081, and it is not the age-65 combat-related discount in section 196.082.