2026 Florida TRIM Notices Are Arriving: Why Your Property Taxes—and Mortgage Payment—May Go Up

If you own a home in Northeast Florida, there’s a good chance a 2026 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes has either landed in your mailbox or will very soon.

You may know it by another name: your TRIM notice, which stands for Truth in Millage.

And if you opened yours, looked at the proposed tax amount and thought, “Wait. Why did this go up?” you are definitely asking the right question.

This is especially important if you bought your Florida home recently.

A change in property taxes can eventually affect the escrow portion of your mortgage payment. And for some homeowners, the surprise is even bigger because the seller’s old property-tax bill was never a realistic picture of what the new owner would eventually pay.

Here’s what Florida homeowners and buyers need to understand about the 2026 notices arriving now.

I explain the Florida mortgage-payment side of this in the video below, including why a fixed-rate mortgage payment can still change after closing.

First: Your TRIM Notice Is Not Your Property Tax Bill

This is probably the most important place to start.

Your TRIM notice is a Notice of Proposed Property Taxes. It is not the final tax bill.

Florida property appraisers send TRIM notices in August. They show things such as your property’s just value, assessed value, taxable value, exemptions and proposed taxes from the various taxing authorities.

The actual property-tax bill generally comes from the county Tax Collector later in the fall, after local budgets and millage rates have been finalized. Florida’s normal property-tax calendar has TRIM notices going out in August and tax bills being mailed around November.

That does not mean you should toss the TRIM notice in a drawer.

This is actually the time to pay attention.

If something about your property value, exemptions or classification looks incorrect, the window to question or appeal it is limited.

Why Are Northeast Florida Homeowners Talking About Property Taxes Right Now?

Because the 2026 notices are arriving right now.

St. Johns County mailed its 2026 TRIM notices on August 17, 2026. The county says the notices show proposed 2026 property taxes before the final tax bill is mailed in November.

Clay County’s 2026 assessment notices were mailed August 24, 2026.

Duval County’s 2026 proposed tax information is also now appearing on Property Appraiser property records, and the county’s Value Adjustment Board is accepting 2026 petitions.

So if it seems like everyone is suddenly talking about Florida property taxes at the same time, there’s a reason.

This is property-tax notice season.

Why Did My Florida Property Taxes Go Up?

There is no single answer for every property.

Your proposed tax amount can be affected by several things, including:

• Changes in assessed or taxable value

• Changes in exemptions

• Changes in millage rates

• A recent change in ownership

• New construction or improvements

• Non-ad valorem assessments

• The application, loss or transfer of certain property-tax benefits

For recent homebuyers, however, there is one issue I really want to emphasize:

The previous owner’s property-tax bill may have had very little to do with what you will eventually pay.

The Seller’s Property Tax Bill Is Not Necessarily Your Property Tax Bill

This is where a lot of Florida buyers get caught off guard.

Imagine you buy a home from someone who has lived there for 15 or 20 years.

You look up the property-tax record before buying and see that the seller has been paying what seems like a fairly reasonable amount.

Naturally, you may assume your taxes will be somewhere around the same amount.

That can be a very expensive assumption.

Florida’s Department of Revenue specifically warns new homeowners that their taxes may be significantly different from the previous owner’s taxes.

When ownership changes, Florida law generally requires the Property Appraiser to remove the previous owner’s exemptions and reassess the property so the assessed value equals its just value as of January 1 following the purchase.

That is one reason a long-time owner’s tax history may not be a realistic estimate for a new buyer.

A seller may have years of Save Our Homes protection

If the previous owner homesteaded the property for many years, the home may have accumulated a significant Save Our Homes benefit.

Under Florida’s Save Our Homes rules, the assessed value of a qualifying homesteaded property is generally limited in how much it can increase each year.

For 2026, the Save Our Homes assessment increase cap is 2.7%, because the annual cap is the lower of 3% or the applicable Consumer Price Index change.

Here’s the part buyers sometimes miss:

That does not mean your property taxes can only increase 2.7%.

It is a limitation on the annual increase in assessed value for an eligible homesteaded property, not a guarantee that your total tax bill cannot increase more than that amount.

And you do not simply inherit the previous owner’s accumulated Save Our Homes benefit when you buy the house.

“But I Filed for Homestead. Doesn’t That Protect Me?”

Homestead can absolutely be valuable.

But timing matters.

Florida’s Save Our Homes limitation generally begins after the first year the property receives the homestead exemption.

That means a recent buyer can experience a reassessment after the change in ownership before years of Save Our Homes protection begin accumulating for that owner.

If you moved from another Florida homestead, you may also be eligible to transfer, or “port,” some or all of your own Save Our Homes assessment difference.

That is different from receiving the seller’s benefit.

Portability belongs to an eligible Florida homeowner moving from one homestead to another; the seller’s exemption itself is not transferred to the purchaser.

Can Higher Florida Property Taxes Make My Mortgage Payment Go Up?

Yes, if your property taxes are being paid through a mortgage escrow account.

This is the part that causes so much confusion.

Someone gets a fixed-rate mortgage and understandably thinks:

“I have a fixed mortgage. Why would my payment change?”

Because a fixed rate generally fixes the principal-and-interest portion of the payment.

It does not freeze property taxes or homeowners insurance.

If your lender or mortgage servicer collects money each month through escrow to pay those expenses, your total monthly payment can change when those expenses change.

So your payment may look something like this:

Principal and interest: generally fixed with a fixed-rate loan Property taxes: can change Homeowners insurance: can change

That means you can absolutely have a fixed-rate mortgage and still have a changing total monthly payment.

Why Can the Payment Increase Feel Bigger Than the Tax Increase?

This is another question homeowners commonly ask.

Suppose the eventual property-tax bill is higher than the amount your mortgage servicer had been collecting for.

The servicer now needs to collect enough money to cover the higher taxes going forward.

But depending on the timing and what had previously been collected, your escrow account may also have developed a shortage.

That can create two separate pressures on the payment:

Higher ongoing tax escrow

plus

Repayment of an existing escrow shortage

That is why a homeowner can look at the increase in the annual tax bill and say:

“That math doesn't match the amount my mortgage payment went up.”

The homeowner may be seeing more than one adjustment at the same time.

The TRIM notice itself does not change your mortgage payment. It is showing proposed taxes.

But it can give you an early clue that the property-tax amount your escrow account will eventually need to cover may be changing.

If You Just Bought Your Florida Home, Pay Extra Attention

Recent buyers are the people I especially want reading their 2026 TRIM notices carefully.

Florida’s own first-time homebuyer guidance points out that the previous owner’s exemptions and Save Our Homes benefit can remain with the property for the remainder of the calendar year in which the purchase takes place.

Then the reassessment following the ownership change can show up later.

That creates exactly the situation that confuses so many homeowners:

The payment looked fine when they bought.

The first tax information they saw looked manageable.

Then the property is reassessed and the numbers change.

If you bought your home recently and the 2026 notice looks substantially different from the prior tax history, don't automatically assume there is an error.

But don't automatically assume it's correct either.

Read the notice and understand why the numbers changed.

What Should I Check on My 2026 Florida TRIM Notice?

Start with these areas.

1. Just or market value

This is the Property Appraiser’s determination of the property’s value for assessment purposes.

If you recently purchased the home, remember that Florida property is generally reassessed following a change in ownership.

2. Assessed value

This may be different from just value because assessment limitations such as Save Our Homes can apply.

For a newly purchased property, those accumulated protections from the previous owner generally do not simply carry over.

3. Taxable value

This is the assessed value after applicable exemptions are considered.

4. Your exemptions

Make sure the exemptions you believe you qualify for are actually shown.

That is particularly important if you recently filed for Homestead.

5. Proposed taxes

Compare the proposed amount with the prior year, but don't stop with the total.

Look at what changed.

6. Non-ad valorem assessments

These are assessments that are not based on the property's value. Depending on where you live, these can include certain services or special assessments.

They can affect the amount you ultimately owe even though they are not traditional ad valorem property taxes.

7. Deadlines

Do not ignore these.

If you believe the value or exemption information is incorrect, your notice gives you a limited window to address it.

2026 Northeast Florida TRIM Notice Deadlines

As of August 27, 2026, these are important local Value Adjustment Board deadlines for most property-assessment petitions:

Duval County lists September 8 as its 2026 filing deadline for most VAB petitions. St. Johns County lists September 11. Nassau County’s VAB currently lists September 11. Clay County lists September 18.

Always verify the exact deadline printed on your own TRIM notice.

And before jumping immediately to a formal appeal, you can contact your county Property Appraiser’s office to ask questions about the value, exemptions or classification shown on the notice.

Florida property owners have the right to discuss an assessment with the Property Appraiser and may also petition the county Value Adjustment Board if they disagree with the assessment or certain exemption decisions.

What Does This Mean If You’re Shopping for a Florida Home Right Now?

This is where I want future buyers to learn from what current homeowners are seeing in their mailboxes.

Do not use the seller’s current property-tax bill as your future tax estimate.

Look at it. Understand it. But don't build your entire homebuying budget around it.

Instead, estimate what the taxes may look like based on your ownership, your exemptions, any portability you may qualify for and a realistic estimate of the property's value following the sale.

For example, the St. Johns County Property Appraiser provides a tax estimator specifically to help property owners and prospective buyers estimate taxes.

An estimate is still an estimate. Your eventual assessed value, exemptions, millage rates and other assessments can differ.

But it is far better to ask before closing:

“What might the property taxes look like for me?”

than to assume:

“The seller paid this amount, so I probably will too.”

Qualifying for the Mortgage Is Not the Same as Being Comfortable With the Payment

This is the larger financial point behind all of this.

A lender can determine that you qualify for a mortgage under lending guidelines.

That doesn't necessarily mean the highest payment you qualify for is the payment you want to live with.

Before buying, I want borrowers thinking about:

• Property taxes

• Homeowners insurance

• Utilities

• Repairs and maintenance

• Savings

• Other household obligations

• What happens if escrowed expenses increase

Buying a home should not leave your budget so tight that one property-tax or insurance adjustment creates a financial crisis.

Sometimes the numbers work beautifully.

Sometimes looking at the realistic future expenses tells us the house is getting more expensive than you're comfortable with.

That is useful information before you own it.

What If Your Mortgage Payment Has Already Gone Up?

Start with your escrow analysis.

Don't just look at the new total payment and panic.

Look at the pieces.

Ask:

Did the property-tax amount change?

Did homeowners insurance change?

Is there an escrow shortage?

Is the servicer collecting both a higher ongoing escrow amount and a shortage repayment?

If the property-tax value or exemption shown on your TRIM notice looks incorrect, that is a question for your county Property Appraiser.

If the question is why your mortgage servicer changed the escrow portion of your payment, review the escrow analysis and contact the servicer if you need clarification.

Those are related issues, but they are not handled by the same office.

The Bottom Line

Your 2026 Florida TRIM notice may look like another piece of government mail, but I wouldn't ignore it.

It gives you a preview of your proposed property taxes before the actual bill arrives.

And if you bought your home recently, it may be the first time you clearly see how different your property-tax situation could be from the previous owner's.

A fixed-rate mortgage can keep the principal-and-interest portion of your loan predictable.

It does not freeze Florida property taxes.

So whether you're opening your 2026 proposed tax notice right now or you're preparing to buy a home in Northeast Florida, the question is the same:

What will this home realistically cost me, based on my situation?

If you're buying in Jacksonville, St. Johns County, St. Augustine, Orange Park, Fleming Island, Clay County, Nassau County, Ponte Vedra or elsewhere in Northeast Florida and want to walk through the financing and realistic monthly payment before making a decision, you're welcome to schedule a conversation with me.

I'd much rather help you see the numbers before you own the house than have you discover them later through an escrow shortage notice.

Frequently Asked Questions About 2026 Florida Property Tax Notices

What is a Florida TRIM notice?

A TRIM notice, or Truth in Millage notice, is Florida's annual Notice of Proposed Property Taxes. It shows property values, exemptions, proposed millage rates, proposed taxes and other information before the final tax bill is issued.

Is the 2026 TRIM notice my actual property-tax bill?

No. The TRIM notice shows proposed property taxes. Florida tax collectors generally send actual property-tax bills later in the fall, typically around November.

Why are my Florida property taxes higher after buying a house?

A major reason can be the change in ownership. The prior owner's exemptions and accumulated assessment benefits do not simply become yours. Florida generally reassesses property at just value following a change in ownership.

Can my mortgage payment increase if I have a fixed interest rate?

Yes. With a fixed-rate mortgage, principal and interest are generally fixed, but escrowed property taxes and homeowners insurance can change. That can change your total monthly payment.

Does Florida Homestead mean my taxes can only increase 3%?

No. The Save Our Homes limitation applies to increases in assessed value on qualifying homesteaded property, not directly to the total property-tax bill. For 2026, the applicable Save Our Homes cap is 2.7%.

Does the new owner inherit the seller's Save Our Homes benefit?

No. The seller's accumulated Save Our Homes benefit does not simply transfer to the buyer. An eligible homeowner moving from another Florida homestead may be able to use portability to transfer some or all of their own assessment difference.

What should I do if I think my 2026 property value is wrong?

Contact your county Property Appraiser promptly. You may also have the right to file a petition with your county Value Adjustment Board. Pay close attention to the deadline printed on your TRIM notice.

Helpful links:

Duval county property appraiser

St. John's county property appraiser

Clay county property appraiser

Nassau county property appraiser

Florida Department of Revenue