Rep. Mike Hill has a home in the Marcus Pointe subdivision that he and his wife have owned since 1995. The residence is in Florida House District 1, and he has claimed a homestead exemption on the house. However, Hill represents Florida House District 2 and used a Portofino rental unit as his residence to qualify to run in 2013 and 2014.
The homestead exemption allows Hill to pay less property taxes. Homestead exemptions are only available on an individual’s primary home.
Hill told FloridaPolitics.com that he and his wife “are blessed to have a home in Pensacola, where we jointly hold a deed. That home has a homestead exemption and is the only home in our family that does.â€
“Because we enjoy the beauty of the beach we also lease a condo,†Hill said in the message. “We spend time in both homes. My residency to serve in the Florida House was certified by the House leadership, and the homestead exemption in Pensacola is in full compliance with the law. So in both cases there is absolutely no violation of any rules or any laws.
When he spoke with Will Isern yesterday, Hill originally said his “primary residence” is at Portofino, but that his “permanent residence” is at Marcus Pointe. Then he later sent a statement that said he and his family split their time between Marcus Pointe and Portofino.
After all the battles over re-districting, Hill may have found a way around the issue – live two places. Every time the district boundaries are redrawn rent another condo.