County Property Appraiser To Slap $458K Lien On Fla. Mansion For Allegedly Bogus Homestead Tax Exemption Claim; Calls For Criminal Prosecution

In Ft. Myers, Florida, The News Press reports:

• The Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office will file $458,396 in liens against Charles and Barbara Parsons for back taxes and penalties as the State Attorney investigates the couple for homestead fraud. The liens will be filed Dec. 4 if the couple does not pay back taxes and penalties the county appraisers’s office says the couple owes for renting their homesteaded property for upscale getaways, business trips and weddings since 2002.

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• Valued at $4.5 million by the county appraiser, the property’s homestead exemption allows for the Save Our Homes benefit that caps taxable value increases at 3 percent each year. The riverfront home [...] in south Fort Myers is advertised online as the Villa Aloreon, an upscale private or corporate retreat costing as much as $19,500 per week. It’s also advertised online as the Buena Vista Center, where Barbara Parsons gives business seminars.

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• The state attorney’s office said it is investigating the possible fraud. It would be the most expensive such case in the county’s history. Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson wants the state attorney to prosecute the couple. Homestead exemption fraud in Florida is a misdemeanor carrying penalties up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. “That would send a message,” Wilkinson said.

For more, see South Fort Myers homeowners face $458,396 in liens.