O.J. Simpson might be a resident of the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada, but that doesn’t mean he’s out of luck for tax breaks. The South Florida appraiser’s office has determined that despite O.J.’s incarceration, he is still entitled to the Florida homestead exemption for his home in Kendall, FL.
The issue was raised when one of O.J.’s neighbors complained that the former professional athlete's residence in prison should preclude him from receiving tax break. Hey, I guess if O.J.’s still paying the bills, more power to him.
Now the miffed neighbor, David Weston, thinks someone in Tallahassee should take another look.
What bothers Weston, he says, is not so much the fact that it's Simpson getting the tax break, but more generally that state rules allow felons serving prison sentences -- even those doing so out of state -- to keep their exemptions.
``It doesn't seem right,'' Weston said. ``It seems that's a privilege of good citizenship, no?''
Florida Department of Revenue rules, which govern the homestead exemption, require that the property be the homeowner's primary residence. But the rules also clearly state that a felony conviction by itself doesn't disqualify anyone.
