O.J. to keep Florida homestead exemption

Although convicted armed robber O.J. Simpson is imprisoned in a Nevada jail, he is still entitled to a homestead exemption on his Kendall home, where his son Justin is currently living, according to a ruling from the Miami-Dade County property appraiser’s office. The ruling comes following neighbor David Weston’s complaint that Simpson’s current extended residency in prison should preclude him from receiving the property tax break usually afforded to Florida homeowners. “It doesn’t seem right,” Weston said. The Florida Department of Revenue, which governs the homestead exemption, requires that the property be the homeowner’s primary residence. But the rules also state that a felony conviction by itself doesn’t disqualify anyone, so there is no legal basis to rescind Simpson’s exemption, according to Lazaro Solis, deputy property appraiser. The only way Simpson could lose the exemption is if he rents out the home, Solis added. [Miami Herald]