Two South Florida cities are now sending property tax refund checks to qualifying senior residents, moving ahead of state lawmakers who have yet to act on broader property tax relief.

Hialeah and Miami, both in Miami-Dade County, have created programs to refund a portion of property taxes to eligible senior citizens.

In Hialeah, checks began going out several weeks ago. Mayor Bryan Calvo, 28, says his city is the first in Florida to offer the refunds, which apply to homesteaded residents aged 65 and older who fall within certain income limits. The refunded amount covers only the city’s share of property taxes — school taxes are excluded — and the average check is around $500.

“We don’t have to wait for the legislature to act; we can act at the municipal level,” Calvo said.

Calvo noted the program was made possible in part through a city audit and fiscal changes, including eliminating pensions for elected officials, allowing the city to fund the refunds without cutting services or raising taxes on other residents.

The city of Miami has since adopted a similar approach, and Calvo says several other Florida cities have already reached out expressing interest in replicating the model.

“I think this is a model that can be replicated across the state of Florida,” Calvo said. “We’ve shown that it works.”

The programs come as state legislators continue working toward broader property tax solutions in Florida, though no statewide relief measure has yet been passed.

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