Permanent Florida residency required on January 1. You should complete all required forms and applica ons for the exemp on and file them with your county property appraiser.You can apply for the exemption online or at the Township Assessor's office. An annual verification of eligibility must be filled out each year. If you're planning to claim a homestead exemption, you must first apply for a Florida driver's license. All applications must be submitted online through the Smartfile E-Filing Portal. There is no annual renewal for this exemption. Learn more about adapted housing grants. There are three fields to fill in: home price, down payment and mortgage interest rate. In the dropdown box, choose your loan term.