Permanent Florida residency required on January 1. To qualify, you must own and occupy the home as permanent residence on January 1st of the year in which you want to claim the exemption.Filing for Florida's Homestead Exemption can offer you tax savings when you own real estate in Florida. The St. Johns County Property Appraiser's Office accepts applications for Homestead, portability, and other exemptions online for your convenience. Click here to view the complete listing of exemption codes. The Property Appraiser is responsible for applying exemptions to each parcel. We encourage all applicants to file for homestead using our easy online e-File system. There is no easier way to file. The regular filing deadline is February 15th to receive the full exemption. Answer a few questions and Ownwell will complete, file and manage your tax exemptions to unlock more savings!