Eric Lynn, the Democratic candidate for Florida’s 13th Congressional District, has come under increased scrutiny after the Tampa Bay Times reported that he had received a double tax break of over $1,200 for houses he owns in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
The D.C.-based Office of Tax and Revenue lists Lynn as having a homestead exemption for a condo near Dupont Circle that he bought for nearly $700,000 in
2007, according to the office’s records. The exemption saved him $606.90 in 2015 property taxes, records show.Yet until this week, Maryland’s department of assessments and taxation listed another home in Rockville as his primary home, allowing him to save another
$692 in 2014 property taxes, records show. The Lynns paid $715,000 for the home in September 2013.The problem? A homeowner can qualify for only one exemption.
According to the Times, Lynn has paid back the deduction he received in D.C., saying, “We’re not going to take a homestead exemption on somewhere we’re not living.” However, he says he deserves the one he received for his home in Maryland because he lived there for nine months during the prior tax year. The issue is becoming a growing headache for the candidate, who only moved back to the district a little less than a year ago.