Tampa airport authority wins tax battle

A battle over taxes at the Tampa International Airport has been decided in favor of the the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority at the Florida Second District Court of Appeal.

The case involved Florida's ad valorem tax exemption claimed by about 15 businesses at the Tampa airports overseen by the authority, according to airport spokespeople. The decision, handed down July 7, reverses a lower court win by Bob Henriquez, Hillsborough County property appraiser, where the case will be sent back in favor of the airports. 

Henriquez's office did not immediately return a phone message for comment on any potential appeals or a lingering question: if the annual taxes paid by the airport's 15 tenants in 2021 and 2022 will be refunded.