Thursday, September 2, 1999
Florida Dept. of Revenue v. C. Raymond McIntyre
Nos. 94,105 & 94,118

Place of Origin
Highlands County
Facts
From the 1970s to 1991, the Sebring Airport Authority operated the annual "Twelve Hours of Sebring" race on property it still owns. In 1991, the Authority entered into a lease agreement with a for-profit corporation, the Sebring International Raceway, to run the race. The Raceway sought and was denied a property tax exemption on its leasehold. The denial was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court in 1994. The legislature then passed a new law authorizing a property tax exemption for leaseholds of this type. But the Raceway again was denied an exemption. The trial judge and Second District Court held the exemption unconstitutional. The Raceway appeals.