Episode 29 follows up on the discussions we had with the Constitutional Tax Collector, Anne Gannon, in Episode 28. As we noted then, our Constitutional Officers ensure the county operates effectively. The county could not discharge its responsibilities to its residents and visitors if it weren't for these elected individuals, This week we pivot to the Constitutional Property Appraiser, Dorothy Jacks. While Ms. Jacks is elected on a partisan basis, her task (setting the value of property within the county) requires her to ignore the party affiliation of the property owners. We take a deep dive into the operations of our property appraiser. How is the value of property established? What is Homestead and how does it affect the taxable value of residential real estate? How do you seek out a review of the value the property appraiser sets? What are the exemptions you may be entitled to? What is "portability" and how is it applied to a newly purchased property? Why are your taxes increasing? Ms. Jacks has been at this for over three decades so she's well versed in the mechanics of setting value and keeping those numbers current for each of the over 635,000 parcels of property in the county. If you live in Florida, you should pay attention to this episode!
