Okaloosa County BOCC — September 3, 2013 — Property Appraiser Letter — reading text

PLEASE REPLY TO: 101 E. James Lee Blvd. 73 Eglin Pkwy N.E., Ste 202 Crestview, FL 32536 Ft. Walton Beach, FL 32548-4939 (850) 689-5900 (850) 651-7240 FAX (850) 689-5906 FAX (850) 651-7244 PETE SMITH OFFICE OF THE OKALOOSA COUNTY PROPERTY APPRAISER October 21, 2013 Board of County Commissioners 1804 Lewis Turner Blvd., Suite 100 Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547 RE: Waiver of exemption requirement Gentlemen: Florida Statute 196.011(9)(a) states, in part,---- A county may, at the request of the property appraiser and by a majority vote of its governing body, waive the requirement that an annual application or statement be made for exemption of property within the county after an initial application is made and the exemption granted. At last year’s Value Adjustment Board hearing, Commissioner Parisot asked when the “automatic renewal” of homestead exemptions was first authorized by the BCC. I had no idea as it was the policy when I took office in 1993, but I stated that I would see if there was a record of it in this office. No record could be located. Mr. Parisot states that a search of the Board’s records was also unsuccessful in locating a BCC resolution. I am confident that a resolution was requested at some point in time and granted, or the automatic renewal process would not have been implemented as it also has been in the other 66 counties in the State. Since neither I nor the Board clerk was able to locate the resolution, Mr. Parisot has suggested, that because of the recent AG audit, that I request another resolution in order that the record can be documented. Therefore, it is the purpose of this transmittal that I am requesting that the BCC, in arrears if deemed necessary, waive the requirement, by resolution, that annual applications be made for the exemption of property within the County after an initial application is made and the exemption granted. I would also suggest that the resolution acknowledge that the Board considered the possibility of fraudulent exemption claims which may occur due to the waiver of the annual application requirement. In the past three years, this office has filed over 1,400 liens on properties due to discovery of fraudulent exemptions. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to your response. Respectfully, Pete Smith, CFA Okaloosa County Property Appraiser