Orange County Property Appraiser Launches Crowdsourced Holiday Lights Map

-"Bright Lights Big County" to feature photos of region's best holiday decorations -

News provided by

Orange County, FL Property Appraiser's Office

Dec 06, 2018, 09:30 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the best ways to get into the holiday spirit is to enjoy all of the beautiful, glimmering holiday lights that fill the streets of Orange County, Florida. Whether you want to show off your own decked-out property, or take a drive and visit the best of the best holiday light displays, the new Bright Lights Big County: OCPA Holiday Lights Crowdsourced Map is just the tool you need.

The Orange County Property Appraiser's Office invites property owners to share photos of holiday lights on their "Bright Lights Big County" map.

New this year, the crowdsourced map is located within the Orange County Property Appraiser's website (www.ocpafl.org) and can be reached by clicking on the graphic on the home page. This map is for both homeowners and sightseers.

"We are pleased to be able to provide this service to our friends and neighbors," said Rick Singh, Orange County's property appraiser. "By inviting residents to our website to access the holiday lights map, we are also educating them on the extensive amounts of data and information available to them within ocpafl.org. Our office is extremely proud of our award-winning website. Bright Lights Big County: OCPA Holiday Lights Crowdsourced Map utilizes a small portion of our state-of-the-art mapping capabilities to add to the holiday experience of our residents."

How does it work?
Individuals can submit their Orange County holiday decorated properties to the Bright Lights Big County: OCPA Holiday Lights Crowdsourced Map and once approved, the homes & businesses will show up on the map for users to visit in person. Here's all you need to do:

Homeowners
Take a high-quality photo of your decorated home or business at night. Cameras on most cell phones will do fine. On the map, click on the red "Submit Holiday Lights Display" button and provide all the required information. Then, agree to the terms and conditions, and click "SUBMIT." We will review the photo, verify the address, and add it to the map within 1-2 days.

Sightseers
Before you load up the car with family and friends and head out to look at lights, make a note of the addresses of the homes and businesses on our map so you will know some good ones to go see. And check back during the holiday season, as more decorated locations will be added daily.

The map is live and will remain accessible until the new year. We hope Orange County residents will find this new venture enjoyable, whether they have taken the time to decorate their home or business, or enjoy looking at holiday lights. For more information, to add a location, or to access the map to see where the bright lights are, visit http://www.ocpafl.org/PressRoom/HolidayPromo.aspx

About OCPA
The Orange County Property Appraiser's office provides a fair and equitable tax roll, remarkable service and superior professionalism. The office also assists taxpayers with applying for homestead and other exemptions as well as understanding their Truth-In-Millage (TRIM) Notices and Tax Bills each year.

OCPA was recognized in 2018 by the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) with its prestigious "Certificate of Excellence in Assessment," which is earned by less than 1% of assessment authorities.
The Agency has also recently been honored by the Center for Digital Government with a 2018 "Digital Government Experience" Award citing its effective online strategies for meeting constituent needs.

For more information, visit www.ocpafl.org.

About Rick Singh, CFA
A veteran of the U.S. Army, Rick Singh is the first state-certified appraiser elected (2012 & 2016) as Orange County Property Appraiser (OCPA), and oversees a Tax Roll that exceeds $188 Billion.

Under Mr. Singh's leadership, OCPA has a 99.9% record of defending its valuations against appeal.
In 2018, Mr. Singh was honored with the IAAO's Ian W. McClung Award for his efforts to improve the development of valuation professionals around the world, and to globally advance the profession.

Mr. Singh serves on the boards of the American Lung Association, Boy Scouts of America Central Florida Council, Orlando Economic Partnership, and the World Affairs Council of Central Florida.