Who Is Managing Florida Property Taxes?

OCALA, Fla., Dec. 7, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

Commercial Property Services, Inc., Licensed Real Estate Broker, asks why, at its December 7th meeting, Florida's Governor and Cabinet did not ask substantive questions related to Department of Revenue's performance in property tax. The Executive Director admitted property tax oversight is below standard. The cause of the sub-par performance, suggested by the Director, is the significant drop in sale prices of property.

Did the Governor and Cabinet ask:

1. Are property sale price trends an adequate or appropriate measure of the performance of the Director and Property Tax Oversight (PTO)?
2. What is DOR doing to address discrepancies aside from mere comparisons to sales figures?
3. Is data relied upon for assessments in compliance with State laws?
4. How do the Director and PTO measure Value Adjustment Board (VAB) performance? And, what are those standards for measurement?
5. Is it an appropriate performance requirement to ask the VABs to rate themselves in their compliance with State law?
6. Given all the time spent by the Director and PTO, how effective are VAB Rules and Training that DOR has promulgated?
7. Are the Rules and the Training sufficient to ensure that assessments are fair?
8. Is the Director measuring the application of State law by VAB attorneys and special magistrates to ensure the Hearings result in constitutional taxation?
9. Are there complaints made to DOR regarding VAB non-compliance with State law? Did DOR intervene? In all instances, was DOR effective so that local government complied with State law?
10. When DOR believed it lacked authority to address VAB violations of State law, did the Director notify the Governor and Cabinet? How are those violations being handled to serve and protect private citizens?

The Executive Director's 2010-2011 employment contract contains only two performance measures for property tax. One measures property sales trends, over which the Director has no control. The second measures satisfaction of local government with DOR performance in direct conflict with DOR and PTO's role as regulator - to administer and supervise ad valorem taxation to ensure lawfulness.  

No performance standards exist to determine how well DOR serves Florida's private citizens. Measures indicative of DOR's performance in serving Florida's private citizens should be included in the Director's employment contract.

For additional information, contact CPS President Sheila Anderson at 305-372-9200, or 352-245-7441

SOURCE Commercial Property Services, Inc., Licensed Real Estate Broker