2016 Spring newsletter

Florida Chapter of IAAO

Spring 2016

STAYING APPRAISED

82ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE APPROACHES

As many of you are aware, the IAAO is holding its 82nd An- nual Conference on Assessment Administration right here in Florida. The conference will be held August 28-31 at the Tampa Convention Center; see the brochure for full details on the event, travel and accommodations information and educational sessions. Registration is now open online with a deadline of July 15 for reduced rates. Still further reduced rates are available if you volunteer with the Local Host Committee. To receive details and sign up to volunteer, use the form created by the FCIAAO here . This year the Florida Chapter is providing up to five scholar- ships to attend the conference for those members who cannot afford to attend due to budget constraints or other reasons. To be eligible you must be a member in good standing and volunteer with the Local Host Committee. It includes your volunteer rate registration along with hotel costs and is valued at up to $1,000 each. If you are inter- ested in applying or want more information please visit our enrollment page .

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

President’s Message ........... 2

IAAO Class Calendar ......... 3

Member Spotlight ............... 4

Chapter history .................... 5

IAAO Rep Booth .................. 6

Prof. Designation news ....... 7

Conference recap .............. 8

County Spotlight .................. 11

Peanut Gallery returns! ....... 12

Job Opportunities ................ 13

2016-2017 FCIAAO

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

EXECUTIVE BOARD

What a great honor it is for me to serve as President of the FCIAAO, the largest IAAO Chapter in the United States. I’d like to thank all of our members for making our chapter one of the best in all of IAAO. Being at the top means everyone wants to surpass you. The Texas Ap-

PRESIDENT

Brian Loughrey, CFE Administrative Director Sarasota County

VICE PRESIDENT

Tracy Drake, CAE, RES, AAS, CFE Assistant Property Appraiser Clay County

Brian Loughrey

2 ND VICE PRESIDENT

praisal District Chapter is hot on our tail and we need to maintain our high level of quality educational opportunities and membership. We got off to a great start with the 2016 Annual Business Meeting and Banquet held in St. Peters- burg. We once again surpassed 200 attendees including 19 elected Property Appraisers. We couldn’t have done it without the support we receive from all of our Property Appraisers, vendors and, of course, speakers who donate their time to bring us interesting and informative topics every year. As I mentioned in my remarks at the conference, this is YOUR chapter. It only exists for you, and I encourage each and every one of you to participate. We had 25 people complete the bottom of the conference critique form look- ing to become more involved, which is encouraging. The Executive Board and the Committees always welcome new presenters, new articles for this publication, new topics for the conference and any fresh ideas you may have. Your opinions matter to us and we want to hear them. Our website has the contact information for all of us - please don’t be shy! Director and IAAO Executive Board member Pat Alesan- drini spoke about the statewide sales database during the opening session of our conference. We need your partici- pation in maintaining this valuable resource for high end residential and unique commercial sales transactions. It’s success depends on you.

Katie Casey, CFE Senior Projects Administrator Seminole County

TREASURER

Justin Edwards, CFE Office Operations Supervisor Putnam County

SECRETARY

Wendy Sapp, CFE Administrative Analyst II Alachua County

MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR

Marsha Coleman, CFE Assessment Roll Compliance Citrus County

DIRECTOR

Pat Alesandrini, MAI, SRA, CAE, RES Asst. Chief Deputy of Valuation Hillsborough County

DIRECTOR

Kenny Pennington, CFE, CBC Chief Deputy Osceola County

DIRECTOR

Dee Dee Harnish, CFE Supervisor, Condo & Branch Offices Monroe County

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Todd Finlayson, CFE Director of TPP St. Lucie County

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

This year we are trying to expand our offerings to include web-based training in addition to our conference and TPP Seminar. We have some technical issues to resolve, but stay tuned for details. The Executive Board has also reviewed all of the comments we received on the conference critique forms. There were several very good suggestions made and we will do our best to listen to your feedback and incorporate some of these ideas. I look forward to an exciting year for us, both as a Chapter and with the IAAO International conference right here in Tampa. Volunteer opportunities exist and offer a greatly reduced fee. See the website we created to assist the Host Committee for more information and to sign up. I hope to see you there!

Your FCIAAO President,

Brian Loughrey, CFE

IAAO EDUCATIONAL CALENDAR

CEW 1000 Continuing Education Workshop for PAs 1

Cocoa Beach

May 2 - 4

IAAO 101 Fundamentals of Property Appraisal 1

Cocoa Beach

May 2 - 6

IAAO 300 Fundamentals of Mass Appraisal 1

Cocoa Beach

May 2 - 6

IAAO 402 Tax Policy 1

Cocoa Beach

May 2 - 6

IAAO 101 Fundamentals of Property Appraisal 2

West Palm Beach

July 25 - 29

IAAO 102 Income Approach to Valuation 3

Lake Mary

August 1 - 5

IAAO 112 Income Approach to Valuation II 3

Lake Mary

August 1 - 5

IAAO 201 Appraisal of Land 3

Lake Mary

August 1 - 5

IAAO 332 Modeling Concepts 3

Lake Mary

August 1 - 5

IAAO 600 Principles and Techniques of Cadastral Mapping 3 Lake Mary

August 1 - 5

1 Information for these courses can be found on this DOR flyer

2 For details contact Mike Pratt at Palm Beach County Property Appraiser (561) 355-4021

3 For details contact Meghan Miller at DOR (727) 588-6856

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: TOBIAS FOSTER

Name:

Tobias Foster

County:

Alachua

Title:

Director of Real Property

What do you do for the Property Appraiser?

I am the Director of Real Property for the Alachua County Proper- ty Appraisers Office.

How long have you been employed by the Property Appraiser?

I have been employed by the ACPAO for just over 3 years.

What do you like most about your job?

While there are many things I like about working at the ACPAO, my co-workers would have to be the best part. From the warm welcome I received when I started, to the day to day in- teractions I have with co-workers today, the staff makes the ACPAO a rewarding place to be employed.

What do you find challenging about your job?

The most challenging part of my job would be trying to develop models to accurately assess commercial properties when there are few, if any, good arms-length sales.

Where were you born?

I was born in Rochester, New York.

Where did you go to school?

I attended college at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaguia, NY and received an A.A.S. in Natural Resources Conservation.

What was your first job?

My first job was busboy at Chuck-e-Cheese.

What are your hobbies?

My hobbies include fishing, golf and spending time with the animals on our farm.

What was your best vacation ever?

The best vacation I ever had would be the first trip my wife and I took to the Florida Keys in 1988. (Where we relocated to a few years later)

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

What do you plan to do when you retire?

When I retire, I hope to expand our farm and spend much more time fishing and playing golf.

Do you have any advice for new Property Appraiser employees?

The best advice I can offer for new Property Appraiser employees is to learn as much about the entire process as you can. If they know not only what to do, but also why they do it and how it affects the rest of the process, the job will be much more fulfilling.

FCIAAO & CHAPTER HISTORY

The Florida Chapter of the International Association of Assessing Officers serves as an educa- tional and networking resource for public property appraisers and their staff throughout the state of Florida. Our Mission Statement is “To offer relevant educational opportunities in ad valorem appraisal and administration, and to promote professional development of our members.” This chapter was founded in 1987 to help in the advancement of the objectives of the Inter- national Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) in Florida, which are to:  Develop professionalism in assessment administration.  Raise the standards of the profession.  Gain recognition by governmental authorities of the assessing profession.  Gain recognition for members as qualified, objective, and unbiased assessors of property values.  Work to educate the public regarding the ad valorem tax system.  Work to provide a clearing house for the collection and distribution of useful information relating to assessment practice, and in every proper way, to promote justice and equity in the distribution of the tax burden.

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

FLORIDA STATE REPRESENTATIVE BOOTH

FCIAAO has five Florida Representatives who are appointed to work with IAAO and provide a liaison for the State of Florida and IAAO. A meeting is held at the IAAO Annual Conference of State Chapter Reps and Affili- ates. Haylee Rees is the IAAO staff liaison for this group and she coordi- nates quarterly reports and activities to promote IAAO throughout the country and internationally. The FCIAAO State Reps are: Dorothy Jacks, Lainie Claudio, Shelia Crapo, Alice Weinberg and Katie Casey.

IAAO provided banners and collateral materials for the recent confer- ence to promote membership, the IAAO Library, Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Ad- ministration, and the Tampa Annual Conference which includes volunteer opportunities, the fishing and golf tournaments and general information. IAAO President Pete Rodda stopped by the booth to meet members and answer inquiries. Please note that membership in FCIAAO does not include membership in IAAO, however to serve on the Florida Chapter Executive Board you must be an active member. IAAO Mem- bership affords many benefits to assessment professionals. Access the website at www.iaao.org for additional information!

FCIAAO PAST PRESIDENTS HONORED AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE

FCIAAO Past Presidents were invited to attend a luncheon on Thursday, April 14th at the An- nual Conference to honor their service. The luncheon was hosted by 2015 President, Alice Weinberg, 2016 President Todd Finlayson, and soon to be installed 2017 President Brian Loughrey. This event is held annually and the now 29 Past Presidents are invited to attend and hear updates on what the chapter has accomplished and what its plans for the future are.

Along with the 2015 – 2017 Presidents in attendance the following were present:

Honorable Villie Smith (1990), Honorable Roger Suggs (2000), Megan Hill (2003), Bruce Strenth (2004), John Griffin (2005), Doug Will (2006), Russell Counts (2010), Sheila Crapo (2012), and Lainie Claudio (2013). Those who could not attend sent their regrets and filled us in on what they are doing. FCIAAO honors their service to this organization and their jurisdictions making this the outstanding professional group it is today.

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATION COMMITTEE NEWS

As Chair of IAAO’s Professional Designation Subcommittee (PDS), I at- tended Leadership Days in Kansas City and am excited to report that the IAAO Executive Board has approved its sixth professional designa- tion – the Mass Appraisal Specialist (MAS) designation. It would be fan- tastic if the first MAS designee is a FCIAAO member! Additionally, the following items were discussed: •Educational equivalencies have been proposed for IAAO members and candidates holding the MAI and SRA designations from the Ap- praisal Institute, the Mass Appraisal – General and Mass Appraisal – Residential designations from the American Society of Appraisers, and

Tracy S. Drake, CAE, RES, AAS, CFE

the certificate, diploma and Bachelor’s degree programs from the University of British Co- lumbia. Since these designations require a narrative appraisal report, a waiver option for the demonstration appraisal report requirement is also being considered. •A Capstone Program option (accelerated format) for demonstration appraisal reports is being considered. •The following case study review workshops have been updated and are expected to be released in May 2016 and available online this fall: 850 (CAE), 851 (RES), 852 (AAS). 854 (CMS) is expected to be released in the fall of 2016, with online availability in early 2017. •All designation case study exams and master/comprehensive exams have been updated and are now in use. •Course 331: Mass Appraisal Practices and Procedures has been released and Course 332: Modeling Concepts is expected to be released in June 2016. Both courses will apply to the MAS designation. •Unsuccessful demonstration appraisal reports can be revised only once and must be re- submitted within one year of notification (Procedural Rule 10.6.2.2). •A candidacy may be extended for a period of one year for just cause, subject to approv- al by the PDS (Procedural Rule 10.3.1).

I will keep you apprised of any additional changes to the program. Please contact me at tdrake@ccpao.com with any questions or comments.

Congratulations 2016 Tony Hodge Award Recipients!

Keith Alexander, RES Palm Beach County

Robert Dunne, RES Pinellas County

Karah Tease, AAS Leon County

Patrick Chapman, AAS Leon County

Scott Kunkleman, RES Palm Beach County

Doug Will, CAE Leon County

New designees must provide a copy of IAAO’s letter conferring designation, or a copy of the designation certificate to tdrake@ccpao.com .

Nik Cutrell, AAS Leon County

Terry Taylor, CAE St. Lucie County

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECAP The 2016-2017 FCIAAO year was officially kicked off in St. Petersburg, FL April 13-15 during the Annual Conference. With over 200 in attendance and 19 different vendors, we enjoyed a packed, educational week! Prior to the conference, we offered two educational workshops: IAAO155, Depreciation Analysis, taught by Pat Alesandrini and ESRI ArcGIS Fundamentals, provided by Panda Con- sulting. Our goal is to promote education in all areas. If you are interested in a specific course or topic, please let us know . The Honorable Pam Dubov welcomed attendees to Pinellas County, where she is currently serving as Property Appraiser. It was great to see her at a Chapter event one last time before she retires and begins the next chapter in her life. We were also lucky enough to have the IAAO President Pete Rodda attend and provide an update on IAAO. They have some excit- ing things going on and Pete encouraged everyone to check out IAAO’s Vision 2020 to learn more about the future and goals of the association. After informative presentations from the DOR and an update on Florida’s Real Estate market, Pat Alesandrini demonstrated the new statewide sales database. A project long in the works, FCIAAO was lucky enough to receive the help of talented staff from Hillsborough County to make this vision come alive. To learn more about this database, check out Pat’s accompa- nying presentation on the Chapter website . Tracy Drake ended the day with an Awards Presentation. Florida won several awards at the 2015 IAAO Conference in Indianapolis and these recipients were recognized. The Tony Hodge awards were given to eight attendees. Michael Chaves presented each with an award and $500 check. Later that evening, a Welcome Reception was held poolside, cour- tesy of our Platinum sponsor Thomson Reuters. Thursday’s educational tracks were broken into Real Estate, Exemptions and IT/GIS. The Steer- ing Committees for each of these tracks did an excellent job in securing great presenters and current, important topics. If you were unable to attend, copies of the presentations can be found on our website . Thursday evening kicked off with a reception before entering the banquet room where a photobooth was set up and sponsored by LexisNexis. Following a dinner buffet, the Annual Business Meeting began and featured the Installation of the 2016-2017 FCIAAO Executive Board. To end the evening, the Magic Mirror Band performed for several hours. Lead by Jack Henriquez, brother of the Honorable Bob Henriquez, and they were a huge hit! If you missed out on them, they will be performing again at IAAO’s conference in Tampa this year. The conference ended Friday, after a networking breakfast and legal and legislative up- dates. If you missed this year’s conference, we hope you can join us for our 30th Conference April 26-28, 2017 in Hutchinson Island. Be sure to stay tuned to our website for registration de- tails!

ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECAP

FCIAAO EXTENDS SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Property Appraisers in Attendance:

Hon. Sharon Outland

St. Johns County

Hon. Tim Parker

Putnam County

Hon. Carey Baker

Lake County

Hon. Ken Pruitt

St. Lucie County

Hon. Les Cook

Citrus County

Hon. Bruce Ratliff

Taylor County

Hon. Pam Dubov

Pinellas County

Hon. Scott Russell

Monroe County

Hon. John Emerson

Hernando County

Hon. Katrina Scarborough

Osceola County

Hon. Bill Furst

Sarasota County

Hon. Villie Smith

Marion County

Hon. Bob Henriquez

Hillsborough County

Hon. Roger Suggs

Clay County

Hon. Mike Hickox

Nassau County

Hon. Ken Wilkinson

Lee County

Hon. David Johnson

Seminole County

Our Vendors for their generosity:

Lexur Appraisal Services

Thomson Reuters

Bruce Harris & Assoc.

Tyler Technologies

Cathedral Corp.

Panda Consulting

CRED Consulting

Patriot Properties

Vision Govt. Solutions

ESRI Canada

Pictometry

Facet Technology

qPublic

( BOLD names indicate elite level sponsors)

Harris Govern

Spatialest

iLookabout

Tax Management Associates

Lexis Nexis

TC Delivers

THANK YOU TO THOMSON REUTERS FOR ONCE AGAIN BE- ING THE PLATINUM SPONSOR FOR THE FCIAAO ANNUAL CONFERENCE.

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: GLADES COUNTY

Glades County is nestled in the southern part of Florida. Glades was founded on April 23, 1921. This county was named for the Florida Ever- glades. The county seat for Glades is Moore Haven which is also the largest city in the county and named for the founder James A. Moore. The county has a total area of 987 square miles of which 774 is land and 213 is water. Glades is a rural county and agricultural land uses consist of citrus, sugar cane and other crop production.

Hon. Lorie Ward, CFA

Glades County is a Sportsman’s Paradise. Boasting unique history from the early settlers and the local Seminole tribe. Glades offers many activities for an out- doorsman – fishing, alligator hunting or just paddling down a 52 mile creek through natural Florida beauty. Glades is home to Lake Okeechobee which is known to have some of the best bass fishing in the world. Lake Okeechobee is the largest freshwater lake in the state of Florida with an average depth of only 9 feet. While Lake Okeechobee covers 730 square miles, it is divided between a total of 5 counties which meet somewhere in the center of the lake. Being on this beautiful lake also draws in many bird watchers, and Eco-tourism is evi- dent around Glades. Glades County has one of oldest continuous festivals dating back to 1948. If you are travel- ing around the first weekend of March, this is the place to be. The Chalo Nitka (Seminole for “Big Bass”) festival originated to celebrate the paving of then Main Street in Moore Haven. They held a week long fishing contest for residents around the lake. Whoever brought in the biggest bass was crowned King or Queen of the Bass. The festival has since evolved, but still stays true to what it was intended – showcasing the local friendship with the Seminole Tribe and true southern hospitality. For those non outdoors people, Northeast Glades County is the home of the Brighton Semi- nole Indian Reservation (one of six reservations held in trust by the federal government). The Seminole Tribe operates the Brighton Seminole Casino here with 375 slot and gaming ma- chines, a 7 table poker room and high stakes bingo. The reservation is also home to the 12th largest cattle operation in the country.

2015 Preliminary Tax Roll At-A-Glance

Real Property Parcels

11,211

Tangible Accounts

1,655

Just (Market) Value

$3,234,261,272

Taxable Value

$561,010,487

Employees:

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Hon. Lorie Ward, CFA | first elected in 2012| Web: http://www.gladesflpa.com/

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY If you have not noticed, it is political season. Everywhere you look some- one is hammering someone else for something. It does not matter which side of things you come down on, I think that even this somewhat dark cloud has a silver lining. We still live as free people in a great country. There is beauty in nature all around us. We have good food to eat (sometimes too much) and clean water to drink. For most of us life is good. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

Bruce Strenth, CFE

So, you are probably wondering about the silver lining I mentioned earlier. The silver lining to all that noise is the opportunity to stop and consider all of the blessings we have in our lives. I encourage you to turn off the television, the computer and the phone. Go hide for awhile in the back yard or a nearby park. You may find something there that is your silver lining. I recently attended the Past President’s Luncheon during the FCIAAO Conference. What a treat to see and visit with old friends and make some new ones. I was reminded that the Flori- da Chapter is in very good hands. I encourage you to make the most of all Florida Chapter has to offer. In the future there will be additional electronic offerings as well as live seminars, education weeks and conferences. The benefit that comes from networking with others in the assessment profession is immeasur- able. Article Contributor: Bruce Strenth, CFE

Tangible Personal Property, Highlands County

The IAAO Conference will be held in Tampa August 28-31, 2016 Become an IAAO Volunteer and get a reduced rate Click here for details

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

TPP Evaluator

Brevard County

Residential Appraiser

Citrus County

TPP Manager

Orange County

TPP Senior Field Appraiser

Orange County

Residential Analyst

Orange County

Residential Field Appraiser

Orange County

GIS Mapping Specialist

Osceola County

Exemptions Specialist

Sarasota County

THANK YOU TO IAAO PRESIDENT PETE RODDA FOR TAKING TIME FROM HIS SCHEDULE TO ATTEND OUR CONFERENCE.

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Spring 2016 Newsletter of the FCIAAO

Mission Statement

“To offer relevant educational opportunities in ad valorem appraisal and administration,

and to promote professional development of our members.”

A publication by the Florida Chapter of International Association of Assessing Officers