Pasco County Property Appraiser

Name: Allison Newlon

Age: 41

Residence: San Antonio

Occupation: real estate broker

Political affiliation: Democrat

Political experience: none

Office being sought: Pasco County Property Appraiser

 

Why are you running for this office?

I am running for office because it is time for an innovative thinker in Pasco County’s Property Appraiser’s office. Serving the people of Pasco County effectively is my passion. I am running because I am a property owner in Pasco County, and I understand what that privilege and responsibility means. Partisan politics/party affiliation matter to me far less than making this county a better place for ALL residents. My children may settle here when they become adults, and I want to keep Pasco County strong so that their children’s children have that option too someday.

 

What are your top three priorities?

Pasco County’s new Property Appraiser must first make a commitment to utilizing technology for the sake of increased efficiency. Revitalizing this office technologically will help the Appraiser serve constituents more effectively increasing efficiency within the office and allowing residents to use online services to help themselves. The second priority in the Property Appraiser’s office must be to increase accessibility to the office by implementing Community Outreach Programs. These programs will serve county residents with limited access to technology and create a collaborative relationship between the Appraiser and those s/he serves.

The Appraiser’s third priority must be to ensure exemptions are properly applied. Since taxpayers suffer when incorrect exemptions are applied, it is vital that the Property Appraiser’s office show a renewed commitment to upholding exemption policies. This policy will go a long way to improving the health of our county’s tax roll.

 

Why should voters choose you?

As a real estate broker, I have been appraising property values for buyers and sellers in Pasco County for more than ten years. My professional history positions me to be of maximum effective service to residents. I understand the shifting condition of real estate in this county, as only one whose livelihood depends on it can understand it.

 

What qualifications do you bring to the job?

As a Pasco County resident myself, I know the importance of meeting residents’ needs as they arise, and my plans to perform outreach and increase access to services display a commitment to that. As a taxpayer, I am concerned with the accurate applications of exemptions which, if improperly applied, could adversely affect my family. This county office and the residents who live here would benefit from my professional experience and fresh perspective. I would be proud to serve you as Pasco County’s new Property Appraiser.

 

Name: Walter Price

Age: 30

Residence: Land O’ Lakes

Occupation: real estate appraiser

Political affiliation: Republican

Political experience: president of the Young Republicans of Pasco

Office being sought: Pasco County Property Appraiser

 

Why are you running for this office?

I am running for the property appraiser’s position to bring the citizens of Pasco an option to have a professional appraiser in the office. It has been 16 years since the citizens of Pasco have been able to vote for a property appraiser since the current incumbent has been unopposed the whole time. Real estate values have changed drastically over the past 7 years. My experience in both commercial and residential properties can be used effectively to determine trends and values as your property appraiser.

 

What are your top three priorities?

Education is very important, not only for the property appraisers office, but for property owners. I feel it is important to educate the property owners on how to read their property cards so they have an understanding of their values and how they were established. If they have questions, they will be better able to discuss them with, not only staff, but also with the property appraiser.

The property appraiser’s website for Pasco has not been updated until just recently. The website had been left alone for over 10 years. It needs to be updated, so that it is not only user friendly, but applicable to other professionals that deal with real estate.

I use the property appraisers’ website daily and find many inaccuracies from wrong square footages, sketches and assessed values. Assessments could be wrong, causing the amount of taxation to be inaccurate, as well as altering the market.

 

Why should voters choose you?

It’s important for voters to choose their property appraiser based on experience in the field performing appraisals for financial institutions on a daily basis. When we go to the polls to vote for an elected official, we are simply hiring an employee that we are paying with our tax dollars. This is why it is important to hire the right person based on qualifications and experience. I am the only candidate to have a state regulated license to perform appraisals and feel that it is very important we have a professional in politics and not another politician in politics.

 

What qualifications do you bring to the job?

I graduated from the University of South Florida with a BA in Communication. I am a Certified General Appraiser which allows me to appraise all types of real estate in the State of Florida. I am a member of the Appraisal Institute, and I am currently pursing my designations of MAI and SRA, which are the highest designations in the world for real estate appraisers. I am experienced in all types of properties in Central Florida including commercial, industrial, vacant land, condos, manufactured homes, villas, townhomes, water front, ocean front, golf front and other residential properties. I have taken hundreds of hours of education to not only receive my license but to keep it active over the past 7 years as well as submitted thousands of appraisals. I feel that it is important we have true professionalism in the Property Appraisers office not another politician.

 

Name: Mike Wells

Age: 65

Residence: Dade City

Occupation: Pasco County Property Appraiser

Political affiliation: Republican

Political experience: Pasco Commissioner District 5 elected in 1984 and 1988. Pasco Property Appraiser 1996 to present.

Office being sought: Pasco County Property Appraiser

 

Why are you running for this office?

I enjoy my work as your Property Appraiser. We have made great strides under my watch and have produced first class customer service while cutting staff by over 25 percent through the prudent use of technology. Technology is the future of my work. One example of which is I have just initiated an online homestead application process that will save taxpayers time and money. The staff I normally use to take these homestead applications will be re-trained and used in other capacities within our offices. Much has been done, but there is more to do.

 

What are your top three priorities?

1. Excellence in producing the annual tax roll

2. Excellence in providing first-class customer service

3. Excellence in efficiency

 

Why should voters choose you?

I have produced a first-class tax role each year since taking office. We are annually audited by the Department of Revenue. This was accomplished by hiring and retaining the brightest and best motivated people available. The standards of any organization start at the top. From day one, I have set the bar high when it comes to service to taxpayers. I was the first government agency in Pasco to have comment cards on every counter and desk. I read every card and correct problems as needed. I am stingy with taxpayers’ money. Nobody spends more than $100 without my approval.

 

What qualifications do you bring to the job?

I am a Certified Florida Appraiser and a Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker. I have run this office through the most turbulent real estate market in the history of Florida. Voters should choose me because I have the education, appraisal skills and credentials, as well as the hands-on experience needed to run one of the largest property appraiser’s offices in Florida. This is a big business and requires seasoned leadership and management skills, both of which I possess. Combine this with my years on the Board of County Commissioners, and I think I have knowledge of this county from many perspectives, making me uniquely qualified to be your Property Appraiser.