10/02/1987 Hearing Organizational Meeting
Property Appraisal Adjustment Board
Friday, October 2 , 1987
Key West
An Organizational Meeting of the Monroe County
Property Appraisal Adjustment Board took place at 2: 00 p.m.
on the above date at 310 Fleming Street in Key West.
Present and answering to roll call were Ruth Alice Campbell,
Dr . Geraldine Caron, Eugene Lytton, Michael Puto, and
Chairman John Stormont. Also present were Danny L. Kolhage,
Clerk; Shelley Brown, Deputy Clerk; Lucien Proby, County
Attorney; Ervin Higgs, Property Appraiser; and Staff .
The Clerk advised the Board of the need for a
Chairman and Vice-Chairman. Motion was made by Mr. Lytton
and seconded by Mrs. Campbell to appoint Mr . Stormont as
Chairman to the Property Appraisal Adjustment Board. Motion
carried unanimously. Motion was then made by Mr . Lytton
and seconded by Mrs. Campbell to appoint Mrs. Campbell as
Vice-Chairman to the Board. Motion carried unanimously.
The Clerk discussed and requested direction on the
appointment of Special Masters to review petitions. He
indicated that in response to an ad which had been placed,
he was in receipt of three proposals from gentlemen wishing
to serve as Special Masters: one was from James Flenner , a
Real Estate Broker who had served on many past occasions as
Special Master to the Board; one was from Andrew Tobin, an
Upper Keys attorney who had served during the past two years
as Special Master to the Board; and the other was received
from Charles Milligan, a Key West attorney. Motion was made
by Mr . Lytton and seconded by Mrs. Campbell to appoint
Messrs. Flenner , Tobin, and Milligan as Special Masters for
the year. Motion carried unanimously.
The Clerk also discussed the authorization to
assess a filing fee in accordance with the provisions of
the Florida Statutes. The Clerk advised that he had been
requiring the $15 .00 per parcel filing fee as set forth in
the Florida Statutes but that the same would have to be con-
firmed by the Property Appraisal Adjustment Board. Motion
was made by Mrs. Campbell and seconded by Mr . Stormont to
approve the filing fee of $15 .00 , pursuant to the provisions
of Section 194 .013 (1) of the Florida Statutes. Motion
carried unanimously.
The Board also agreed that filing fees would be
refunded to any petitioners who came to an agreement with
the Property Appraiser ' s office concerning adjustments prior
to being heard by the Special Masters. The Clerk also
advised that the Statutes provide that any petitioner who is
111 successful in having their assessed valuations reduced by
the Property Appraisal Adjustment Board is also entitled to
a refund.
The Clerk advised the Board that he was in
possession of a number of petitions of which the filing fees
had not been submitted and also petitions which were
• incomplete and not capable of being processed. The Board
agreed and directed that these petitioners be given until
the start of the hearing dates to produce the necessary
filing fee and/or provide a complete petition.
The Board briefly discussed Special Master fees.
Motion was made by Mrs. Campbell and seconded by Mr . Lytton
to approve the fee of $125 per hour for the Special Masters.
Mr. Flenner addressed the Board expressing his con-
cern for the need of representation from County Staff with
regard to the newly-adopted Land Use Plan. After a brief
discussion, motion was made by Mr . Lytton and seconded by
Mr . Puto to allow a County planning representative to be
made available to each Special Master while hearings are
being conducted whose sole function will he to read defini-
tions from Volume 3 , but not to refute alternative opinions
given to the Special Masters at the hearings. Motion
carried unanimously.
There being no further business, the meeting was
adjourned.
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