Property Appraiser Lopez-Cantera Makes Property Values Available Earlier Than Ever Before, and is Providing Property Owners a New Way to Receive Value Adjustments
(Miami, FL – May 28, 2013) – Property Appraiser Carlos Lopez-Cantera and his staff have been hard at work for several months, preparing the early release of values for the nearly 1 million properties in Miami-Dade County. As of this morning, preliminary property values for 2013 are available online. The release of values was planned to coincide with the completion of the Downtown office’s reconfiguration, designed especially for individual assessment reviews. Mr. Lopez-Cantera is providing property owners plenty of time to address any questions or concerns regarding their assessment and an office that is well equipped to serve the public.
Property owners are encouraged to visit the Downtown office if they feel their assessment is too high. The stafff at the Property Appraiser’s Office has been empowered to adjust values on the spot if appropriate supporting documentation is provided. This new process has been created to help reduce the need for lengthy appeals, let property owners know what to expect on their tax bill, and possibly lower their property taxes altogether.
In previous years, property owners had to wait to find out their property’s value until the release of the TRIM (Truth in Millage) Notice in mid to late August, which left less than a month before the deadline to file an appeal with the Value Adjustment Board. Those appeals would create more than a year of uncertainty before a final determination on value was made.
In a statement, Property Appraiser Lopez-Cantera said, “My goal is to ensure fair values for all properties in Miami-Dade, while creating policies that make the lives of property owners easier in the event they feel there is a discrepancy or error with their property’s value.”
Property owners may go online to www.miamidade.gov/pa to schedule an appointment for an assessment review. They may also download an Informal Assessment Review form, which they can fill out and send to our office with supporting documentation. Additional information is also available by phone at (305) 375-4712.