David Johnson(R)
Jeff Triplett
(80 / 80)
SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – This Seminole County office has been running since 1913, and the current property appraiser, David Johnson, was first elected in 2004. The general election will determine if he will keep his position or if Jeff Triplett, the Mayor of Sanford, will be taking over.
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Before we go over the candidates, it’s important to know exactly what a property appraiser does.
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According to the Seminole County Property Appraiser website, their duties include identifying, locating and fairly valuing all property within the county for tax purposes. The property appraiser also tracks ownership changes, maintains maps of parcel boundaries, keeps descriptions of buildings and property characteristics up to date, accepts and approves applications from individuals eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief and analyzes trends in sales prices, construction costs and rents to best estimate the value of all assessable property. All of this is done for less than what it would cost you to hire someone to independently appraise your property, and it’s done with state-of-the-art technology.
Here’s what you need to know about the candidates:
David Johnson (R)
According to his campaign website, he says he’s the only candidate with the Certified Florida Appraiser designation. Under his leadership, Seminole County was the second jurisdiction internationally to earn the Certificate of Excellence in Assessment Administration by the International Association of Assessing Officers. Johnson says he has over 30 years of property assessment experience for Seminole County and he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Stetson University. He’s also a lifelong resident of Sanford. You can read more about David Johnson’s push to keep his seat on his campaign website.
Jeff Triplett (NPA)
Triplett has been the mayor of Sanford since 2011, and now he’s stepping down to run for county property appraiser. He says he has shown his commitment to the community through his years as mayor of the county seat and the largest city in the county. In a June Facebook post, Triplett said his decision to run for property appraiser has been years in the making. He says his 30-year career in the private sector helped him develop a skill set that could benefit residents and business owners. He says during these unique economic times, he wants residents to know they come first. He says he has positive plans for bettering Seminole County. He posts the latest updates on his campaign here.
Election Day is Nov. 3.
Click here or visit ClickOrlando.com/results2020 to learn more about what you can expect to see on your ballot.