OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Democrat Katrina S. Scarborough has been declared the winner of the Osceola County property appraiser race.
[LIVE RACE RESULTS: Scroll to bottom of story to see all race returns]
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Katrina S. Scarborough(D)
IncumbentWilfredo "Will" Fonseca
(95 / 95)
RACE DETAILS BELOW
The November elections are swiftly approaching and News 6 is here to make sure you are fully prepared when the time comes for you to cast your ballot.
One election happening in Osceola County is for the county’s property appraiser.
Before we get to know the candidates, here’s a little bit more about the position, according to property-appraiser.org:
The Property Appraiser is an elected county officer, as established by Article VIII of the Constitution of the State of Florida. Her duty is to determine the value of all property within the county, including improved and vacant real property, tangible personal property, and agricultural property. The Property Appraiser is also responsible for maintaining property ownership records and parcel ownership maps, and for administering tax exemptions such as homestead exemption, widows, widowers, blind exemptions, and disability and non-profit exemptions.
The Property Appraiser’s office is not a division or a department of the Board of County Commissioners. Her authority comes from the Florida Statutes as administered by the Governor and Cabinet. The Florida Department of Revenue is charged with the oversight of the Property Appraiser’s operations, and performs biennial in-depth audits of the integrity of valuations.
The Property Appraiser does not set tax rates, nor does she have the authority or power to reduce or raise the amount of tax which is owed on a particular property. The tax rates which are levied against each property are determined annually by several different taxing authorities.
Property-appraiser.org
Let’s meet the candidates:
Katrina S. Scarborough (D)
Katrina Scarborough, the incumbent, is a lifelong Osceola County resident. Scarborough was first elected property appraiser in 2008. She has dedicated 32 years of her life to public service and is very well respected in the community. Scarborough has worked and trained in almost every area of the OCPAO office and the field. She also served as the chief of staff for two years prior to being elected as the Osceola County Property Appraiser. Scarborough was re-elected in 2012 and 2016.
Learn more about Scarborough here.
Wilfredo Fonseca (NPA)
Fonseca has called Osceola County home for the past 20 years. Fonseca believes in community over politics and is running to give the community a new option. If elected, Fonseca says he’s ready to get to work. Fonseca is currently a coach for three local youth organizations: Kissimmee All-stars Are Bright, Florida Royals and the City of Saint Cloud. In addition to being a youth coach, Fonseca is also involved in assisting the community by volunteering with organizations like The Special Olympics and The Council on Aging.
I am running for Property Appraiser because that will allow me to work with the community and other community leaders, who together have the power to create a greater difference. I want to represent all the residents by helping all of the county’s residence, realtors, and homeowners. As Property Appraiser, I want to focus on things like updating the current website to mirror or be better than some of the counties around us. It’s 2020, we need to keep up with the times and our residents. I want to be transparent with the budget making it easier for the community to find answers, as well as, educate the community on savings. This is just the surface. There are so many things I am excited to work on together.
Wilfredo Fonseca
Learn more about Fonseca here.