Dan Sowell, CFA

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Dan Sowell, CFA Bay County Property Appraiser
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• Bay County Property Appraiser
• Contact Information
• Main Office
• 650 Mulberry Avenue
• Panama City, FL 32401
• [phone]
• Beach Branch Lynn Haven Branch
• 301 Richard Jackson Blvd. 732 Ohio Avenue
• Panama City Beach, FL 32407 Lynn Haven, FL 32444
• [phone] [phone]
• baypa.net

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FUN FACTS

• Number of Properties 112,674 (73 SFR)
• Condominiums 19,897
• Units by year 2004-11769 2005-13,173
  2006-13,433 2007-16,390
• Single Family Home Parcels 52,709
• Homes Built Before 1940 1,696
• Properties with Homestead Exemption
  40,965
• HXs are 31 of total parcels and 20 of taxable
  value
• Low Income Seniors Exemption 2,671
• Swimming Pools 9,032
• Golf Courses 8
• Highest Price Paid for a Single Family Home in
  2008 2,300,000
• New Houses Built in the Last 5 Years
• Number of parcels and acreage with agricultural
  classification
• 2003 1537
  329,000 acres
• 2009 1125
  262,000 acres

2004 1190
2008 315
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• Responsibilities of the Property Appraiser
• To locate, identify, and accurately appraise all
• properties subject to ad valorem taxes.
• To maintain property value roll equity and
• fairness.
• To process allowable exemptions.

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Taxing Authorities
The Property Appraiser has NO jurisdiction or
responsibility for district budgets, tax rates,
special assessments, or determining the amount of
taxes you pay. These matters are handled by the
various taxing authorities i.e. the county
government, city government, school board and
other taxing districts.
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Bay County Real Property Values in Billions
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Bay County Tax Roll

• Taxable Value

Taxing Authority 2008 2nd Roll 2009 Preliminary Difference Difference
Bay County 17,856,683,797 16,306,460,867 -1,550,222,930 -8.68
Fire 7,327,357,433 6,671,902,208 -655,455,225 -8.95
County Mosquito 6,902,231,972 6,500,934,394 -401,297,578 -5.81
Callaway 564,033,998 550,537,713 -13,496,285 -2.39
DIB 74,195,168 68,311,279 -5,883,889 -7.93
School DIS/RLE 18,931,534,644 17,504,689,696 -1,426,844,948 -7.54
Beach Mosquito 10,072,202,904 8,785,725,881 -1,286,477,023 -12.77
Lynn Haven 1,031,040,472 1,054,729,956 23,689,484 2.30
Mexico Beach 598,189,679 483,325,690 -114,863,989 -19.20
Parker 218,777,658 218,363,306 -414,352 -0.19
Panama City Beach 4,823,181,344 4,311,854,933 -511,326,411 -10.60
Panama City 2,368,359,621 2,280,556,114 -87,803,507 -3.71
Springfield 218,968,124 218,810,213 -157,911 -0.07
NWFWMD 18,190,151,100 16,623,130,252 -1,567,020,848 -8.61
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HOW ARE YOUR TAXES CALCULATED WHEN APPLYING THE
10 NON-HOMESTEAD CAP?

• THE 10 NON-HOMESTEAD ASSESSMENT CAP ONLY APPLIES
  TO THE NON-SCHOOL
• PORTION OF YOUR TAX BILL. THEREFORE, THE SCHOOL
  PORTION OF YOUR TAX BILL
• IS CALCULATED ON THE FULL MARKET VALUE OF YOUR
  PROPERTY.
• EXAMPLE
• A NON-HOMESTEAD PARCEL IN PANAMA CITY HAD A 2008
  ASSESSMENT OF
• 300,000. IN 2009 THE MARKET INDICATED AN
  ASSESSMENT OF 400,000.
• PANAMA CITYS 2008 MILLAGE RATE WAS 14.4598.
• STEP 1 400,000 X 6.763 (2008 BAY DISTRICT
  SCHOOLS MILLAGE RATE) 2705.20
• STEP 2 300,000 PLUS 10 330,000
• STEP 3 330,000 X 7.6968 (NON-SCHOOL MILLAGE
  RATES) 2539.94
• TOTAL TAXES OF 5245.14
• IF THE 10 NON-HOMESTEAD ASSESSMENT CAP WAS NOT
  IN EFFECT, YOUR TAXES
• WOULD BE 5783.92
• THE 10 CAP SAVES YOU 538.78 IN THIS EXAMPLE.

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Amendment One Provisions
50,000 Homestead Exemption Portability
implemented 10 cap on non-homesteaded 25,000
Tangible Personal Property Exemption Help for
fiscally constrained counties
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OTHER EXEMPTIONS
Seniors 50,000
Disabled 500
Widowed 500
Veterans Veterans Disability TP (sc/nsc) 5,000 of Combat Disability 100 of Tax. Value
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2009 LEGISTLATION RESULTS

•  Constitutional Amendments
• Deployed Military Property Tax Exemption CS/HJR
  833 (adopted).
• The legislature passed a resolution providing
  that deployed military personnel receiving
  homestead exemption will receive an additional
  percentage exemption equal to the number of days
  that they are deployed during a calendar year
  divided by 365. The measure will appear on the
  ballot in 2010. If passed, the exemption will be
  effective for the 2011 tax year.
•  

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• First-time Homebuyer Exemption, 10 to 5
  Assessment Cap SJR 532 (adopted). The
  legislature also passed a resolution providing
  for a First-time Homebuyers exemption and
  reducing the current 10 percent assessment cap to
  5 percent for non-homestead properties. The
  exemption will apply to first-time homebuyers,
  which are defined as individuals that have not
  purchased a home in the past 8 years. The
  exemption will be 25 percent of the assessed
  value but it cannot exceed 100,000. The
  exemption is reduced by 5 percent each year until
  it disappears. The measure will appear on the
  ballot in 2010. If passed, the exemption and
  assessment cap will be effective for the 2011 tax
  year. The exemption, however, will apply to a
  home purchased during 2010.

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OTHER LEGISTLATIVE ACTIONS

• Recapture HJR 1087 SJR 1164 (failed).
• Several bills were filed amending either the
  constitution or section 193.155 to eliminate the
  recapture of the Save Our Homes (SOH) assessment
  differential in years where the just value
  decreased. While HJR 1087 passed the House
  committees and was placed on the calendar, none
  of the other bills were voted out of the
  referenced committees. Thus, the resolutions were
  not passed.

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• 1.35 Limitation on Aggregate Ad Valorem Taxes on
  Real Property SJR 738 HJR 385 (failed).
• This constitutional amendment limited the total
  aggregate ad valorem taxes levied by counties,
  municipalities, school districts and special
  districts on any parcel of real property to 1.35
  of the highest taxable value of the property. It
  required the legislature to provide by general
  law for distribution of revenues collected on
  parcels that exceed the 1.35 limitation and
  applies the limitation to all property except for
  ad valorem taxes levied for the payment of local
  bonds issued to finance or refinance capital
  projects authorized by law when approved by a
  vote of the electors or to refund outstanding
  bonds, or levied for periods not longer than two
  years when authorized by a vote of the electors.
•  

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• TABOR/Government Revenues/Voter Approval SJR
  1906 HJR 1263 (failed).
• The resolutions regarding TABOR, i.e., taxpayer
  bill of rights, limited the growth of local
  governments from the 2010-2011 fiscal year to the
  combined rate of inflation and population change
  in subsequent years absent a vote of the
  electors. These resolutions did not pass.

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• Property Tax Discount/Disabled Veterans SJR
  1550 HJR 1155 (failed).
• Several years ago, disabled veterans were
  provided a discount from property taxes equal to
  the percentage of their disability if they were a
  Florida resident at the time they entered the
  service. This amendment removed the requirement
  that the disabled veteran be a Florida resident
  at the time he or she entered the service. These
  resolutions did not pass.

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2009 News for Bay County Taxpayers

• Homesteaded properties assessments will only rise
  .10 of 1
• Median Condominium Sale Prices are down 15 -
  20 we are estimating a 20 reduction in overall
  condo values or about 800 million from 2008
• Residential Resort Property Values are down 20 -
  25
• and as much as 40 in some areas (varies by
  area)
• Gulf front per front foot value is down from
  18,000 to 13,030
• 500 Million in New Taxable Construction (287
  million from condos/1389 units/7 projects)
• County-wide average value down approximately 9
  to date
• Greater consideration than ever given to
  foreclosures and auction sales in our assessment
  analysis
• Lynn Haven office will close on September 30,
  2009 due to budget issues and limited use

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Bay County Property AppraisersMajor Objectives
for 2009

• Sponsor Roundtables With Area Business,
  Governmental and Educational Leaders
• Increase Community Awareness of Available
  Exemptions and make Exemption Filing Even Easier
• Have our office become more involved in community
  activities through the addition of a Community
  Affairs Director
• Need a speaker-- call Cindy Messer _at_ 784-4095
• Seek Additional Property Tax Relief for the
  Widowed and Disabled
• Enhance Our Website with More Features and
  Information
• Continue Aggressive Homestead Exemption Fraud
  Program, which has added 4.6 million of taxable
  value to tax roll
• Continue to Assess Property at the lowest value
  possible
• Seek approval to e-mail TRIM notices beginning in
  2010

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

• July 10, 2009 Values provided to taxing
  authorities
• Aug 21, 2009Schedule for mailing TRIMs
• Sep 15, 2009 Last day to file petitions
• Sep 28-Oct 2 Well be moving to 860 W. 11th St.
• Nov 1, 2009----Tax bills mailed
• Everyone is encouraged to call, visit or email
  our office if they have questions regarding
  their assessment

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We are here to help! Please contact our office at
[phone] if we can assist in any way.
We support our troops!