Pedro J. García for Miami-Dade County Property Appraiser

For the first time in four decades, the voters of Miami-Dade will elect its Property Appraiser who is in charge of appraising real estate properties in the county and preparing the tax statements for them. There are four candidates running for the job: Gwen Margolis, former county commissioner and state legislator, Jim Shedd, former drug enforcement agent, Eddie Lewis, a corrections officer, and Pedro García, a professional appraiser and Special Magistrate (Judge) of the county’s Value Adjustment Board. Of the four, there are two who stand out: Gwen Margolis and Pedro J. García.

Ms. Margolis has a long and worthy public service record in Miami-Dade County where she was a commissioner, and in Tallahassee, where she represented her South Florida district well. In the State Senate, which she presided for two years, she chaired the Finance and Tax Committee and the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission. She chaired the County Commission from 1996 to 2002. She has worked in real estate for thirty-five years.

As Ms. Margolis, Mr. Garcia has worked in real estate for many years but he is, also, a professional appraiser. Of all the candidates he is he only one who has, in practice, considerable experience in property appraisal.

The property appraiser determines the value of properties, but not the taxes. This is done by the County Commissioners when they set the millage rates to be paid by property owners.

The job of property appraiser requires a thorough knowledge of all the applicable regulations and the realities of the market. Pedro García has the knowledge and the necessary experience for this position. He was Chairman of the Florida Chapter of the National Association of Appraisers and of the Association of Certified Hispanic Appraisers.

As Special Magistrate (Judge) of the Value Adjustment Board, Mr. García is familiar with the problems faced by property owners when the County makes mistakes in the appraisal of properties and he has corrected them. For these reasons, DIARIO LAS AMERICAS recommends to its readers to vote for Pedro J. García for Miami-Dade Property Appraiser, checking #91 in the ballot.