Property Appraiser Newsletter July 2020

This year is unprecedented for our community as we continue to manage the COVD-19 crisis.  Florida law requires our office to value property based on the status of the real estate market on January 1, 2020.  Any impact to real estate market conditions caused by the crisis will be reflected in the 2021 assessments. 

2020 TRIM Notices

The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office mails the TRIM (proposed tax) Notices in mid-August each year.  The proposed property tax notice will show your 2020 property assessment, exemptions and the proposed taxes along with dates and times for the various taxing authorities’ public budget hearings.  The TRIM Notice is your opportunity to review your property assessment and ensure you are receiving all the tax-saving exemptions you are entitled to.  Our office’s contact information will be listed on the newsletter enclosed with the TRIM Notice giving you the opportunity to contact us directly should you have any questions. The absolute deadline to apply for any 2020 exemption or to appeal your property assessment is September 18, 2020. 

The Property Appraiser determines the market value and assessed/Save Our Homes value of your property.  Your tax rates and non-ad valorem fees are set by the various taxing authorities (school board, county commission, city commission, hospital district board, water management district, and so on) listed on your TRIM Notice.  If you want to question your proposed tax rates, non-ad valorem fees, special assessments or services, you should contact the elected officials who serve on these taxing authorities and attend the public hearings in September 2020.  

Important: The Property Appraiser does not set your tax rates or collect your taxes.  Your tax rates are set by the city & county commissions, school board, and other taxing authorities.  Additionally, any PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) assessments are not included on the TRIM Notice but will appear on the November tax bill sent by the Broward County Tax Collector.

Why Are My Property Taxes Higher than the Prior Owner’s Last Year?

Florida law requires property be reassessed at market value as of January 1 the year following a change in ownership and/or the year the property receives/loses the Homestead Exemption.  After this reset in value occurs, the property will be protected by an assessment cap starting the following year.  For Homesteaded property, the Assessed/Save Our Homes (SOH) Value can increase by no more than 3% above last year’s Assessed/SOH Value (or the consumer price index, whichever is less), regardless of the increase in just value.  For tax year 2020, the assessment increase is capped at 2.3% for all Homesteaded properties.  For non-Homesteaded property, the assessed value can increase by no more than 10% above last year’s assessed value.  The 10% cap does not apply to the school board taxes.

If my office can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 954.357.6904 or by email at martykiar@bcpa.net.

Robert L. Wolfe, Jr. CFE Mobile Exemption and Information Team – Specialist II Office of Marty Kiar Broward County Property Appraiser 115 S. Andrews Ave, Room 111 Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33301 P 954-357-6871 | E rwolfe@bcpa.net  | www.bcpa.net Follow our office at  http://www.facebook.com/MartyKiarBCPA and http://www.twitter.com/MartyKiarBCPA

June 2020 General meeting-CPCA

General Meeting June 30, 2020

Happy Summer, Croissant Park neighbors,

It’s a hot one already!  Makes you wonder what August will be like…

We had our second ZOOM General meeting.  Invites were sent out by email and we had three people attending.  The Board members in attendance were our President Pat, Vice President Michelle, Treasurer Joe, Directors Rhonda and Jodi, and Secretary Virginia.  

Officer Rodriguez from FLPD reports that from January to present date we have had 5 residential burglaries and 5 vehicle burglaries.  These statistics are low and may be attributed to our quarantine that began around the middle of March. There have been requests for permits for more protests and they hope they will be peaceful.  Michelle asked if there had been any reports regarding purse snatching at Winn-Dixie.  Ofc. Rodriguez replied that there had not been any reports. We are reminded to keep our purses and other valuables on our person at all times.

Broward County Public Schools continue to provide the Summer Lunch Program on Tuesdays from 7-12pm and they are providing breakfast and lunch at numerous high school, middle school and elementary schools in Broward County.  A school age child must be in the car or with a group walking. There will be enough food for all accompanying the student. Croissant Park Civic Association has contributed to our neighborhood feeding programs at Sunshine Cathedral and Seventh-Day Adventist  Church.

Some restaurants in the area have been shut down and fined for a period of time for violating COVID regulations.

Broward County beaches will be closed from July 3rd through July 6th.  Local firework displays will be in various venues.  We are asked to remain at home and enjoy the fireworks from our balconies and back yards.

We need new neighborhood entrance signs and Rhonda has reached out to our attendees at tonight’s meeting: we are looking for artists to submit designs.  Jill Young has volunteered to be the contact person for signage ideas.

Greg McAloon mentioned that the allocation of funds to Croissant Park by Commissioner Sorenson has not come to the level of allocation for other neighborhoods in District 4.

Parking rates are going up in July at the City lots.  The best deal is to get your resident parking permit at the Parking Permit Enforcement office at NE 3rd Ave and 3rd Street.

If you donate blood at OneBlood.org, they will test you for COVID-19  and send the results in 4 days by email.

Rhonda asked our attendees if 7pm is a good time for a meeting, they replied that earlier is better.

Stay cool, social distance, wear a mask and hydrate. Our next General meeting will be on Tuesday, September 29th.  Venue to be announced.   

Minutes by Virginia, CPCA Sec’y

Property Appraiser June 2020

BCPA Goes Virtual

Business models around the world have adapted to providing services during these changing times.  Our office continues to evolve to ensure we meet the needs of the residents of Broward County and provide the same level of customer service you have grown to expect.  Property owners can still easily apply for Homestead Exemption online at www.bcpa.net, as well as, access information about all the tax-saving exemptions available for qualified individuals. Please contact csemgmt@bcpa.net or call 954.357.6830 with any exemption questions you may have if you cannot find the answers you are looking for on our website.

Understandably, many residents have concerns about sharing personal information online or over the phone.  To help ease these concerns, our Mobile Exemption & Information Team (MEIT) is now able to meet with residents virtually and answer any questions or help with exemption filing.  While we do not know when our office will be able to safely resume in-person meetings, this new platform allows face-to-face virtual conversations between property owners and our staff.  To schedule an appointment for a virtual meeting, please email us at ExemptionsExpress@bcpa.net or call us at 954.357.5579.

Quarterly Tax Payment Installment Plan

While the Property Appraiser’s Office does not set or collect taxes, our office receives many calls from residents inquiring about installment tax bills and their recent exemptions.  Broward County’s Records, Taxes & Treasury Division is responsible for the billing and collecting of property taxes. 

For property owners on their quarterly installment plan, the first two installment payments (June and September) are based on the previous (2019) tax year.  This means residents who have been approved for 2020 Homestead Exemption or other exemptions will not see these showing on either the June or September installment bills.  The final two installment bills will be based on the current tax year.  The December and March installment bill amounts will be adjusted to include any 2020 exemptions or changes to the property’s taxable value.  The deadline for Broward County’s Installment Payment Plan was May 1, 2020.  Should you have any questions regarding the payment of property taxes, their office can be reached at 954.831.4000 or by email to  revenue@broward.org.

If my office can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 954.357.6904 or by email at martykiar@bcpa.net.

Robert L. Wolfe, CFE Mobile Exemption and Information Team – Specialist II Office of Marty Kiar Broward County Property Appraiser 115 S. Andrews Ave, Room 111 Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33301 P 954-357-6871 | E rwolfe@bcpa.net  | www.bcpa.net Follow our office at  http://www.facebook.com/MartyKiarBCPA and http://www.twitter.com/MartyKiarBCPA

May 2020 General Meeting

General CPCA ZOOM Meeting  May 26, 2020

Hi Croissant Park Neighbors,

We experimented last night with a General Meeting on ZOOM due to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. We announced on nextdoor.com and on Facebook, asking that those interested in joining us to send their email address to mycroissantpark@gmail.com.  Those people who responded received an invitation to the ZOOM meeting at 7pm on Tuesday night. We would have liked to have more in attendance but it gave us a chance to see how to conduct a ZOOM meeting.  Board members in attendance were Pat, Rhonda, Jodi, Joe and Virginia.

—Our FLPD Neighborhood Watch team was not able to attend due to FLPD policy that prohibits them from participating on ZOOM. They sent the crime report stats for February through May.  There were eleven larceny thefts (oddly, seven of which were in one day at one address), one assault and battery on April 30th on 20th St., and one vehicle burglary.  

—The Treasurer reports that CPCA has donated $250 each to Sunshine Cathedral and Seventh-Day Adventists for their feeding programs. Jodi reported that anyone who is interested may go to browardschools.com and search for Food Distribution sites.  

—The neighbors at the meeting expressed their preference for the ZOOM format for General meetings. For those who work it can be difficult and inconvenient to attend our 7pm meetings at the Community Center. It was suggested that ZOOM meetings can be recorded for minutes. 

—Stay tuned on nextdoor.com and on Facebook for the June meeting announcement.

Minutes by Virginia.

Neighborhood Zoom Meeting

To our Croissant Park Neighbors:

First and foremost, we hope that everyone is well. The Association’s priority continues to be the well-being of our residents and their families.  The Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation is evolving from day-to-day, and we are taking guidance from the City of Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, and the State of Florida. The Board continues to make decisions regarding the Association and how we can interact with our members in a way that is informative, but safe, as we focus on doing our part to help reduce the spread of the virus.

In light of current guidelines set by governmental agencies, the Board has determined that it is not feasible to hold an “in-person” Association meeting for May, and quite frankly, probably not for June either. We have therefore decided to experiment with a “Zoom” Association meeting. All residents of Croissant Park are invited to attend. The meeting will be on the regular date and time (Tuesday, May 26^th @ 7 PM), and access will be by invitation sent to your email address. So that we don’t bother people who don’t want to attend, we are asking that you send your email address to MyCroissantPark@Gmail.com with your street address and let us know that you want to participate. You will get a notice of the meeting and be able to sign in when it starts.

We are excited about the prospect of holding a meeting this way. We are asking the Fort Lauderdale Police representative to participate and be available for questions. Hopefully, we will also be able to answer general questions or concerns that you may have about things that are opening in the neighborhood and resources - all without you having to leave your home or wear a mask (or pants). We think the format will work. I recently appeared at a court hearing via zoom with 35 other attorneys, and even with a group like that, everything was very orderly, so there is no reason we can’t do it.

We recently contributed to the food pantry at Sunshine Cathedral and the Fort Lauderdale Seventh Day Adventist Church. Both are in our neighborhood, and both are helping the food-insecure neighbors. Sunshine Cathedral has a food program on Wednesdays and the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Tuesdays. If you know anyone in the neighborhood who might need some help with food but can’t get out to these events (both are drive-through), the Seventh-Day Adventists have let us know that they will deliver food to the homebound. Email us, and we will put you in contact with them.

For some people, the only thing between them or their kids being hungry are programs like this. Both groups can really use monetary contributions to keep them going. If you would like to donate, please contact us, and we will give you the information you need.

 As we are going through these difficult and unprecedented times, we thank you again for your understanding and cooperation.  We hope that you and your family remain safe and healthy. If you have any questions or suggestions, please send us an email. We hope to see you at our Zoom Association meeting on the 26^th.

Pat Rathburn, President

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Croissant Park Civic Association

City Commission Request for Review - Poinciana Crossing.

Call-Up Memo

Exhibit 1

Please see the attached and above Links being sent on behalf of the Director’s office by the Urban Design & Planning Division of Sustainable Development.

Honorable Mayor and Commissioners,

PLEASE NOTE: The Department of Sustainable Development requests the City Commission to notify staff as soon as possible if the Commission does not intend to call this item up for review.

Assigned Planner:

Adam Schnell

30-Day Expiration:

May 30, 2020

Case Number:

PL-R19061

Location:

1801 SW 1st Avenue

Project Summary:

Proposed Uses:

113 Affordable Housing Multifamily Residential Units

Lot Size:

100,794 square-feet / 2.31 acres

Height:

7 stories / 75 feet

Parking:

116 Parking Spaces Provided on Site and 10 on Street Parking Spaces

In order to comply with Section 47-26.A.2 of the ULDR, City Commission Request for Review, the City Commission must notify the department of its intent to call the item, which same must be heard by the City Commission prior to the end of the 30-day period. A motion to set a hearing to review the decision by the lower body shall then be considered, which could take place at the next available City Commission meeting physically held at City Hall.

If the City Commission would like to review the application, please provide a statement of intent via e-mail to Jeff Modarelli, City Clerk, and copy Chris Lagerbloom, City Manager; Alain Boileau, City Attorney and Anthony Greg Fajardo, Director, Department of Sustainable Development.  If the City Commission does not intend to review the application, notification of such prior to the end of the 30-day period is requested so the applicant can proceed with the permitting process in a timely manner.

For additional information, please see attached project site plan, elevations and renderings for reference. Complete hard copy plans are available for review upon request.

*PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE CITY COMMISSION IS PROHIBITED BY SUNSHINE LAW. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO ANY COMMISSION MEMBER. ALL DISCUSSIONS ON ITEMS RELATIVE TO THE AGENDA SHOULD TAKE PLACE AT THE SCHEDULED COMMISSION MEETINGS.

Anthony Greg Fajardo | Director

City of Fort Lauderdale | Department of Sustainable Development

700 NW 19th Avenue | Fort Lauderdale FL 33311

P: (954) 828-5984  E: afajardo@fortlauderdale.gov<mailto:afajardo@fortlauderdale.gov>

Be Careful What You Wish For….

I know everyone is going a little stir crazy now - on top of anxiety about lost wages, kid's education, job security, food, toilet paper, rent, mortgages- you name it - we are worried. I don't remember what a good night's sleep feels like. My dog wants me to get out of the house and leave him alone so badly - he has this strange look in his eyes now and  I'm getting a little afraid of turning my back on him.  The entire country has our same concerns- and we have our own unique ones as our economy is tied to tourism - restaurants, cruise lines, etc.  The current Federal Government suggestions on "Opening up America Again" may be sounding good to folks who are really struggling- but all I can do is remind everyone to be careful and look to history to give us some guidelines.

I'm sure you have all heard the comparison between what is happening now with COVID 19  and what the world experienced just over 100 years ago with the "Spanish Flu," (just to make the point - COVID 19 is named because the virus first appeared in 2019  - not because it is the 19th version of coronavirus - just like the Spanish flu did not originate in Spain. It was called the Spanish flu because it manifested itself among soldiers fighting in WWI. None of the combatants - Germany, France, Britain etc.  wanted to report on anything that would impact the war effort so the press in those countries was censured. Spain was a neutral country - thus their press was free to report on the wave of influenza that was wreaking havoc at the time - thus the moniker "Spanish Flu"). But I digress.
The important historical fact of note is that the first wave of the Spanish flu was bad- people got really sick -but many people who got it survived. The mortality rate in the spring of 1918 when it first appeared in the U.S. at an Army base in Kansas was similar to normal seasonal flu.  By the end of the summer of 1918, flu cases had dropped off and people thought they were out of the woods and began relaxing some of the safety measures they had imposed -such as masks and 1918 "social distancing". Then the second wave of the virus hit in September of 1918 - and this time a huge number of the people who were infected did not survive. Young, healthy people were dying horrible deaths within a day of their symptoms first appearing. Millions died worldwide - over 195,000 people died in the U.S during October 2018 alone. The theory is that during the lull between the spring and summer of 1918 the virus mutated and continued to be spread by wartime troop movements.  It died out again by late December 1918- and then one of the last waves hit in January - April 1919. By that time, the war was over so the world-wide spread due to troop movements slowed and the virus slowly died out.

Public health officials in 1918 knew that quarantining would help slow the spread of the virus- but many were unwilling to do that during wartime. Particularly in Europe, where there were shortages of just about everything, they were loath to put one more burden on their citizens.

So here we are - back at looking at "Opening Up America Again". Yes - without question - we need to do this to survive- hopefully, the sooner the better. But if the history of 1918 has taught us anything - it is that we need to make sure that the sacrifices people have made personally and professionally to try and slow the spread of the virus does not end up being for nothing.  If we go back to pre-quarantine "normal" without adequate testing capabilities and a firm plan - we run the risk of a second wave of cases hitting us that will end up overwhelming our health care systems and causing a second shut down of the economy. Today, the head of the CDC warned that the second wave of this virus that is likely to hit in the fall of this year will be very bad as it combines with the start of the normal flu season. Apparently, there may be some clarification of his remarks, but history would tend to support his initial comments. So, no matter what the plan is – no matter when we are told it is “safe” to go back to work – use your own best judgment. I think masks are going to continue to be a required fashion statement for a good long while and that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Stay safe.

Pat Rathburn