Property Appraiser
Akin Akinyemi is the current Property Appraiser. He’s held this seat since 2016 and previously served as a Leon County Commissioner. As Property Appraiser, Akinyemi’s job is to determine the market value of all properties in the county and to produce a Certified Tax Roll to the Florida Dept. of Revenue every year.
Akinyemi is being challenged by Ken Preston, a former employee in the Property Appraiser’s Office who was asked to resign or be terminated after two coworkers lodged formal complaints alleging he created a disruptive work environment that led to an outside investigation by a local law firm. Preston claims nothing came from the complaints and believes leadership should have stepped in to resolve the dispute.
Below are some summarized points from the July 16th Candidate Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Tallahassee, the Tallahassee Democrat, and WFSU Public Media.
Why are you running?
Akinyemi: Running for re-election to finish all the plans that he has for the office to fairly and equitably access properties. Preston: To increase community education efforts to help residents understand the duties of the Leon County Property Appraiser so that they’re aware of exemptions are out there how the Office assesses properties.
Is Mr. Preston's employment history an issue in this campaign?
- Akinyemi: Yes. His employment in the Office hurt workplace culture.
Are you running in retaliation?
- Preston: No. He’s running to address the calls from the community to better understand the role of the Property Appraiser’s Office.
How can you ensure fairness and accuracy in property valuation?
- Akinyemi: Relying on a camera system to collect property information to reduce bias in. According to a report he commissioned, there was no empirical evidence of unfairness in appraisal.
- Preston: Ensure the office is well-staffed to have the manpower to collect necessary data. And to treat everyone fairly with all assessments in Leon County.
How do you make sure that the Property Appraiser's Office operates not just with the highest ethical standards and integrity, but also is able to deal with the factors that play into property valuation?
- Akinyemi: I tell my staff to go above and beyond, and to not just do the basics. If somebody challenges a valuation or asks a question, listen to them and dig further to find a way to help them. Get involved in discussions of contested properties.
- Preston: I would make sure that the Office has the manpower to inspect each and every property.