Assessing a battle: The appraiser since 1996 says he has held down costs. His challenger, a teacher, says property owners need a break.
By JEFF TESTERMAN
Published August 24, 2004
Rob Turner and Will Levasseur, the two Republican candidates for Hillsborough property appraiser, had distinctly different experiences in their first runs for public office.
Turner, as a poorly financed political newcomer in 1996, parlayed criticism of two-term incumbent Property Appraiser Ron Alderman into an upset victory.
Levasseur, in his first run for office two years ago, was forced to withdraw from the District 4 County Commission race when he ran afoul of the federal Hatch Act, which prohibits certain state employees from seeking partisan offices.
The trends have continued for each man.
Turner won an easy victory over Patrick Hannon in 2000, and, by building a reputation for modernizing his office, has attracted most of the contributions in this year's race.
Lavasseur stumbled again this year, hiring a campaign coordinator who turned out to be a convicted child molester.
Turner boasts of ending favoritism and vows to continue to improve service.
"We've had unprecedented growth in the last eight years, so it's more important than ever to continue to find ways to do our job faster, cheaper and better," Turner said.
Turner has taken on improper agriculture exemptions and big business, placing new assessments on Raymond James Stadium and the St. Pete Times Forum.
He added branch offices in Citrus Park, Ruskin and Brandon and upgraded the appraiser's Web site.
Turner argues that he has held down costs despite the reforms. His office has 37 percent fewer vehicles than eight years ago, and although his budget has grown by 19.7 percent, the number of parcels to appraise - now 404,000 - has grown by 20.9 percent.
Lavasseur was dismissed from the Florida Department of Children and Families in 2002 after he violated rules prohibiting federally financed state workers from running for partisan office. He is now a teacher of troubled youth at a charter high school.
Lavasseur thinks assessments are too high, particularly in east Hillsborough. He favors restricting government spending and doubling the $25,000 homestead exemption.
"High taxes are forcing people to go off their budget and into foreclosure; then they're driven out of their homes and have to go to government for a handout," Lavasseur said.
He offered no specifics about how to deal with a revenue shortfall from a higher homestead exemption. Lavasseur said only that "local government can live within its means."
THE JOB
The Hillsborough property appraiser determines tax exemptions and sets assessments for all real estate and tangible personal property in the county. This year, the office has a staff of 155 and a budget of $11.95-million. The property appraiser serves a four-year term and is paid $136,240 a year.
REPUBLICANS
ROBERT E. "ROB" TURNER, 53, is the two-term property appraiser elected in 1996 after leaving as a vice president in the real estate division of NationsBank. The Tampa resident has a bachelor's degree in business administration and is a state-certified general appraiser. He is divorced and has one grown child. ASSETS: home, rental property, stocks, mortgage notes, savings accounts and personal effects. LIABILITIES: real estate mortgages. SOURCE OF INCOME: property appraiser's salary, investments.
WILLENS T. "WILL" LEVASSEUR, 36, is a teacher at the Richard Milburn Academy and a former public assistance specialist with the Florida Department of Children and Families. The Valrico resident has an accounting degree from City University of New York. Lavasseur is married and has two children. ASSETS: home, personal effects. LIABILITIES: real estate mortgage. SOURCE OF INCOME: teacher's salary.
