Broward property appraiser urges Hallandale Beach residents to enroll in free 'Owner Alert' after rise in title fraud cases

Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar urged Hallandale Beach residents to sign up for the county's free Owner Alert notification program and reminded homeowners of an upcoming Sept. 17 deadline to request reviews or file petitions about assessed values, during a presentation to the Hallandale Beach City Commission.

Kiar told commissioners that title fraud has become ‘‘a huge problem in South Florida’’ and described recent cases in which criminals filed fake deeds, used falsified powers of attorney and, in one instance, used artificial-intelligence-generated video in an attempt to sell a vacant parcel. "We came up with a fantastic free program to the public called Owner Alert," Kiar said, and he said the county has notified thousands of property owners of legitimate and illegitimate title changes.

The program is hosted at bcpa.net. Kiar said about 300,000 Broward County property owners have signed up so far and that roughly half of Hallandale Beach's homestead property owners were enrolled. He said the county can notify a registrant of a recorded change to a parcel via email, text or postal mail, and noted that the state legislature recently made Owner Alert contact information exempt from public disclosure so it may only be used to notify owners about title changes.

Why it matters: Kiar said title fraud disproportionately targets vulnerable residents, including seniors and people with disabilities, and can lead to financial loss and loss of housing. He described two recent criminal cases to underscore the threat: one in which a neighbor allegedly used a fake power of attorney and probate filings to transfer a disabled senior's house and assets, and a Plantation case in which a caregiver allegedly spent roughly $240,000 from a senior's accounts and deeded the home to herself. In both examples Kiar said arrests were made and cases were referred for prosecution.

Kiar also gave the commission a fiscal update for Hallandale Beach: he said market value for property in the city rose from about $11.476 billion in 2024 to about $11.961 billion this year (a 4.22% increase), while taxable value rose from about $8.239 billion to about $9.102 billion (a 10.25% increase). He attributed much of the taxable-value increase to $265 million in new construction added to the roll, including what he described as a $123.3 million 30-story office tower and a $35 million retail-office complex. Kiar said Hallandale Beach had about 8,196 homestead exemptions.

Kiar reminded residents that homestead exemption reduces assessed value by $50,000 and limits annual assessment increases to a maximum (known as the Save Our Homes cap) that he said was 2.9% this year. He also said buyers should be aware that under Florida law a property that changes hands is reassessed at market value on Jan. 1 following purchase and that taxes can rise sharply the year after purchase.

On enforcement, Kiar said his office formed a "crimes against property" team working with the Sheriff's Office and the state attorney's office; he said the county commission funded the effort, the Department of Revenue approved collaboration, and Sheriff Gregory Tony assigned three detectives to work with appraiser's staff. Kiar said the office has opened more than 1,000 criminal cases related to title fraud, with arrests and convictions resulting in long prison terms in some cases.

Commissioners thanked Kiar for the presentation. Commissioner Top praised the outreach and asked that the city post the recording and a link to bcpa.net so residents could sign up. Kiar urged anyone concerned about their assessment or exemptions to contact his office by Sept. 17 to allow staff to review records or file a petition with the Value Adjustment Board.

No formal votes or commission actions were recorded on the subject during the meeting; the item was presented as information and for resident outreach.

Kiar closed by urging broader public sign-up for Owner Alert and said he would work with state legislators considering new tools to address fraud, including measures related to criminal penalties and potential limits on fraud using synthetic media.