County to contest Property Appraiser’s 28.8% budget request; board to send concerns to Department of Revenue and appeal if approved

Lake County commissioners on Aug. 5 directed staff to draft and send a letter to the Florida Department of Revenue (DOR) expressing concerns about the Lake County Property Appraiser’s proposed fiscal year 2025–26 budget, which staff said is a 28.8% increase over the current fiscal year and seeks ten additional positions.

County Manager Jennifer Barker told the board that Property Appraiser Mr. Jordan declined to present the request in the public board meeting but offered to meet with commissioners individually. Commissioners said a constitutional officer proposing a sizeable staffing and budget increase should explain the rationale in public. Commissioners asked staff to include concerns about the magnitude of the increase and transparency in the letter to DOR; staff noted DOR must receive comments by Aug. 8 and will finalize its review by Aug. 15.

The board voted to send the letter immediately and to prepare an appeal to the Florida Cabinet if DOR approves the request. The county attorney and manager said staff would assess whether specialized counsel is needed to present an appeal; they will proceed with in-house handling unless they identify a need for outside assistance.

Why it matters: Constitutional-officer budgets are funded by the county; substantial increases can affect county spending and millage decisions. The board’s action starts an administrative review and possible appeal process that could affect the final operating budget for the property-appraiser office.

Next steps: Staff will prepare the letter outlining the board’s concerns for immediate transmission to the DOR; if DOR approves the requested budget the board will file an appeal with the Florida Cabinet.