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Hernando County VAB appoints magistrates, clerk warns of likely surge in petitions after market and storm impacts
Summary
The board appointed special magistrates and adopted a tentative meeting schedule; clerk staff and members forecast a heavier petition season because assessed values have risen and storm damage has lowered some property conditions, increasing expected hearings.
At its Aug. 7 organizational meeting the Hernando County Value Adjustment Board appointed a slate of special magistrates, approved a tentative meeting schedule and heard a clerk report showing rising petition volumes in recent years.
Counsel read the list of recommended magistrates into the record and told the board the appointments carry no cost until hearings are held. The board approved the magistrate recommendations and related contract form (items H1–H4) by unanimous vote.
Counsel said two applicants joined the meeting in person — Shelly Kennedy and Ms. Millett — and listed the appointed hearing officers, including Joseph Haynes Davis (attorney magistrate) and several valuation and tangible property magistrates (Hicks, Kennedy, Millett, Nystrom, Robinson, Steeves and Suit/Sudi, as recorded). Counsel noted the packet included only compliance checklists and that full applications and licenses are public records available on request.
Clerk staff presented a one-page history of petitions and said filings have increased in recent years. “We have been increasing every year,” the clerk reported, and staff noted the VAB had 398 petitions in 2024 with 89 granted at hearing (figures provided in the meeting packet). Members and staff discussed storm-related property damage and market corrections: several speakers predicted a heavier workload for magistrates this year because some properties were damaged or abandoned following storms and property values have shifted.
The board approved the tentative meeting dates, including a proposed final meeting on March 20, 2026, and asked staff to include the petition-history chart in next year’s packet. Board counsel also advised that training required by the Department of Revenue for magistrates and staff had not yet been released; appointed magistrates must complete that training before hearing cases, counsel said.
All appointments and the schedule were approved unanimously.
