Broward property appraiser outlines Owner Alert system and recent deed-fraud prosecutions in Pembroke Pines

BROWARD COUNTY — Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kerr told a Pembroke Pines audience that his office's Owner Alert program has enrolled roughly 300,000 property owners and is helping identify and stop deed fraud before it costs victims their homes.

"We've had 300,000 Broward County property owners sign up for our owner alert program so far," Kerr said. "It's free to the public." He described a system that sends email and text notifications, and paper mail if requested, when any recorded instrument indicates a change in title to a enrolled property.

Kerr said the program is paired with a Crimes Against Property team made up of former law-enforcement investigators and detectives assigned from the Broward Sheriff's Office, plus an assistant state attorney who reviews cases for prosecution. "We started building criminal cases and putting the people in jail who are doing this," he said, summarizing the office's approach.

The appraiser gave multiple local examples of fraud, including schemes that relied on fake corporate filings, forged powers of attorney and, in one instance, an automated video impersonation of an owner during a Zoom closing. "That sweet, innocent lady ... was artificial intelligence," Kerr said, warning that fraud tactics are growing more sophisticated.

Kerr described several successful prosecutions and stiffer sentences in recent cases; in one example he said a defendant convicted by a jury received a 15-year sentence. He also described a case in which a caregiver allegedly used a fake power of attorney to transfer a disabled senior's home and divert assets.

Legal and administrative protections have expanded in recent years, Kerr said. He told the audience that the Florida Legislature passed a law exempting Owner Alert registration data — such as email addresses and phone numbers — from public-records disclosure and limiting use of that information to the notification purpose.

Attendees asked practical questions about timing and remedies. Kerr said alerts generally reach owners within 24 hours of a filing showing up in county records. "If somebody changes the title to your property, you're gonna get an alert very quickly. It's gonna be either that day or the next day," he said. He advised owners who receive an alert to contact the appraiser's office and, if applicable, their mortgage company.

Kerr and county partners said courts are also working to speed remedies. He described an administrative order issued by a Broward chief judge that expedites deed-fraud cases so victims can have titles cleared more quickly and at lower cost.

Kerr urged residents to enroll and to help protect vulnerable neighbors by, for example, designating a trusted family member or power-of-attorney to receive alerts on their behalf. He closed by offering to take additional questions and directing residents to bcpa.net for enrollment and guidance.