Pinellas property appraiser outlines tools to help storm-damaged homeowners keep tax protections

Mike Twitty, Pinellas County property appraiser, told the St. Pete Beach City Commission on Feb. 26 that his office has rolled out resources to help homeowners recover after recent hurricanes.

Twitty described a building-value-reconsideration (BVR) process the office developed to restore pre-storm structure values for properties that were depreciated after water damage. ‘‘We needed pre-storm photos and documentation; the photos were the real gold for us,’’ Twitty said, explaining that property owners who supply MLS photos, contractor invoices or other records can often have depreciation removed and their structure value restored.

Twitty reviewed how the appraiser uses Jan. 1 as the valuation snapshot and said the office gives extra weight to fourth-quarter sales data when calculating values. He urged owners to choose an appropriate FEMA letter for appeals and explained the county is keeping archived pre-storm FEMA letters (’24 and ’25) available online while the ’26 letters post in July.

He also outlined statutory changes to the state’s calamity provision: non-homestead properties generally qualify for 110% rebuilding allowances, while the legislature expanded homestead protections to 130% or 2,000 square feet (whichever is greater) and extended the filing window for homesteaders to five years from the Jan. 1 after the storm. ‘‘If you were a homesteader when you were impacted, please do not remove your homestead,’’ he advised, because losing homestead status can reduce the benefit.

Twitty showed a newly launched online tax estimator that helps homeowners model how rebuilding, porches and area below base-flood elevation affect future taxes and the save-our-homes cap; he cautioned the tool is designed for single-family parcels with one structure and recommended calling the appraiser’s office for parcels with ownership changes or multiple buildings.

On documentation, Twitty said some older residents without digital photos can sometimes provide MLS listings, family photos or other evidence. He said the county also stood up a mailed/online storm-damage survey to capture condition on Jan. 1 and to help prioritize review work.

Twitty recommended the county’s free property-fraud-alert service (propertyfraudalert.com) to help owners detect suspicious recordings, and he encouraged residents to use the appraiser’s YouTube channel and FAQs. Commissioners thanked him for the presentation and asked staff to follow up on documentation standards and the mailing dataset that determined which St. Pete Beach properties received survey letters.

The commission did not take formal action on Twitty’s items; Twitty said staff are available for follow-up appointments and one-on-one help.