County appraiser: average home assessments to rise about 50%

Fred Pearson, an appraiser with Pearson's Appraisal, told the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors that the firm has finished field work and data entry for the countywide reassessment and will mail notices next week. "The average increase on homes is gonna be approximately 50%." he said, adding that land values are likely to rise 35%–50%.

Pearson said his firm—recently purchased by Visions Government Solutions—has recalculated values and will provide hearings for property owners. He described three ways residents can appeal: in-person meetings with staff, phone appointments with callbacks, or submitting documentation by email for review. "There'll be 3 ways that people can appeal," he said. The firm noted it does not perform interior inspections and relies primarily on exterior observations and local sales data.

County board members asked for clarification about outliers and methodology. Pearson said some renovated houses could see increases of about 70% while older, neglected homes might increase 25%–30%, but reiterated the roughly 50% average. He told the board the company uses only Charlotte County sales for comparisons: "We only use sales at Charlotte County."

The presentation closed with staff noting reassessment results will inform upcoming budget talks; the board was urged to consider the reassessment when preparing next year’s budget projections.