Page 20 - Abacoa Community News- May '24

Page 20, Abacoa

governMent

Tax Talk

Dear friends: Celebrating Palm Beach Pride highlight the emphasis that needs to be placed on safety for
Over the past few both cyclists and motorists.
months, my team and I Palm Beach Pride persevered through rain and shine, For Cyclists
have participated in several a soggy Saturday didn’t drown out my team’s enthusiasm • Always wear a helmet.
community events where at this year’s shortened event. Thank you to everyone who • Ride in a group, motorists are more likely to see a group
we had the opportunity to came out to the event to wave and cheer on the TCO float in of cyclists as opposed to an individual.
meet and speak with residents Sunday’s Pride parade. • Add reflectors and lights to your bike.
around the county. From the • Wear retroreflective and bright clothing.
Jupiter Jubilee and Palm For Motorists
Beach Pride to the St. Patrick’s • Be aware of your surroundings and on the lookout for
Day Parade in Delray Beach, it cyclists.
is so rewarding to take the time • Slow down – high speeds increase the likelihood of
to volunteer for these community events. Volunteering not only serious injury or death.
benefits those being served but also provides volunteers with For more information about Bicycle Safety Month, please
opportunities for personal growth, skill development and a sense visit bit.ly/3vVIeXG.
of fulfillment. It fosters a sense of belonging and strengthens Understanding Credit Card Descriptors
social ties within communities, contributing to the overall well-
being and resilience of society. Paying online is the fast,
I encourage you to find your passion and volunteer for a convenient option to pay your bill
community organization or event. You can start by visiting the at the Palm Beach Tax Collector’s
Palm Beach County’s Volunteer Opportunities website at bit. Following the parade, we engaged with Palm Beach Office. When you pay by credit
ly/3JlxpRN to perhaps find a way that you too can support our County residents who stopped by our booth. We answered card, be aware of the credit card
community … you’ll be glad you did! their questions about our services and demonstrated the descriptor for your transaction.
Wishing all our mothers a very happy Mother’s Day! values that make our agency exceptional. Wondering what a credit card descriptor is? It is the merchant
Anne M. Gannon, I am proud of our continued support of and participation information that appears on your statement when you make
Constitutional Tax Collector, in this annual community event. a charge. It is always a good idea to check your transactions

Serving Palm Beach County to make sure there have been no fraudulent charges made
Top Bicycle Safety Tips For Riders And Motorists with your card.
May in South Florida is a Transactions with our office will appear as the following
great time of year to spend time on your statement:
outside before the summer heat • B2P*TAX COLL DMV PALM BCH – motor vehicle
arrives. This time of year also transaction, including vehicle registration and driver’s license
brings an important focus on renewals
safety – Bicycle Safety Month. • B2P*TAX COLLECT PALM BCH – property tax,
Did you know that Florida is home to 14 of the top 20 business tax receipt, and tourist development tax payments
counties in the United States for the most cyclist deaths • LN PALMBEACH DMV KIOSK – registration renewals
per 100,000 people? These numbers are a sad reality that at an MV Express kiosk
Palm Beach County Property Appraiser

Dear Taxpayer: appraisal/tax roll systems. We have several standard reports and ◦ Spreadsheets listing information for certain cities
Hello May! are able to create customized, specialized reports and maps based ◦ All properties in an estate
My staff is busy on the taxpayer’s needs. ◦ All single-family homes or a list by property use code
completing preparations for Last year, the Public Services Support team, a group of ◦ Certain properties by subdivision or labels for
the 2024 estimated taxable five, managed: certain areas
property values, which will • 923 Data Run Requests/Variances – This includes address ◦ Vector and situs files
be released to all Palm Beach labels, maps, owner’s lists and variances for when a taxpayer’s Our team loves to make our wealth of information more
County taxing authorities planned use of their property deviates from local zoning. accessible to the public. While they are asked many different
later this month. • 100 Archive Records (down 34 percent from 2022) – This questions, they still get surprised by interesting queries. For
We provide an estimate includes tax rolls and building cards. Some of our records date example, one caller asked who owned a commercial property
to cities and other authorities back to 1977 and homeowners request these records for income because they “really liked” the mannequin in the storefront
who levy taxes because they tax purposes. They usually want to know the value when the window and wanted to purchase it.
need them to begin developing their budgets. They review the property last changed hands. If you are interested in any special reports or maps, please
property values in their jurisdictions and decide on a proposed tax • 1,800 Impact Fee Records (up 414 percent from 2022) – contact Public Services Support at (561) 355-2881 or pa-
rate. The property values multiplied by the tax rate, or millage, This is a request for a building card from builders or homeowners pubsvc@pbcpao.gov. Fees for reports and programming can be
determines your taxes. who are searching to see if a structure ever existed on a vacant found at pbcpao.gov.
The cities and other taxing authorities then share those lot, and if so, its square feet, number of bedrooms, baths, etc. If Rising Tax Bills In A Flattening Market
proposed tax rates with my office, so that we can notify all there was a structure, they can submit the building card to the
property owners of both their home value and proposed tax rate. Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning and Building Department Florida’s property tax caps (up to 3 percent for homesteaded
These are revealed in the Notice of Proposed Property Taxes for an impact fee credit. properties and 10 percent for nonhomestead properties) can
mailed to all property owners in mid-August. • 116 Custom/Specialized Reports – This could encompass cause assessed values to increase even if market values do
While state law requires my office to value property based on any number of requests, such as: not. Florida law requires that the assessed value continue to
the status of the market, your tax rate is set by taxing authorities ◦ Information from the tax roll by assessed value increase by the maximum cap amount each year until the gap
who answer to you, the voter. If home values increase, tax bills ◦ The number of homestead properties in certain cities between the assessed value and market value is “recaptured”
do not necessarily have to increase as tax rates could be reduced. ◦ The entire tax roll or appraisal database file for the or the assessed value equals the market value.
Every resident has the right to speak to the elected officials who current year As property values flatten, you may see this happen to your
levy taxes at the public meetings listed in your notice. ◦ Daily/monthly sales updates home or business. Even if the market value of a property does
If you feel that the market value of your property is inaccurate, ◦ Subdivision reports
you also have the right to file a petition for adjustment with the ◦ All vacant properties Property Appraiser on page 21
Value Adjustment Board through the Clerk of the Circuit Court
& Comptroller. For more information, visit pbcpao.gov or contact Dyslexia, ADD/ADHD,
Residential Appraisal Services at (561) 355-2883 or myhouse@
pbcpao.gov.
In this month’s newsletter, we’re highlighting our Public Gifted Testing
Services Support team, who handles most public records requests
for my office. From address labels to complex customized reports,
my staff is helpful, knowledgeable and ready to serve you. NOW OFFERING: Dr. Jim Forgan & Associates
Respectfully,
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Palm Beach County Property Appraiser • Testing for Processing www.JimForgan.com
Problems, Anxiety,
Public Services Support Defiance (561) 625-4125

Department • Weekend and After
School Appointments
The Public Services Support Department receives and
processes hundreds of public records requests annually. Data “Helping Parents Help Children”
is derived from our Geographical Information System and