© 2024 Central Florida Public Media. All Rights Reserved.
90.7 FM Orlando • 89.5 FM Ocala
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Fishkind Conversations: What Orange Co.'s Property Appraiser Does, And Why He's Battling Theme Parks In Court

90.7's economic analyst Dr. Hank Fishkind, President of Fishkind and Associates
90.7's economic analyst Dr. Hank Fishkind, President of Fishkind and Associates

Property appraisers assess the value of home and business properties. That assessment provides the basis for property tax rates.

Sometimes, there’s a disagreement between a property appraiser and an owner over a property’s value.

90.7’s economic analyst Hank Fishkind says those disputes can get pretty colorful here in Central Florida due to a high concentration of an uncommon kind of property – the theme park. And recently, disputes have become lawsuits between Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh and a couple of the area's major theme parks, Sea World and Universal Orlando.

Fishkind tells 90.7's Nicole Creston how property appraisal works in Central Florida, from homesteads to theme parks. He starts with Sea World.

Editor's Note: Counties send out property appraisals to homeowners in August, not in May as stated in this commentary.

Nicole came to Central Florida to attend Rollins College and started working for Orlando’s ABC News Radio affiliate shortly after graduation. She joined Central Florida Public Media in 2010. As a field reporter, news anchor and radio show host in the City Beautiful, she has covered everything from local arts to national elections, from extraordinary hurricanes to historic space flights, from the people and procedures of Florida’s justice system to the changing face of the state’s economy.