Candidate: Adam Locke

Adam Locke has been a champion for taxpayers for over 16 years. As an expert property tax consultant with experience in property appraising, he has analyzed thousands of property tax assessments and has defended taxpayers\' rights throughout Florida. Adam\'s experience includes: Helping homeowners and small businesses fight unfair property taxes. Helping farmers, beekeepers and ranchers fight unfair agricultural classification denials. Assisting taxpayers with property tax counseling. Assisting the Auditor General in addressing issues of fairness in tax proceedings. Rendering investment advice for homeowners and businesses. Working with a diverse group of property owners including individual citizen taxpayers and job creators such as financial institutions, REIT’s, publicly traded companies, and others. He fully understands the property tax assessment process and has the unique perspective of having seen how well or poorly the process works in counties around the State. He knows what works, and what doesn\'t. He knows what needs to be done to make the process more fair and friendly to taxpayers in St Lucie County. St Lucie County desperately needs a strong advocate for taxpayers rights. I believe in an open door policy where people can feel comfortable discussing their property tax issues without fear or intimidation from the Property Appraiser\'s office. St Lucie County deserves a Property Appraiser who cares about our property values and is willing to work for the people of this County. He will: Take a hands-on approach to ensure that tax assessments are fair to all taxpayers. Work hard to get assessments right, and be willing to correct errors brought to his attention. Create a friendly, open, non-adversarial office. Establish a special unit to determine negative impacts of All Aboard Florida and the dumping of Lake Okeechobee to our County\'s tax base so that these impacts are considered in the permitting process. Work with our local governments to help them make better informed decisions. Take the best features from Property Appraiser\'s websites around the State to make the St Lucie County website the best, most user-friendly site in Florida. Create a free online filing portal for Homestead, Veterans, Widow, Agricultural and other exemptions and classifications to increase efficiencies for taxpayers and staff. Build on community outreach programs to help taxpayers understand their rights. Defend the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. Adam is a native Floridian who is passionate about the Indian River Lagoon and the quality of life in our area. He has lived in Fort Pierce with his wife, Julie, and his twin daughters, Caroline and Kimberly, since 2003. I believe that the Property Appraiser works for the taxpayers and not the other way around. The Property Appraiser’s job is to get the assessments right and to correct errors that are brought to his or her attention. My office will be open, friendly and non-adversarial to the people we serve. The most important mission of the Property Appraiser is to uphold the Constitutional rights of all taxpayers, get the assessed values and exemptions right and to be fair, honest and accessible to all. All Aboard Florida The Property Appraiser is in a unique position to take a leadership role on issues that detrimentally affect property values and erode the tax base of our community. As Property Appraiser I will stand up for our quality of life. The Indian River Lagoon The destruction of our waterways is of great concern to our community. The dumping of Lake Okeechobee by the Army Corps deserves an analysis on the impact it plays on our real estate values. I will be a vocal advocate for our community on this issue as it affects our quality of life, our economy, our tax base and our property values. Agricultural Lands and Open Spaces I will not discriminate against local beekeepers and small farmers. I am a strong supporter of habitat preservation for honey bees and keeping our agricultural areas and undeveloped lands green. I will not deny agricultural classifications for legitimate agriculture as the current administration has done, which increases development pressures on our green spaces. Upgrade Website and Implement Online Filing Services I will make the St Lucie County Property Appraiser’s website the best, most user-friendly website in the State of Florida. I will also give property owners access to free online services to file forms and exemption applications, which will free up staff\'s time for other matters. Homeowners, veterans, seniors, widows, farmers, beekeepers, churches, charities and business owners will be better informed about property information and tax exemptions that may be available to them.