INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A little more than a year after being named the county’s property appraiser, Wesley Davis plans to seek re-election.
“I am honored to be only the sixth person to serve as property appraiser in Indian River history,” Davis said in a statement announcing the run. “We have made tremendous improvements in my first year in office, but there is more to do. So today, I filed papers with the supervisor of elections office to continue to serve as Indian River Property Appraiser for the next four years.”
Davis, of Vero Beach, replaced former property appraiser David C. Nolte, who died in November 2018, at 75 years old. Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed Davis to fill Nolte’s shoes two months after Nolte died.
“I was fortunate to follow David Nolte into this office,” Davis said. “Mr. Nolte assembled a team of highly skilled professionals. I am pleased and honored that over 90 percent of the original team have elected to stay and work with my administration.”
Davis, a lifelong county resident and fourth-generation citrus grower, said Nolte’s service paved the way for him to make important changes to the property appraiser’s office. Some of these changes are improvements in customer service, security and efficiency, Davis said.
“My first priority was to complete our core duties in a smooth transition with no interruption in service. Thanks to our team, we accomplished the responsibilities assigned to us by statute and the Florida Department of Revenue,” Davis said. “Our duties were completed on time, accurately earning our office a letter of congratulations from Florida Department of Revenue Executive Director, Dr. James Zingale, and a clean bill of health from DOR’s audit team.”
The property appraiser’s office is working to build an improved website that is more customer friendly, has more features and provides more transparency.
With the new site, businesses will be able to submit tangible personal property returns online, Davis said. The site will also allow real estate professionals to better estimate taxes for new homeowners.
Davis noted he is advocating for legislation that benefits Indian River County residents, especially veterans. Davis said he is also pushing for measures to solve the issue of homestead applicants receiving benefits from other states that they didn’t apply for.
“This can lead to problems being eligible for Florida benefits,” Davis said. “Sometimes a small benefit from Ohio can cost residents a substantial amount in lost benefits here in Florida. Our staff goes out of our way to help hundreds of homestead applicants overcome this problem.”
The property appraiser’s main office is located in building B at the Indian River County Administration facility, 1800 27th Street, Vero Beach. The other two property appraiser’s offices in the county are located at 1921 U.S. 1, Sebastian, and 3003 Cardinal Drive, Vero Beach.
The general election for county positions will be held Nov. 3, 2020, according to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website. Two other people who had filed to run for the property appraiser’s position – William “Billy” Henry Auton and Darlene “Beannie” Silverstein – have withdrawn.
