ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Democrat Amy Mercado has been declared the winner of the Orange County property appraiser race.
As of 8 p.m., she’d received 95% of the 502,560 votes counted thus far from 240 of the county’s 247 precincts.
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[LIVE RACE RESULTS: Scroll to bottom of story to see all race returns]
Amy Mercado(D)
(246 / 247)
RACE DETAILS BELOW
Amy Mercado was the only name on the November ballot for the Orange County property appraiser race, though she does face one write-in candidate.
Before we get to know the candidates, it’s important to know what their responsibilities will be if elected to serve.
The county property appraiser is responsible for identifying, locating and fairly valuing all property within the county for tax purposes. The property appraiser also tracks ownership changes, maintains maps of parcel boundaries, keeps descriptions of buildings and property characteristics up to date, accepts and approves applications from individuals eligible for exemptions and other forms of property tax relief and analyzes trends in sales prices, construction costs and rents to best estimate the value of all assessable property. These points can impact county buildings, schools and public safety departments as well as the overall real estate community.
Apart from being the property appraiser for Central Florida’s largest county, the person who assumes the role will oversee the office’s exemptions department, deed and research division and tax roll coordination department while also ensuring customer service needs are met when dealing with property owners.
Let’s meet the candidates:
Amy Mercado (D)
Mercado, a Democrat who beat incumbent appraiser Rick Singh in the August primary for her spot on the November ballot, most recently served as a legislator for House District 48. She said she wants to improve the relationships and communication with property owners, the real estate community and the property appraiser’s office. Mercado has lived in the county since 1996. Click here to learn more about Mercado and her campaign.
Tim Loucks (WRI)
Loucks is running as a write-in candidate in the race to become Orange County’s next property appraiser. When contacted for a photo and details about his campaign, Loucks asked not to be included in News 6′s coverage of the race.