Sarasota County's harsh appraisal policies put homeowners at risk
Appraiser threatens Save Our Homes tax cap
I can fully understand Joseph McCarthy’s frustration about his fully homesteaded property losing the Save Our Homes protection simply because he replaced his aging roof (“Sarasota retiree hits the roof over appraisal,” Dec. 26).
Sarasota County Property Appraiser Bill Furst’s office stringently applies provisions from legislation that can change a longtime homeowner’s status under Save Our Homes, which caps increases in assessed value at 3%.
Last year, I also had a spot of bother with Mr. Furst: I received a bill for $15,321.05, payable within 30 days or a lien would be placed against the property.
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The amount was for estimated unpaid taxes, going back 10 years, with a huge penalty (50%) and interest (15%).
The problem was a small cottage on my property; it had been my mother’s home but I now use the cottage for rentals.
This changed the status of that portion to “commercial use,” making it no longer eligible for the Save Our Homes protection – and so, forever forward, the increase in the appraisal on that portion is no longer limited to 3% per year.
Patch Davis, Sarasota
Time of year for giving, not gossiping
Forget the latest local holiday-time scandals and let’s open our hearts and our wallets.
This is the time of year to help out those less fortunate. From the Season of Sharing to the Salvation Army, give out of your pocket to so many in our community who are struggling.
The scandals will still be around in the New Year, but the holidays won’t. This is the month to provide hope and help and to collect donations and gifts for those in need.
Sarasota is a well-known community of compassion.
The holiday season is special, because it’s not about us, it’s all about others. So when you hear scandal chatter, change the focus, reach out to those who never gave before.
If you can’t afford to give money, work in a soup kitchen. I did for 10 years, and it was the most rewarding experience.
Rich Unger, Sarasota
Shooting victims messengers of peace
The Sarasota Monthly Meeting of Friends − otherwise known as Quakers − denounces the violence in Israel and Gaza, the actions from both sides that led to this present situation and the waves of hatred that have spread from that conflict.
We particularly hold in the light Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, the three young Palestinian Americans who were shot in Vermont during Thanksgiving week.
All three graduated from Ramallah Friends School.
Quakers established this school in 1869. In a world of violence, it remains an oasis of hope for a better future for Palestinians, Jews and peace-loving people everywhere.
All three of these young men are now students in the United States. Hisham studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; Kinnan at Haverford College, a Quaker school in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
They are among the best and the brightest representatives of hope for a world of peace for everyone. During Thanksgiving, they went to Vermont to spend the holiday with Hisham’s grandmother.
Their shooting is a betrayal of everything that America stands for.
It’s a betrayal of safety, respect and justice.
We join the families and friends of these young men in grieving deeply over this horrendous act.
Sarasota Monthly Meeting of Friends (Quakers), Johannes Werner, communications clerk
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County appraiser should help homeowners, not hinder them
