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This year feels like it is flying by! Our office has been very busy the past couple of months. We made it through our statutory March 1st deadline for all exemptions and agriculture classifications to be applied for. Don’t worry though, If you missed the deadline, please contact our office immediately, either in person or with a phone call, so we can best assist you with your request and application.
Now, let me tell you all about the new and exciting concepts being implemented in our organization and throughout our amazing community. Community outreach is something I have been very involved with and passionate about since taking office a couple of years ago. We want our community to know that we are not the type of government office that will hide or keep things from the public. We want to be as transparent and open as possible.
So let's dive into the topic of being transparent. When I took office we started a new program where either myself or a member of our staff participated in presentations at a few of our local community civic clubs. These presentations were such a huge success throughout the first year we expanded the program. Now, we have presented at multiple Rotary clubs, veteran chapters, Leadership Citrus, Realtors Association of Citrus County Leadership Academy, BOCC Constitutional days, Citrus County Agricultural Alliance, youth leadership groups, and a few others.
One of our goals has been to offer an educational opportunity to the realtors so they can be prepared for any questions that buyers and sellers might be asked of them pertaining to our office and its functions. We have been very fortunate to have had over 100+ Citrus County realtors attend our training. During these realtor sessions we touch on topics such as: homestead exemption, portability, property values, agriculture, mapping, navigating our website, tangible personal property, parcel records and an office overview. We have had amazing feedback from our local realtors who have attended our training. Since we had such positive feedback, we now offer the training out to other local businesses that may want to learn some more about what we do.
You might have seen our ad recently in the Chronicle over the last couple of weeks. In the future, we plan on holding informational sessions for the public to join in as well. We want to make sure that all of our Citrus County residents and property owners know who we are, what we do, and how we can assist them.
In addition to our informational training that we have in place, we have formed partnerships with Citrus County Habitat for Humanity and UF IFAS Extension Citrus County who are hosting first time home buyers classes. Both offer outstanding programs that will better the citizens' knowledge when purchasing their first home. The information we are able to share with first time home buyers will allow them to make informed decisions when purchasing their home.
Another way we have extended our informational reach is to improve and increase our presence on social media. Growing our social media presence over the last couple of years has been impactful. We know that so many of our property owners from around the world are on social media and also may use social media as their main source of Citrus County news. We want to make sure we provide posts that are getting as much informative information out there as possible. We post Monday-Friday on different social media platforms that include information about our office, what we are doing, approaching deadlines, legislative changes, etc. If you aren’t following us already and would like to, make sure to give us a follow or like on Facebook and Instagram at @CitrusCountyFLPropertyAppr.
Please be sure to check out our “Brochures & E-newsletter” sections on the website (citruspa.org). We have a lot of printable brochures pertaining to homestead exemption, hurricanes, tangibles, buying and selling a home, agriculture, and a few others. To use our printable handout section, click on the “Brochures” box on our website. In addition to the brochures section, we now have included an e-newsletter sign up section. Each month we will email our subscribers this amazing e-newsletter that is full of important information about our office, approaching deadlines or who we have met with for community events. To sign up for our e-newsletter, click on the “E-Newsletter” box on our website.
We look forward to providing Citrus County residents and property owners with continued information in the coming months. Our Customer Service Department is always available to answer questions in both offices. Please call (352) 341-6600 or visit our website at www.citruspa.org. Our social media pages are also available via Facebook or Instagram at @CitrusCountyFLPropertyAppr.
Sincerely,
Cregg E. Dalton, CFA
Citrus County Property Appraiser
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