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Broward County is located on the south-eastern coast of Florida (see map below), and its population of slightly fewer than two million people (double its 1980 population!) make it the second-most populous county in the state and the fifteenth most populous county in the country. Broward County’s county seat is in Fort Lauderdale. The current governmental structure of Broward County was enacted in 1975 following the passage of the Broward County charter.
Besides miles of pristine beaches, dozens of sightseeing cruises and tours, just some of the other major tourist attractions in Fort Lauderdale include the Flamingo Gardens, Botanical Gardens & Wildlife Sanctuary and the Everglades Animal Sanctuary and Alligator Park. With so much to see and do, it is little wonder that Broward County in general and Fort Lauderdale in particular as popular tourism destinations for Americans and overseas visitors alike and more than 13 million people made there way there in 2013 alone. These visitors contributed more than $10.6 billion to the Broward County local economy, making it the county’s second-largest industry.
At present, Broward County comprises three of the countries of the Miami metropolitan area which boasts an estimated population of 6,158,824 people as of 2017. In addition to its 31 municipalities, Broward County also includes a number of unincorporated areas that make up its total 1.32 thousand square miles (about 3.42 thousand square kilometers) which makes it the seventh-largest county in terms of land area in Florida. At present, the median household income in Broward County is $51,968 and the median family income is $61,809.
All told, Broward County has an area of 1,323 square miles (3,430 square kilometers); of this total, 1,210 square miles (or 3,100 square kilometers) is land and the remaining 113 square miles (290 square kilometers) is water. The urbanized area of Broward County consists of about 427.8 square miles (or 1,107.9 square kilometers) of land, all of which all regularly valuated by the county property appraiser whose role is described below.
With a bachelor of arts degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University, and a juris doctorate from Nova Southeastern University (graduating magna cum laude), Mr. Kiar began his public service career as a member of the Broward County Housing and Finance Authority, the Town of Davie School Advisory Board and the Town of Davie Airport Advisory Board. Since then, Mr. Kiar has also served as the Assistant Town Attorney and Assistant Municipal Prosecutor for the Town of Davie.
Following his election to the Florida House of Representatives in 2006, 2008 and 2010, Mr. Kiar has continued his public service career as a member of the Broward County Commission as well as both Vice Mayor and Mayor of Broward County. In January 2017, Mr. Kiar was elected to his current position as the Broward County Property Appraiser.
The main role of the Broward County Property Appraiser is to fulfill the legal responsibility to accurately evaluate the market value of all property situated within the county as determined by real estate marketplace activity. The property appraiser’s office is quick to point out that it does not send out tax bills nor does it set or collect any type of taxes.
The property appraiser’s office has also recently updated its website which now offers a much more user-friendly and intuitive interface compared to its previous version that features homestead exemption information, property search capabilities, an events calendar (including dates its mobile team will be deployed), maps and aerial views of Broward County properties, a description of all exemptions available to county residents and business (besides the homestead exemption) as well as administrative links for updating addresses.
Further, the new Web site also provides links to routinely needed forms, tax roll information, timely and relevant market reports about Broward County, data request and fraud reporting links and a frequently asked questions link.
In fact, the highly personable property appraiser also provides an “Ask Marty” link where consumers and business owners can ask specific questions about their unique situations. Moreover, the property assessors also maintains a Facebook page with current information about its office and services which also provides residents and business owners with the opportunity to interact with the property appraiser’s staff members.
One of the more interesting features offered by the Broward County Property Appraiser is a services of valuable videos which are available on the office’s Web site including the most recent concerning information to assist homeowners in filing for their homestead exemption.
In addition, the property appraiser also oversees several county services and departments including a mobile exemptions and information team, the residential property departments, the commercial property department, the human resources department, the budget, finance and tax roll department, the technology department as well the legal and administration department.
Mr. Martin “Marty” Kiar
Broward County Governmental Center
115 South Andrews Avenue, Room 111
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954) 357-6830
954-357-6188
martykiar@bcpa.net
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. weekdays
We can almost visualize the spectacular sunsets that Broward County residents simply take for granted, along with their beautiful beaches and hundreds of cultural, historic and entertainment venues. Taken together, it is not surprising that Broward County is fast growing and increasingly affluent, and much of this success is attributable to the professional property appraisal services provided by Mr. Martin “Marty” Kiar and his dedicated staff of civil servants.