Sunday, March 2, 2008

Announcement



Veteran Appraiser Announces Candidacy for Pinellas County Property Appraiser


ST. PETERSBURG - Frank Gregoire (R-St. Petersburg) has officially announced his candidacy for the office of Pinellas County Property Appraiser.

A resident of Pinellas County since 1957, and a United States Army Veteran, Frank is a licensed real estate broker, a state-certified appraiser and real estate appraisal instructor. For the past 30 years, Frank has actively worked as an independent fee appraiser in Pinellas County, involved in assignments from Tierra Verde to Tarpon Springs. His clients include property owners, mortgage lenders, attorneys, relocation companies and private mortgage insurers. Since 1986, Frank has been president of Gregoire & Gregoire, Inc., a real estate appraisal firm specializing in expert witness services and the valuation and analysis of property in Pinellas County.

Appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board, the State Regulatory Agency for Real Estate Appraisers, he served as a member of the board from February 18, 2000 until February 5, 2008. Members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board elected him Chairman in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

The National Association of REALTORS® has awarded Gregoire the RAA (Residential Accredited Appraiser) designation. He is also a member of the National Association of Independent Fee Appraisers and has been awarded the IFA (Independent Fee Appraiser) designation.

A frequent guest speaker for conferences and professional associations on appraisal-related subjects, Gregoire is recognized as a source for mortgage and valuation fraud prevention, and market and appraisal information by nationally syndicated columnists and news sites, including NPR, CNN and MSNBC.
According to Gregoire: "Property owners in Pinellas County expect and deserve competency, credibility and integrity in their elected Property Appraiser. My professional record and over 30 years of experience clearly suggests that I will meet those expectations once elected. As property appraiser, I will also be an advocate for much needed reforms to assessment laws and practices, including proper application of "highest and best use" standards and changing the "presumption of correctness" currently enjoyed by elected property appraisers to a more taxpayer-friendly standard. Most importantly, under my leadership, the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office will be a model for openness, ethics, integrity and world-class customer service".