Appraisal Subcommittee Hires an Executive Director

For Immediate Release

March 31, 2009

The Appraisal Subcommittee Hires an Executive Director

The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) today announced the hiring of Jim Park as its Executive Director. Mr. Park has over 23 years of appraisal and mortgage banking experience. During his extensive career, he has held executive management and leadership roles at several financial institutions. He also served for four years as the Director of Research and Technical Issues at The Appraisal Foundation. Mr. Park holds a B.A. in organizational communications from the University of Colorado and a certified general appraiser credential in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

The Executive Director is the senior staff position of the ASC with responsibility for the supervision of the day-to-day ASC operations and ASC staff. Under direction of the ASC, the Executive Director is responsible for implementing ASC policies, overseeing its programs, and developing recommendations to the ASC members. The Executive Director also represents the ASC before state appraisal regulatory officials and various appraisal industry groups. He may be contacted via email at Jim@asc.gov

Congratulations on the new position Jim!

Vote for Frank Gregoire August 26, 2008

Here are a few links to prior posts to save you the time of searching for pertinent information about the Primary Election.

List of Endorsements and Supporters - This includes appraisers, members of real estate appraisal boards and regulatory agencies and Past Presidents and current leadership of the Florida Association of Realtors. This is only a partial list of supporters as their are over 300 contributors to the Frank Gregoire Campaign

Frank's Qualifications and synopsis of Professional Experience - There is also a link to my resume

Letter from Governor Charlie Crist - Governor Crist recognizes Frank's service on the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board

Pinellas County Primary Ballot

Here is a sample ballot for the Pinellas County Primary Election. Truthfully, this is what it should look like when you turn it in.

Appraisal Institute - THANKS!

Thanks to the Florida West Coast Chapter of the Appraisal Institute for hosting the Candidate Forum yesterday at the conclusion of their meeting in Tampa.








It was great to see so many friends and supporters. Since yesterday was the last day to accept contributions for my Campaign for County Property Appraiser, it was particularly encouraging to accept checks and cash from some of the attendees.

Sign Damage and Removal

Over the past two days there have been several reports by property owners that Frank Gregoire for County Property Appraiser signs have been removed or damaged. These include yard signs and large format signs, installed either by the property owner or with the permission of the property owner.

If you are missing a sign or see one missing or damaged, please call or email the campaign using the contact information in the left sidebar.

Let us know if you need a sign too.

Please refrain from damaging, defacing or removing any candidate's signs unless they have been placed on your property without your permission.

Less than Two Weeks to Go!

The August 26th Primary is less than two weeks away. Tens of thousands of absentee and "vote by mail" ballots have been delivered to Pinellas County Voters. Early voting started yesterday.

To prepare for the increased traffic on the Campaign Website, vote4frank.org, there have been some important updates.

• A paragraph describing Frank Gregoire's commitment to Restoring Public Trust in the Property Appraiser's office has been added to the Main Page
• The list of Endorsements and Supporters has been updated to include more leaders of the Florida Association of Realtors. There are now over 16 Past Presidents of the Florida Association of Realtors on the list along with the entire 2008 Leadership Team.
• The list of Endorsements and Supporters has been updated to include more appraisers, members and former members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. All current members of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board support my Campaign for Pinellas County Property Appraiser along with two former Chairs of the FREAB
• We added a Contribution Form to the "Contribute - Help Frank" page. The pdf form may be completed online and printed locally. This provides an alternative to using a credit card via the secure server.
• A link to the St. Petersburg Times "Know Your Candidates" publication has been added to the "News - Links" page

Tell a friend, family member or neighbor and encourage them to visit the site.

Try out the Contribute button or the Contribution form. We could sure use your help in the next few days.

Times - Know Your Candidates

Take a look at the "Know Your Candidates" Special Section from the St. Petersburg Times which was published Wednesday, August 13, 2008.

Pinellas Property Appraiser Republican primary

This race is unfolding in the shadow of the county’s purchase last year of the current Appraiser Jim Smith’s vacant land for nearly four times its assessed value. Smith isn’t running for re-election. His longtime deputy, Pam Dubov is in the race, touting her experience and readiness. Her opponent, Frank Gregoire, stresses the need to restore public confidence in the office. The winner will face Democrat Ben Friedlander in November.

View section HERE.

St. Petersburg Times

My response to the St. Petersburg Times: (The Times limits a Candidate's response to 200 words)

August 6, 2008

Philip Gailey, Editor of Editorials
St. Petersburg Times
P.O. Box 1121
St. Petersburg, FL 33731

RE: Reply to: Times recommends

St. Petersburg Times

Dear Mr. Gailey:

Facts omitted from your endorsement:

I have been a licensed real estate broker for over 30 years and a state certified appraiser since 1989, the first year such a license was available in Florida. In addition to holding designations from two professional appraisal associations, I hold associate membership in a third. My appraisal experience in Pinellas County exceeds 30 years.

As owner and President of Gregoire & Gregoire, Inc., I have supervised staff and completed tens of thousands of appraisals of all types and classes of real property from Tierra Verde to Tarpon Springs. For the past ten years my concentration has been as a valuation and appraisal standards expert witness.

The Governor was satisfied enough with my education and appraisal credentials to appoint me to the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board. The Florida Senate agreed by confirming my appointment unanimously. My peers on the appraisal board elected me Chairman four times during my eight years of service.

Under my leadership, enforcement of valuation ethics, standards and integrity requirements were the focus of the appraisal board; something sorely needed in Pinellas County. Pinellas County deserves a Property Appraiser with an established commitment to restoring public trust in the office.

Frank Gregoire
Candidate, Pinellas County Property Appraiser

Update August 9, 2008

My response to the Times has been published and is available online HERE.

In Friday's TIMES

To Friends and supporters of the Frank Gregoire for Pinellas County Property Appraiser Campaign,

This I will post with little in the way of comments. Comments are permitted on the St. Petersburg Times website. All I can say is I am humbled by the incredible support from within this county, and across the state and nation. Thank you.

Please keep checking out that CONTRIBUTE button!

Pinellas appraiser GOP primary draws distant donations

By Will Van
Sant, Times Staff Writer
In print: Friday, August 1, 2008

Joe Thouvenell of Chicago backs Frank Gregoire in the Pinellas County
property appraiser race.

So does Jack Rawlings of Altoona, Pa., Dennis Badger of Lexington, Ky.,
and James Amorin of Austin, Texas.

All are private real estate appraisers who have inked checks to the
Gregoire campaign. Donors outside Pinellas have given $20,111 to Gregoire, 50 percent of his total take to date.

Full Story
HERE

Monday's Times and the Rest of the Story

Monday's St. Petersburg Times will carry an editorial critical of a Campaign Piece mailed to absentee voters in Pinellas County.

Here is a preview.


Specifically, the editorial takes issue with a comparison made between me and my opponent.




The part of the mail piece referenced is reproduced above. It is a simple comparison with no conclusions; merely statements of fact. Frank Gregoire has been a licensed real estate broker for over 30 years and a Certified Appraiser since 1989.

Here is "The Rest of the Story"

The author of the editorial questioned me about this on Friday, July 25, 2008. In response, the following email was sent, explaining the reasoning.

I believe you called me earlier today with questions about the mail piece sent to absentee voters.

Here is some information to illustrate the difference between appraiser State-Certification and a Designation awarded by a state agency or professional association. The Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board, within the Department of Business and
Professional Regulation, licenses and certifies appraisers. The standards for certification are outlined in Florida Law and Rules of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board (FREAB).

http://www.myflorida.com/dbpr/re/statutes.html

Florida law and rules of the FREAB must, as a minimum, meet the criteria established by the Appraiser Qualifications Board of the Appraisal Foundation. The Appraisal Foundation is the organization authorized by the US Congress as the source of Appraisal Standards and Appraiser Qualifications.

http://www.appraisalfoundation.org/s_appraisal/index.asp

http://www.appraisalfoundation.org/s_appraisal/sec.asp?CID=2&DID=2

Unlike a designation, state-certification requires completion of an approved national examination or equivalent. Also required is a period of training under the supervision of a State-Certified Appraiser. Both state-certification and designations require a course of instruction. Another important difference is required compliance with statutes and appraisal standards; the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Violation of the law, rules of the FREAB or of the USPAP Standards may result in significant penalties. No comparable penalties are imposed on a designee by the designating organization.

It should be noted that the professional association for mass appraisers, the International Association of Assessing Officers, is a sponsoring organization of the Appraisal Foundation.

Additionally, there are specific standards in the USPAP for mass appraisal development and reporting; Standard 6.

This comparison was made, in part, due to an editorial in the St. Petersburg Times and my letter to the editor sent in response.

State-Certification imposes ethical and legal requirements upon the individual to promote public trust. That is part of the distinction I attempted to illustrate.

----- A Times Editorial

No more Jim Smith episodes, please
In print: Saturday, April 12, 2008 http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article453504.ece
------
My Letter: April 12, 2008
RE: No More Jim Smith episodes, please

April 12, 2008

St. Petersburg Times Editor:

The conflict of interest described in the editorial and the need for a legislative solution made obvious by the bills introduced by Rep. Hooper (CS/HB 127) and Sen.
Fasano (SB 512), shines a light on the problem of non-certified appraisers being elected as County Property Appraisers.

Citizens easily recognize the conflict of interest inherent in a county property appraiser valuing their own property. It's probably not widely known that Certified appraisers (licensed by Florida) are held to a higher legal, ethical and professional standard. The Appraisal License Law and rules of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board require certified appraisers to follow the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). This volume of appraisal standards was developed by the Appraisal Standards Board of the Appraisal Foundation. The Appraisal Foundation is authorized by Congress as the source of Appraisal Standards and Appraiser Qualifications. USPAP controls the actions of certified appraisers, when the potential for conflict arises.

USPAP was developed to promote and preserve the public trust inherent in professional appraisal practice. There are at least three applicable Rules and
Standards Rules in the USPAP to prevent the situation Pinellas County citizens endured over the past year:

• The Conduct Section of the Ethics Rule – prohibits the communication of a misleading report

• Standards Rule 6-8 – requires a mass appraisal report to not be misleading

• Standards Rule 6-9 – requires the appraiser to disclose interest in properties appraised

Although the Florida Department of Revenue has not adopted USPAP, the citizens of Pinellas County expect and deserve their elected officials to go beyond the minimum required by law and avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest. Without a requirement for the county appraiser to be certified and follow USPAP, the legislation proposed by Rep. Hooper and Sen. Fasano is a start toward ensuring citizens' expectations of the elected county appraiser are met.

-------

Hopefully, this answers your questions more completely. If not, please feel free to call me at 727-410-7065 anytime for clarification.

Thank you for your interest in protection of the public.
------------

Although I was thanked for the additional information, it looks like I have a lot to learn about how additional information is considered. In the future, we will be working to make sure the idea we intend to convey is done so with clarity.

As always, you must draw your own conclusions. Thank you for your support.

Frank

Rice outraising Flowers; Gregoire and Dubov close

From the St. Petersburg Times

In the race for Pinellas County Property Appraiser, Republican Frank Gregoire
had a solid quarter, taking in $25,736, bringing his fundraising total to
$44,506. His primary opponent Pam Dubov, who has thrown slightly less of her own
money into the race than Gregoire, took in $9,247 in the quarter, bringing her
total to $42,882.

Full Story and comments HERE.

Thanks to everyone for their support of my Campaign for Pinellas County Property Appraiser. However, to assure Pinellas County elects a Professional Appraiser as Property Appraiser, it's time to expend extra effort for the next few weeks.

There's a CONTRIBUTE button over there on the left. Please make an effort to give a bit to the Campaign. Your $25 - $100 donation helps get the word out.

THANKS, in advance.

Frank

Candidate Appearance

CANDIDATE FORUM

The NAACP

Clearwater/Upper Pinellas Branch

invites you to a

Candidate Forum

Facilitated by the League of Women Voters North Pinellas County
Assisted by members of:
Clearwater Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
and
Nu Beta Omga Chapter of Alpha Kapa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Monday, July 21st at 6:00 pm
6:00 p.m – 6:45 p.m. Voter Registration, Vote-by-Mail Requests

and
Voting Machine Demonstrations

6:45 p.m. – 7:35 p.m. County Commission Candidates
7:45 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. Property Appraiser Candidates
8:15 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Sheriff Candidates
at
North Greenwood Recreational and Aquatic Center

900 Martin Luther King Avenue North

Clearwater, FL 33755

View Larger Map

Candidate Appearance

The North Pinellas Republican Club is is providing time for a Candidate Forum during their meeting on July 17th, 2008. Property Appraiser Candidates Frank Gregoire and Pam Dubov will make presentations and take questions from attendees.

The meeting is held at the Rheba Sutton White Chapel, 1190 Georgia Avenue, Palm Harbor, Florida. It starts at 7:00 P.M. Call 727-725-4241 for more details.

Here is some information about the Rheba Sutton White Chapel - LINK

To find the location, a map is available at this LINK

Everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there.

Thank You Governor Crist!

Excerpted from a June 17, 2008 letter from Governor Charlie Crist to Frank Gregoire........



"Serving as a member of the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board and as Chairman, you have showcased dynamic leadership qualities and have enhanced the real estate industry here in the Sunshine State.


Your faithful service has helped to develop exceptional appraisal regulation in the Sunshine State. Thank you for selflessly giving of your time, knowledge, ans skills to ensure quality business practices in real estate."


Copy of the letter is HERE.

In Case You Were Wondering.....

Because of some news and mail, some folks might wonder a bit about the extent of my appraisal experience. Be assured, I have experience in the appraisal of property other than residential. Although my specialty since 1989 has been 1 - 4 family residential property, I have experience in residential, commercial (office, hotel-motel, retail) and industrial valuation.


A copy of my Appraisal Resume is available in the sidebar or by clicking HERE!


Most important, however, is the fact I have over 30 years of experience appraising right here in Pinellas County and have completed thousands of appraisals of property from Tierra Verde to Tarpon Springs.


Since 1976, I have been self-employed in the real estate profession and have been a full-time real estate appraiser since 1982. I have never been employed by Pinellas County or the Pinellas County Property Appraiser.

It's time to elect a Professional Appraiser, for a Change!

Campaign Website Update

The Frank Gregoire for Pinellas County Property Appraiser Campaign website is in the process of being updated. There have been some important additions over the past few days.



Take a look at http://www.vote4frank.org/ to see some of the additions. One of the first you will notice is "the Gregoire Guarantee".


Another addition is titled "What They're Saying about Frank". This includes links to letters from Governor Charlie Crist, Governor Jeb Bush and a Resolution adopted by the Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board.

Soon to be added to this section is the list of Endorsements and Supporters. Although there have been additions to the "Endorsements" page, the list has yet to be been added. Here is a preview of those names:

Endorsements and Supporters

James Amorin, MAI, SRA, President-Elect, Appraisal Institute

Paul Amirto, Appraiser
Ben Anderson, Appraiser
Timothy Andersen, MAI

Dennis Badger, Appraiser, Investigator-Kentucky Real Estate Appraisers Board
Patricia Birch, Past Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Harry Bright, Appraiser

Bruce Buzzell, Appraiser
Bill Coffman, Appraiser
Earle "Jack" Crahan, MAI
Thomas Crockett, MAI, SRA
Bruce Cumming, Chair, Membership Admissions, Development and Retention
Paul DelleDonne, Appraiser
Brent Diehl, Appraiser
Robert Dunham, MAI, SRA
James Earle, Appraiser
Henry Entreken, MAI, SRA
Ted Faravelli, Appraiser
Robert E. Galliher, MAI, SRA, GAA
Phil Gehres, MAI, SRA
H. Linwood Gilbert, MAI
John Gillott, MAI, SRA
Karen Goforth, MAI
Bob Gorman, MAI
Joni Herndon, SRA, Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board

Tom Hockensmith, SRA
Andrew Hupp, MAI
Patricia Kathman, Appraiser
William Barry Kelley, SRA

Debbie LaJeunesse, Appraiser, Past Chair Wyoming Certified Real Estate Appraiser Board

Charles Ledet, Appraiser
Leslie McKeon, MAI, SRA
Steve Marshall, MAI, SRA, Past Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute
James Millspaugh, MAI
Stephanie Monaghan, Appraiser
Evalyn "Fran" Oreto, Past President National Association of Master Appraisers

Mack Provart, Appraiser, Past Chair Wyoming Certified Real Estate Appraiser Board
R. Wayne Pugh, MAI, President, Appraisal Institute

Janet Rabin, Appraiser
Gina Rascati, SRA
Jack Rawlings, GAA

Dan Richardson, PhD, MAI, AICP
Mike Rogers, MAI
Donald Rousseau, Appraiser
Donald Sarley, SRA, Chair, Florida Appraisal Council

David Sawyer, Appraiser
Sam Slater, RAA
Eric Schwartz, MAI, SRA
Jay Small, Esq., Past Chair, Florida Real Estate Appraisal Board
Joe Thouvenell, MAI, CRE
C. Richard Tobias, MAI
Joe Traynor, Past President, Indiana Association of Realtors, Member, Appraisal Foundation Board of Trustees, Chairman, Indiana Real Estate Appraisers Licensure and Certification Board
Joyce Tubb, GAA
Joan Trice, SRA
Chris Van Slooten, SRA
Steve Van Slyke, Appraiser
Jesse Vance, MAI, SRA, Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute
Carl Velie, SRA, Vice Chair, Region X, Appraisal Institute

Robert Vespa, IFA, ASA
Andrew Wheaton, Appraiser
Judith Whitehead, Appraiser
Danny Wiley, SRA, Past Chairman Appraisal Standards Board
Cynthia Wright, MAI

Don Asher, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Chuck Bonfiglio, President, Florida Association of Realtors
Claude "Chip" Boring, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Todd Dantzler, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Michael Dooley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Roger Enzor, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Member, Florida Real Estate Commission
Summer Greene, Secretary, Florida Association of Realtors

Russell Grooms, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Bob Hudgens, Treasurer, Florida Association of Realtors
Dale Jundt, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Jim Kasper, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Mike Owen, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Nancy Riley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, State Committeewomen, Pinellas County
Cynthia Shelton, CRE, President Elect, Florida Association of Realtors
Maurice (Moe) Veissi, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors

Harry Vordermeier, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Past Chairman, Florida Real Estate Commission
William Watson, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors
Cathy Whatley, Past President, Florida Association of Realtors, Past President, National Association of Realtors

Richard Butler, Vice-Mayor, City of Pinellas Park
Leslie Curran, St. Petersburg City Council

Neva Conway, Esq., Counsel, Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board
Henry Faircloth, Chair, North Carolina Real Estate Appraisal Board
Dr. Robert Melby
Dr. Jack Ross

Frank Gregoire Supporters

Meet two of the most ardent supporters of the Frank Gregoire for Pinellas County Property Appraiser Campaign!

Donald and Claire Gregoire

THANKS!!

Donald Gregoire, my Father, is the FIRST Generation Real Estate Broker, Certified Appraiser, Real Estate and Appraisal Instructor of the Gregoire family. I was fortunate to have been trained and mentored by one of the best and to have the honor of continuing the family business. Thanks Dad.

Land Deal Clouds County Election

Jim Smith land deal clouds county election

by Will Van Sant, Times staff writer
In print: Saturday, June 21, 2008

When the Jim Smith land deal exploded into view last summer, conventional wisdom was that the scandal would overshadow Pinellas County's 2008 elections.

But on Friday, as qualification for the ballot closed, just two candidates linked to the controversy remain: County Commissioner Karen Seel and property appraiser candidate Pam Dubov, who worked for Smith..........

.......Dubov, who has never answered questions before about the Smith deal, did so for the first time Friday, a day after she resigned her post as deputy property appraiser in Smith's office to campaign.

Dubov said she warned Smith the public would look askance at the difference between the appraised value and the sales price.

In the Aug. 26 primary her opponent is Frank Gregoire. A private appraiser for 30 years, Gregoire, 55, said Dubov should have gone public with her feelings about Smith's decision to cut a deal with the county.

.....full story here
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This has everything to do with ethics, integrity and public trust. Voters and Taxpayers in Pinellas County deserve better than an individual with the "integrity" to disclose their views only "a day after she resigned her post as deputy property appraiser in Smith's office to campaign."

Pinellas County deserves a Property Appraiser that believes "in government or business, ethics and integrity are a full time job from which there can be no vacation."

IT'S OFFICIAL!

Today, June 18, 2008, Frank Gregoire qualified to have his name on the ballot for Pinellas county Property Appraiser.

You may use this LINK to take a look at the official page.



Watch this space for upcoming news about signs, fundraising receptions and appearances. In the meantime, you can help by talking with property owners and arranging for sign locations in high traffic areas. We have several, but need many more, particularly north of Ulmerton Road.


Thanks for all your help.

Valuation Professionals Fundraiser

Just a quick post to show my appreciation to Joni Herndon, SRA, Henry Entreken, MAI, H. Linwood Gilbert, MAI and Dan K. Richardson, PhD, MAI, AICP for their hosting and the success of last night's reception.

It was an honor to have such distinguished and well respected appraisers host the reception and humbling to for the elite of Tampa Bay Valuation Professionals to express their support with their attendance and contributions.

Thanks to you all!

Here's a couple photos.