Gabrielle Russon
Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado won re-election by default after her only opponent dropped out of the race this week.
“I am thankful for the opportunity to continue serving the people of Orange County,” Mercado said in a statement.
“My main priority is still the same, and that is the production of fair, equitable, and transparent valuations of the over 450,000 parcels we have. We are a small yet mighty team,” Mercado added of the 150 employees in her office.
Real estate broker Kevin Pribell, who sued Mercado over his property taxes in 2022, withdrew his candidacy for the job this week.
Mercado, a former Representative from House District 48, will serve a second four-year term leading the office that assesses property values in a community with residential homes, hotels, theme parks and more. The property appraiser’s annual salary is $205,081.
Pribell did not return a question Wednesday about why he quit the race.
“I have not had the pleasure of speaking with my opponent, and he did not communicate his intentions prior to filing or withdrawing. If my recollection serves me well, I have met Mr. Pribell only once during a community event,” Mercado said.
Campaign finance records showed Pribell loaned $50,148 to his campaign and also received $9,000 from donors last month.
Pribell’s lawsuit stemmed from a condominium he owned on the trendy Park Avenue in Winter Park.
“It was determined that the market value as of January 1, 2021, is $205,3000,” Pribell’s lawsuit said. “After the conclusion of the Property Appraiser’s testimony, the two appraisals were submitted by the Plaintiff in support of his position that the value of his property should be substantially higher than the values set by the Orange County Property Appraiser.”
Two appraisals showed the condo valued at $311,000 and $333,000, Pribell said.
Three months after he filed the lawsuit, Pribell voluntarily dismissed it.
Pribell was challenging Mercado, a leading Democrat progressive from her time in Tallahassee.
Mercado won the Property Appraiser job in 2020 by defeating incumbent Rick Singh, who had multiple scandals that rocked his tenure. Singh faced whistleblower complaints, lawsuits, and a criminal investigation; he has denied doing anything wrong.
“Tonight, Orange County voted to restore trust to the Property Appraiser’s Office, and I will work tirelessly to achieve that goal,” Mercado said after beating Singh.
