Jesse Scheckner
Miami-Dade Property Appraiser Pedro Garcia is stepping down after more than a decade serving in the role. Competing to replace him are former Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and Marisol Zenteno, a veteran property-appraising pro who has had eyes on Garcia’s job since at least 2020.
Their contest comes amid skyrocketing property values, taxes and insurance costs that persist despite numerous recent state and local measures aimed at alleviating the area’s unaffordability.
Accordingly, Regalado, a 76-year-old Republican former broadcast journalist who served in Miami city government for 21 years, placed affordability atop his list of campaign priorities. He said he’ll push state lawmakers to increase exemptions for seniors, veterans and low-income families while maintaining a commerce-friendly environment for businesses at home.
He also vowed to combat mortgage, deed and homestead exemption fraud.
As Miami’s immediate past Mayor, Regalado attracted national attention in 2017 by challenging then-President Donald Trump about sea-level rise. Later that year, he placed on the ballot the “Miami Forever” bond issue to help the city confront sea-level rise issues. It passed with more than 60% voter support.
He said in recent interviews that he hopes to have the Property Appraiser’s Office consider sea-level rise and other climate change issues in its calculations.
While Regalado’s tenure in government surely makes him familiar with property and taxation issues, he’s never served in the Property Appraiser’s Office.
The same can’t be said for Zenteno, 57, who has spent close to 10 years working under Garcia, whom she unsuccessfully challenged in 2020. She previously served as a general real estate appraiser for the state.
A win next month would mark Zenteno’s first election to public office.
Unlike Regalado, Zenteno includes no promises to address cost issues among her priorities list. She told the Miami Herald, which endorsed Regalado, that expanding exemptions requires legislative action or a constitutional amendment, and that she was focusing on more immediately actionable issues.
She pledged to improve how efficient, transparent and accessible the Property Appraiser’s Office is while bringing a “bright, new and refreshing perspective” to the position.
The Property Appraiser is responsible for assessing the annual value of all real estate properties in the county and providing that information to local governments and jurisdictions. Property taxes are a massive source of revenue for Miami-Dade, second only to proprietary revenue derived from businesslike services the government provides.
Miami-Dade records show property taxes account for 37%, or nearly $3 billion, of the county’s $8 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 — up from $2 billion in 2019-2020.
Regalado has significantly outraised Zenteno. He reported amassing more than $439,000 through his campaign account and political committee, Proven Leadership for Miami, by early October. He had about $310,000 left a month before Election Day.
Zenteno, who in mid-October launched a political committee called Appraise Property Fairly that halfway through the month reported no financial activity, raised about $97,000 through her campaign account. She had about $40,000 remaining by Oct. 5.
Major developers in Miami-Dade — including the Related Group, Melo Group and Dacra — gave large sums to Regalado’s campaign, The Real Deal reported.
Zenteno, meanwhile, depended primarily on personal checks and more than $20,000 from her bank account.
Regalado, the father of Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, carries several notable endorsements, including nods from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association, Hispanic Police Officers Association, Miami-Dade Firefighters Local 1403 and SEIU Local 1991.
Miami Realtors PAC, Ruth’s List Florida, the South Florida AFL-CIO, AFSCME Florida and the Kendall Federation of Homeowner Associations have backed Zenteno. So have Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, Hollywood Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson, North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme and Opa-locka Mayor John Taylor, among others.
The General Election is on Nov. 5.
