EDITORIAL
Santa Rosa County property owners recently received a mailout from the office of Property Appraiser Greg Brown, alerting them about three companies he said “offer you a copy of your deed and property assessment profiles for an exorbitant price.”
Brown informed property owners that these businesses gather public information and charge $83 or $89 for copies of records — which are available for free through his website or for $1 per page from the county clerk’s office.
He also pointed out that, unlike those companies, his office can officially certify the documents for $2 per document.
The mailout included directions regarding how to make free copies of records and also a copy of a letter Brown sent to Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in 2014, when he first asked her to review the solicitations, stating they “appear as an official government document even though they have the disclaimers saying they are not.”
“Please do not pay an exorbitant fee for a copy of your deed that you can receive for free on our website or for a few dollars at a county office,” said Brown in the mailout.
We applaud Brown for his actions to make and keep Santa Rosa County property owners aware of this ongoing situation. We also praise him for developing knowledgeable and helpful office staff and an outstanding website: www.srcpa.org.
