12D-9.013. Organizational Meeting of the Value Adjustment Board

(1) The board shall annually hold one or more organizational meetings, at least one of which shall meet the requirements of this section. The board shall hold this organizational meeting prior to the holding of value adjustment board hearings. The board shall provide reasonable notice of each organizational meeting and such notice shall include the date, time, location, purpose of the meeting, and information required by Section 286.0105, F.S. At one organizational meeting the board shall:

(a) Introduce the members of the board and provide contact information;

(b) Introduce the board clerk or any designee of the board clerk and provide the board clerk’s contact information;

(c) Appoint or ratify the private board legal counsel. At the meeting at which board counsel is appointed, this item shall be the first order of business;

(d) Appoint or ratify special magistrates, if the board will be using them for that year;

(e) Make available to the public, special magistrates and board members, Rule Chapter 12D-9, F.A.C., containing the uniform rules of procedure for hearings before value adjustment boards and special magistrates (if applicable), and the associated forms that have been adopted by the department;

(f) Make available to the public, special magistrates and board members, Rule Chapter 12D-10, F.A.C., containing the rules applicable to the requirements for hearings and decisions;

(g) Make available to the public, special magistrates and board members the requirements of Florida’s Government in the Sunshine/open government laws including information on where to obtain the current Government-In-The-Sunshine manual;

(h) Discuss, take testimony on and adopt or ratify with any required revision or amendment any local administrative procedures and forms of the board. Such procedures must be ministerial in nature and not be inconsistent with governing statutes, case law, attorney general opinions or rules of the department. All local administrative procedures and forms of the board or special magistrates shall be made available to the public and shall be accessible on the board clerk’s website, if any;

(i) Discuss general information on Florida’s property tax system, respective roles within this system, taxpayer opportunities to participate in the system, and property taxpayer rights;

(j) Make available to the public, special magistrates and board members, Rules 12D-51.001, 12D-51.002 and 12D-51.003, F.A.C., and Chapters 192 through 195, F.S., as reference information containing the guidelines and statutes applicable to assessments and assessment administration;

(k) Adopt or ratify by resolution any filing fee for petitions for that year, in an amount not to exceed $15; and,

(l) For purposes of this rule, making available to the public means, in addition to having copies at the meeting, the board may refer to a website containing copies of such documents.

(2) The board shall announce the tentative schedule for the value adjustment board taking into consideration the number of petitions filed, the possibility of the need to reschedule and the requirement that the board stay in session until all petitions have been heard.

(3) The board may hold additional meetings for the purpose of addressing administrative matters.

Rulemaking Authority 194.011(5), 194.034(1), 195.027(1), 213.06(1) FS. Law Implemented 194.011, 194.013, 194.015, 194.032, 194.034, 194.035, 213.05, 286.011, 286.0105 FS. History–New 3-30-10.