Former state Rep. Jim Frishe has officially launched his campaign for Pinellas County property appraiser.
The announcement was e-mailed to supporters, posted to Frishe’s new Facebook page, uploaded to his website, and tweeted from Frishe’s Twitter account — the first tweet from the account in nearly three years.
Across all these platforms, perhaps the most direct message is this: Jim Frishe, in his run for Pinellas property appraiser, is focusing on the people.
“Pinellas County has a long tradition of great service in the property appraiser’s office,” Frishe told SaintPetersBlog. “It’s important that we continue that tradition with a sharp focus on the needs of the people, not the bureaucracies and inner-workings of the government agency itself.”
The 66-year-old Republican served in the Florida Legislature from 1984-90, and then again from 2006-12. During that second stint, he sponsored legislation aimed at helping taxpayers who felt their property was valued incorrectly challenge property appraisers, and co-sponsored legislation aimed at holding property appraisers more accountable from a legal standpoint.
“I’ve been on both sides of that coin,” Frishe continued. “I know how important it is to remain committed to making sure the citizens of Pinellas County are the first priority of the appraiser’s office.”
Despite just launching his campaign today, Frishe, who has also worked as a licensed real estate broker, has raised nearly $24,000 in campaign contributions. And a lot more might be coming in pretty soon.
“I’ve got a very full October,” Frishe said. “It’s hard to believe that campaigns for 2016 start so early these days, but I’m committed to doing everything it takes to win this race.”
While beginning a campaign for 2016 now may indeed be a bit early for traditional standards, it does seem necessary for Frishe, as his competition, Republican Mike Twitty, a 25-year state-certified general real estate appraiser, has not only raised a beyond-impressive $50,000 for his campaign, but has also nabbed the endorsement of outgoing Pinellas Property Appraiser Pam Dubov, state Sen. Jeff Brandes, St. Petersburg Councilman-elect Ed Montanari, Pinellas County Clerk of the Court Ken Burke, former Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala and state Rep. Mike Miller.
The long road to the November 8 general election, and all the competition that comes with it, is something Frishe says he’s ready for.
“I’ve never been afraid of hard work,” said Frishe. “I’ve knocked on thousands of doors in my time as a public servant. The people of Pinellas County will be seeing a lot of me in the coming months.”
Pinellas’ Property Appraiser job pays around $154,000 per year.
