Matt Caldwell is kicking off his bid for Lee County property appraiser, holding a fundraiser on February 20 in Fort Myers.
The former state representative formally entered the race for Lee County property appraiser earlier this month. Ken Wilkinson, who currently holds the seat, is retiring after four decades of service.
The position is responsible for keeping track of property values and issuing official valuations of real estate used to calculate tax bills.
Caldwell made the announcement over the weekend on Twitter.
“Excited to have the unanimous support of the Lee County Constitutionals in our bid for Property Appraiser. Please join us on Feb 20th!”
Excited to have the unanimous support of the Lee County Constitutionals in our bid for Property Appraiser. Please join us on Feb 20th! pic.twitter.com/7HqDVlqzGW
— Matt Caldwell (@mattcaldwell_fl) February 14, 2020
The fundraiser is set to start at 5:30 p.m. The venue is Suncoast Beverage, located at 2996 Hanson Street. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Terry@VoteCaldwell.org.
In an interview with News-Press, Caldwell discussed the office, citing the importance of influencing policy statewide and easing the burden on taxpayers.
“This office is really unique, but is critical in that it not only looks at the value of the property, but is independent of the county commission and the city councils,” Caldwell said. “The person elected to this office doesn’t have any motivations that might run counter or contrary to the taxpayers’ interests.”
Caldwell, who served four terms in the state House of Representatives, is back in the political arena after running for a statewide office in 2018. Caldwell won the Republican nomination for Agriculture Commissioner but would go on to lose the November election by one of the slimmest margins — being edged out by Nikki Fried by less than a percent of the ballots cast.
Caldwell currently works as a real estate appraiser with Maxwell, Hendry & Simmons, a firm located in Fort Myers.