Spring 2021 Newsletter

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: KEITH ALEXANDER

Name: Keith Alexander County: Palm Beach

What do you do for the PA? Manager of the Agricultural Appraisal Department. We are charged with qualifying and tracking approximately 450,000 acres of agriculturally-classified land, which makes up about a third of Palm Beach County. We also determine the Ag land rates and value the farm land in the Everglades Agricultural Area, lo- cated in the western half of the county.

How long have you been employed by the PA? I have been with the Property Appraiser’s Office for ten years .

Keith Alexander, RES, CFE

Why did you decide to enter the field? My adventure in real estate appraisal began in 1993, when a friend began appraising for a small firm in Broward County. I had a real estate salesperson’s license but hadn’t used it and I had no idea appraising existed as a career option. My friend enjoyed the job, so I ran out and took clas- ses. A hundred phone calls later, I convinced an appraisal office to take me on and I’ve been in the business since. I spent seventeen years in private practice before joining the Property Appraiser’s Office . What do you like most about your job? Without a doubt, it’s the people. Our office is a great environment. We are very welcoming to new hires and you quickly get a sense that it’s a big team all working toward a common goal. In my ten years here, I’ve yet to hear anyone say “That’s not my job.” That positive approach is re- flected in our interactions with the public. Helping a frustrated taxpayer through an issue and sending them away satisfied with the experience is something that never gets old for me. What is some of the best career advice you’ve been given? A teacher of mine used to say that consistency beats intensity. The person who shows up day in, day out, chipping away at a project or a new skill, is more likely to reach their goal than those who go a thousand miles an hour for a short time before they burn out or grow bored. It’s about hav- ing the patience and the foresight to play the long game. What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you? As a young person, I was a subpar student. My grades in middle and high school were passing but unimpressive and it was not unusual for me to come home with a card full of Cs, and an occasion- al D or F. I especially struggled with math and didn’t pass Algebra until college. It took me years to learn how to be a student; how to study and retain the information. Now that I’ve learned what I have to do to succeed, I love continuing my education and I take every course available to me. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? If you ask my girlfriend, I already won the lottery when I met her. And I think she may have a point. If I was lucky enough to win it a second time, I’d probably splurge on things like name brand peanut butter and two-ply bathroom tissue. Other than that, I’d like to help out the good people in my life. Those who never ask for anything but deserve so much more than they have. I’d probably also set up a scholarship fund. I sat on our PAO scholarship committee for a few years and it was a most rewarding experience.

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Spring 2021 Newsletter of the FCIAAO