Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson addresses Chinese drywall problems in the following letter to property owners:

Many homeowners in Lee County are experiencing the anxiety of dealing with defective Chinese drywall in their homes. People have been displaced and their lives disrupted.

Unlike calamities such as hurricanes, flooding, and fire, defective Chinese drywall is a new disaster of sorts, but with some of the same consequences. Remediation or reconstruction can make your home uninhabitable, while costing many thousands of dollars.

In just a few days, you will receive your annual notice of proposed property taxes (TRIM Notice) in the U.S. Mail. It is important to remember that the values on your TRIM Notice reflect the value of your property as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Unfortunately, Florida Statutes and the rules regarding property taxes remain in effect in the face of this terrible economy and Chinese drywall fiasco. Many of you with the defective drywall in your homes have called my office and asked if your property values will be adjusted. As your elected Property Appraiser, it is my constitutional duty to work on your behalf regarding any issues concerning ad valorem assessments.

I am currently researching the possibility of property tax relief for those who can document the existence of defective Chinese drywall in their homes. If you believe your home is affected, we need to know about it.

Please e-mail (ChineseDrywall@leepa.org) as soon as possible. We will soon have the form available on our website, www.leepa.org.

The initial review for each case reported to my office will be based on the merits of the documentation you provide. It is important to emphasize, it is the property owner’s responsibility to submit documentation to this office. Any information pertaining to the 2009 tax year must be received in this office by Sept. 8, 2009 at 5 p.m.

Here at the Lee County Property Appraiser’s Office we take our obligation to work for you seriously.

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