More than 36 owners of prominent commercial properties in Broward County have filed lawsuits against Property Appraiser Marty Kiar, alleging that his office incorrectly calculated the market and assessed values for their real estate holdings. The property owners claim these valuations led to higher tax bills.
The legal actions, initiated between November and December in Broward County Circuit Court, involve well-known hotels, office buildings, and retail centers located in cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, and Pompano Beach. The lawsuits question the methods used by Kiar’s office to assess a range of high-profile commercial assets across various sectors including hospitality, gaming, office space, and retail.
According to the property owners’ complaints, the appraiser’s approach inflated real market values and subsequently increased their property taxes.
Mila Schwartzreich, general counsel for the Broward property appraiser’s office, explained that many of these lawsuits were filed within a specific legal timeframe linked to the certification of the county tax roll. She said this timing is due to statutory deadlines rather than an unusual rise in disputes. “Property owners have 60 days from the date the value adjustment board certifies the tax rolls to file lawsuits. They are prohibited from doing so once the 60-day deadline expires,” Schwartzreich said.
Schwartzreich also noted that each Florida county certifies its tax roll on its own schedule. As a result, waves of litigation often correspond with those schedules instead of broader trends in the real estate market. She added that while Broward handles more parcels than some entire states, it sees fewer assessment challenges reach court compared with other counties like Miami-Dade.
Most plaintiffs are represented by Samuel Brandan Lynch from Orlando-based law firm Lowndes. Lynch declined to comment on behalf of his clients when contacted by The Real Deal.
Among those suing is Trinity Investments—led by Sean Hehir—and Credit Suisse; together they own Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood. According to court records, Kiar’s office set a 2024 market and assessed value for this oceanfront hotel at $589.9 million. The owners paid about $12.3 million in property taxes for that year.
In 2023 Trinity Investments and Credit Suisse acquired the resort along with two adjacent parcels for approximately $850 million before selling those parcels to BH Group and Related Group.
