[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 31 (Thursday, March 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WILLIAM MARKHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 11, 2004

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my Floridian 
colleagues the Hon. Alcee Hastings, the Hon. Kendrick Meek, the Hon. E. 
Clay Shaw, the Hon. Robert Wexler, and the Hon. Lincoln Diaz-Balart to 
commemorate the contributions of William Markham, Broward County's 
Property Appraiser and one of Florida's longest-serving officeholders. 
Mr. Markham died unexpectedly Monday morning, March 8th, of a heart 
attack, and he will be greatly missed by his family and by the 
community that he so dedicatedly served.
  Bill Markham reminded us of a gentleman from the 1950's. Every 
morning, as a reminder of his wife, Sherry, he would cut a flower from 
his garden to pin to the lapel of his suit. He was always jovial and 
was frequently seen in his old-fashioned but traditional and proper 
straw hat. ``What you saw is what you got,'' said Clerk of Courts 
Howard Forman.
  His personality could also be colorful. In high school, he was the 
lead singer for a local rock band, and he campaigned in recent years 
with a string of B-movie style ads. In one, Markham's mother parachutes 
out of a plane so she can get to the property appraiser's office in 
time to qualify for a tax break.
  Indeed, his ebullient personality and individual flare could easily 
lead one to overlook his deep commitment to his work. He was first 
elected as property appraiser in 1966, the same position that his 
father held before his death in 1964. The tax roll was $1.5 billion 
then, and Mr. Markham oversaw its 7 percent annual growth to its 
current annual tax roll of $104 billion.
  As Broward County continued to expand, Mr. Markham fought for the 
rights of each and every taxpayer. He led the ``Save Our Homes'' 
campaign, helping to amend the State constitution so that appraisers 
could not raise the taxable value of a homestead-exempted property more 
than 3 percent a year where ownership had not changed hands. He waged a 
lengthy court battle with county officials to tax government-used 
incinerators and businesses located on government-owned property at 
Port Everglades. Arguing the harm to property values, Mr. Markham also 
supported the plight of Ft. Lauderdale residents in a dispute over the 
location of power lines through their neighborhood.

  Employees describe Mr. Markham as a hands-on administrator. He took a 
personal role in reviewing assessments of the county's most expensive 
properties and had an open-door policy for homeowners concerned about 
their property values. ``He was a firm believer that the buck stopped 
with him,'' said Joe Zdanowicz, Markham's longtime chief property 
appraiser.
  Mr. Markham died on the eve of his ninth campaign for the Property 
Appraiser's office. His death was sudden and a terrible shock to people 
who knew him as energetic and boisterous. He is survived by his wife 
and two sons, J.R. and Robert. Mr. Speaker, William Markham will be 
dearly missed by all those who knew him.

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