CRESTVIEW — Janet Fugate, of Baker, has entered the race to replace Pete Smith as Okaloosa County’s property appraiser. Fugate, Smith’s director of administration, intends to succeed her retiring boss.
Fugate served 13 years as chief deputy of the Sumter County Tax Collector’s Office and spent 13 as chief deputy in the Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office, a campaign media release said.
A senior manager in the Okaloosa County’s Property Appraiser’s Office since 2009, she has served as chairperson of numerous state task forces, studying tax revision, and was a certified training instructor for the Florida Department of Revenue’s professional certification program, the release stated.
Fugate joins a Republican field including John Holguin, chief of operations at the Okaloosa County Tax Collector’s Office, and Mack Busbee, a senior manager under Smith for more than 15 years.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Fugate enters race for Okaloosa property appraiser