Public records confirm that Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier sold the home she bought from local developer J.T. Burnette. Dozier purchased the home from Burnette on February 18th, 2015 for $188,600. Dozier sold the home on November 16th, 2017 for $298,000.
The recent sales price is $109,400 or 58% above Dozier’s original purchase price, which was approximately three years ago.
A review of public documents after the Dozier purchase shows permits were acquired for a roof ($9,700) and a deck ($3,000). .
Real estate sales data for Leon County shows that during a comparable period, January-2015 through October-2017, the sales price of single-family homes increased approximately 12%.
TR reported in October that Dozier listed the home she purchased from Burnette, who had business before the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), for $269,000 – approximately $80,000 more than she paid for the home on January 21, 2015.
The controversy over the transaction was first covered by Tallahassee Reports and subsequently reported by the Tallahassee Democrat. Dozier told the Democrat,”It was an arm’s length transaction; the house was available to the public. No matter who the owner was, we followed the rules.”
On October 23rd, 2014, three months before the Dozier purchase, the CRA voted 7-1 to provide IB Tallahassee, LLC, as the owner of the Doubletree Hotel at Adams Street, up to $682,000 in CRA grant funds. Among those elected officials that voted for the grant was Leon County Commissioner Kristin Dozier.
Mr. Burnette was listed as the Manager of IB Tallahassee, LLC, according to the state of Florida Division of Corporations in 2014 and 2015. Mr. Burnette were mentioned in the FBI subpoenas delivered to city hall related to the investigation of the CRA.
Back in July Dozier defended paying $188,600 for the home which was appraised for $280,000 approximately eight months earlier.
Dozier told TR that “I am exceptionally careful about conflicts of interest” and “I am confident the purchase of this home was conducted per our ethics rules.”
Subsequently TR discovered that Commissioner Dozier listed the value of the home on her 2015 financial discolsure form as $280,000.
County Commissioner Dozier Sells Home $110,000 Over 2015 Purchase Price added by Staff on
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She owned it long enough to avoid the Capital Gains tax.
Good work in exposing this transaction. There are a lot of houses for sale in Midtown. You do not buy a house from someone who receiving public money that you are voting on. Period end of song. If it looks like a duck, walk like a duck and quack likes a duck, it is a duck.
If one looks at the tax collector’s web site, and makes some assumptions, it would appear that Dozier was, and is, still living in her townhome on Whetherbine even thought her mailing address was at this 510 Terrace St.home. She received a property tax bill for the Whetherbine townhome in 2017. It also appears that this home (Terrace St.) was sold to her at a drastic discount by Burnette so that she could resell at a much higher price and score a big wad of $$$.
As an add on comment, her Father, Laurie Dozier, held her mortgage on the Terrace St. home.
Exactly. Nobody is reporting on this, and I don’t know why. We know JT uses real estate to bribe Maddox, but Dozier’s supporters are real estate experts and expect common sense to just go out the window when it comes to her real estate transaction with JT, and we are the ones that are nut jobs! Do her supporters not realize that it’s way more of a logical leap to come to the conclusion that this wasn’t a bribe at this point? We’re talking about a person that even Bill Proctor lauds as always doing her homework, and all the sudden I’m supposed to believe that she didn’t know exactly what she was doing here?! And HER PARENTS TOO?! That’s the problem. Her supporters also don’t realize it’s more of a logical leap to come to the conclusion that she just happened to sell this house now coincidentally when JT, Maddox, and the usual suspects are all doing the SAME THING RIGHT NOW! It’s not like her parents are going repossess the house from her if she doesn’t pay, so why sell the house that’s under scrutiny now? Especially in an election year when this attention will only hurt her. Won’t the value of the house just increase until this time next year?
Lawyers. That’s why! Her parents own Mad Dog construction. They might need their $200k back more than she needs her $110k profit. Making sense now…?
Essentially, her supporters are saying that the lighting strike of coincidence happened not once, but twice in 2015 and now on both ends of this transaction. No questionable activities…get real.
This saga just gets better FBI! Sr. Dozier holds “note” for his daughter “elected official” to acquire real estate from JT Burnette FBI “person of interest” AFTER she VOTED to give Slush funds/CRA for Gateway Center development. Somewhere in her “above reproach” MIND should have IGNITED the thinking that she should have RECUSED herself from ANY Deals before the Commission that her family construction business would have been involved in! Simply put – SHYSTERS! Only now when “golden boy” JT BURNETTE’s HALO has become a NOOSE she conveniently DUMPs real estate with a PROFIT. DOZIER no one is HATING on your real estate deal with JT and your Family’s MONEY, just CALling it out for WHAT it TRULY is! Do you sincerely believe YOU are ENTITLED to ANOTHER 4 Years?
Good looking out Franklin. Terrace St especally near Leon High School is a choice in-town location for a person of Dozier’s status to live. Weatherbine is attached duplexes where the owners seldom live and rent them out to typicallx younger folks and stufents. Weatherbine is typically the last place we would expect someone of Dozier’s status in the community to actually reside.
Smells like Dozier may have lied about homestead exemption on the Weatherbine property.
Fat finger on a small phone screen. Sorry fpr spelling errors.
This house was on the market forever. It was obviously a house that needed a lot of work. The permitted repairs might not come close to what could have been spent on items like landscaping, floors, appliances, and more over the three years after purchase. Dozier’s reason for selling is hers, and hers alone.
This is such a non-story that it makes me question Steve’s motive, and that’s not normal. Steve wrote the following July 16 when he questioned the Democrat for running Kim Rivers photo – I just changed the names:
Tallahassee Reports publishes findings supported by documents and facts in the public record. There are no publicly available documents that reasonably tie any questionable activities to a relationship between Dozier and Burnette. Therefore, I can say, with high confidence, TR should have never published this story.
First, there are public records that document Dozier votes that benefited Burnette owned companies. Second, the motive is to demand accountability. Do you really think that it is not news when elected officials are transacting personal business with local government vendors?
Keep up the good work Steve. Some people have been exposed to much Dozier dust and liberal smoke in our city and county government.
This house is a Midtown classic. Worth way more than what she paid for it.
I hope your arguments (and others like it) are brought up in court by a highly paid defense lawyers. We’ll see how they fly in front of the jury. I’m guessing the flight is very short.
Please, FBI – make a harsh example of COT’s corruption for every Florida City and County elected official to see. Make them afraid, very afraid. The maybe (I’m not betting on it) the taxpayers will see honest (albeit not willing) conduct in office.
Give Commissioner Dozier a break. We need more women in Financial Engineering.
NOT happening!! Especially when YOU are an “ELECTED” or an “APPOINTED” OFFICIAL!
Oh, I’m not on team Dozier. That was just a zinger. I’m not a member of the newly-formed Tallahassee chapter of the Association of Sudden Real Estate Experts that are defending her. I know when I’m being robbed. Dozier is very bright. She gets to the core of very complex issues quicker than most and gets everybody on board with what I mostly thought were the right decisions. It’s something I actually envied. When it comes to her response to this? Not so much…that’s the key here. She flubbed it with her financial disclosure and her focus on conflicts of interest regarding her vote. The core of this issue is bribery and money laundering, and I don’t see how this would go over her head. I may have been harsh above, but when you can sincerely compliment someone for their abilities and those abilities just disappear, then let’s just say I hope she has a good team of attorneys. We’ll see…
Dozier is now damaged goods! Wanna be Mayor, City Commissioner ZIFFER intervened/introduced Mad dog Construction S.Roberts and FBI’s Person of Interest JT BURNETTE which led to behind the scene DEAL that saved Gateway Center development. Essentially, resulting in the reward of Project Management to Mad Dog and hijacked SLUSH FUND/CRA that would have been given to SECOND conciliatory WISH LIST project development of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church! MAD DOG which as WE all KNOW is DOZIER’s FAMILY business! Dozier’s VOTE for slush fund to Gateway Center should be of interest to the FBI or already under their microscope. Coincidentally, JT sells DOZIER real estate and NOW Scrutiny of shenanigans involved is on RADAR for all to SEE and KNOW! Dumping real estate deal prior to 2018 election year eliminates ‘BAGGAGE’ and DOZIER is betting the Citizens of Leon County will have selective MEMORY! Dozier’s above reproach HALO has now become a NOOSE! Getting rid of real estate “hot potato” will not FOOL the CITIZENS, UNLESS they SEE no EVIL and REWARD shenanigans of INCUMBENTS that have FAMILY businesses tied to TAXPAYERS’ funded DEVELOPMENTS with another four year term! Mad dog has made significant $$$ while DOZIER occupied the THRONE! DUMP DOZIER for 2018! Send her A$$ back to the Family business! DOZIER the citizens of Leon County do not NEED or DESIRE rhethorical lip service from you, follow Nancy Miller’s LEAD and ABDICATE THORN NOW and SAVE Face! Otherwise, FBI may add you to their ‘Person of Interest List! Stay Tune!
I do believe she sold the house to pay for lawyers. I just added her to my indictment bingo card.
Gil ziffer wiped his ass yesterday. You gonna run a hit piece on that too?
Absolutely! Ziffer gets NO PASS! Especially, if his WIPED A$$ involves Taxpayers Funded shenanigans!
Gosh, one of the COT commissioners (or their staff) not only reads TR, but they actually comment, too.
Ms. Dozier’s best friend is Ms Wood on the Leon Co. School Board. Both were strong supporters of Supt. Hanna. Hope they had a chance to celebrate in this house before she sold it.
Maybe they had a “pot” luck dinner?
So this is how to legally pay an elected offical a $100000 bribe!!!
Wow that J T Burnette is some kind of a financial genuis.
Does Mayor Andy know about this???
Wow you can bet Mayor Andy’s gonna be really whizzed when he finds out.
In case it passed by you Mayor Andy has became interested in ethics for around 4 to 5 days already.
Mayor Andy’s surley gonna take care of this unethical $100000 brib.
Exceptional my behind…maybe at laundering money, but it doesn’t look like she’s very good at that either. Her parents? Really? That’s a new one!
For Delusional Mayor Andy, it’s all rhethorical “WINDOW DRESSING” lip service! If he truly believes FBI is not looking at his shenanigans linked to “cohorts” of “special interest” to FBI then “WE” have a BRIDGE to NOWHERE to SELL him! Incumbents “City/County elected and appointed officials” a BUNCH of SHYSTERS!!!
Just like all liberals.