ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County commissioner, paid with tax money and trusted to oversee tax dollars, will have her home foreclosed next week.
9 Investigates found out Orange County Commissioner Victoria Siplin failed to pay taxes on the condo where she lived for nearly a decade.
She said she paid the mortgage for two years. The judgement said Siplin never paid any property taxes on the condo in that time.
People in Victoria Siplin's district were surprised to learn their commissioner had been living property tax-free for nearly a decade.
“For nine years not paying taxes? You know what would happen to me if I didn't pay my taxes for nine years? I'd be in a cardboard box living in the rain,” said homeowner Sandra Csobadi.
According to Victoria Siplin, she had lived in the condo for seven years after she stopped making her mortgage payments.
It's unclear why the foreclosure proceedings have taken so long.
“Normally, if you're running for office, you're supposed to do everything right,” said homeowner Rob Jackson.
Victoria Siplin and her husband, then-state Sen. Gary Siplin, bought the condo in 2006 for $202,000.
Gary Siplin is an attorney and Victoria Siplin works at his firm.
It was during the real estate boom.
Victoria Siplin said that she started out with interest-only payments, but two years later, her payments ballooned.
She initially agreed to do an on-camera interview with Channel 9’s Lori Brown, but later changed her mind, sending a letter that said the worldwide financial crisis impacted her ability to maintain a mortgage on the property, and it was worth less than she owed.
While it is common for banks to pay property taxes on homes in foreclosure, the commissioner's statement did not explain why she did not pay property taxes during the two years when she said she was making mortgage payments.
Property taxes are commonly included in mortgage payments and held in escrow, then sent to the county.
On the phone, she said the property appraiser letters sent to her said, "This is not a bill.”
The foreclosure judgment against Victoria Siplin is for $280,000, which includes the back taxes.
The foreclosure on the condo is set to become final Friday.
Victoria Siplin said wherever she moves, it will still be in her district.
The bank has been paying the property taxes on her condo after she stopped paying her mortgage.
WFTV
