GRAIG-FLAGLER PALMS FUNERAL HOME
Flagler Beach, Florida
Monday, September 8, 2014
John Watford Seay, 76 of Flagler Beach, died Sept. 6, 2014 at home surrounded by family. Mr. Seay was born Sept. 23, 1937 in Slocomb, AL and grew up in Arlington, GA and Chipley, FL where he graduated from Chipley High School.
Mr. Seay had a lifetime career as a distinguished public servant. As a veteran of the US Army he served four years with an honorable discharge. He served 24 years as Flagler County Property Appraiser, 4 years as County Commissioner, and 2 years as Director of the State Division of Ad Valorem Tax.
In 1959, he joined the Florida Marine Patrol and was assigned to work in Flagler Beach. He was Florida’s Chief Oil Spill Investigator and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander of the State Department of Natural Resources Oil Spill Administration. He implemented the State’s first Oil Spill Prevention Law and authored rules and regulations requiring financial responsibility for ocean going vessels and contingency plans for shore protection for all of Florida.
In 1971 he was appointed Flagler County Property Appraiser by Governor Reubin Askew. During that time a lawsuit was filed between Flagler County and ITT-CDC, the developer of Palm Coast. The dispute was over agricultural timberland (now Palm Coast) that the developer platted into residential lots. As the property appraiser of a then small rural county, he and the County took on a multinational corporation and won. The developer settled out of court.
In another instance he saved local taxpayers $1.47 million when the State Supreme Court overturned an improper State audit of county appraisals.
Because he stood fast during the four years of lawsuits as a result of the ITT-CDC challenge of his appraisal methods, Mr. Seay received the Flagler County Chamber of Commerce Good Government Award.
Seay gained notoriety as a result of that court case and was appointed in 1981 by Governor Bob Graham to Director of the State Division of Ad Valorem Tax in Tallahassee.
He authored revised guidelines for statewide appraisal of agricultural lands. He also designed and developed a state-of-art Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal System, which was adopted by several Florida counties. He served on the Judicial Nominating Committee, 7th Judicial Circuit and was President of the Property Appraiser’s Association of Florida. As a state certified commercial and residential appraiser, he was recognized as an expert witness in State and Federal courts.
He served again as Flagler County’s Property Appraiser from 1983 to 1993. He then retired to do private commercial appraisals and served as Flagler County Commissioner from 1996 to 2000. In 2000 he was again elected Property Appraiser and served until his second retirement in 2005. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease later that year.
Mr. Seay was a 32nd degree Mason and a member of the Bunnell Masonic Lodge #200.
He was predeceased by his parents, John Mathis Seay and Elizabeth Watford Seay, and a brother, Robert Seay.
He is survived by his wife of 20 years Peggy Rae, a brother Bubba (Marilyn)Seay of Tallahassee, four children, Grace (Terry) Peres, of Palm Coast, Jennifer (Randy) Bennett, John Matthew (Jaime) Seay, and Mark (Abra) Seay, all of Bunnell; two step-children, Karen (David) Gargon of Palm Coast, and Kristen (Ken) James of Daytona Beach; 12 grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and many cousins.
Family will receive friends on Thursday, September 11, 2014, from 5:00PM-8:00PM at Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home, 511 Old Kings Rd. South, Flagler Beach, FL. Funeral Services will be held on Friday, September 12, 2014 at 10:00AM at Community Baptist Church, Old Dixie Hwy, Bunnell, FL. Burial to follow at Flagler Palms Memorial Gardens.Arrangements are under the care and direction of Craig-Flagler Palms Funeral Home.
