Advocacy

For more than 40 years, we have worked together to protect citizens and provide them with convenience and safety as they access state services. We use our united voices to influence policy alongside our legislators, Cabinet members, and Governor to meet the changing needs of our local communities.

With customer services as our first priority, we work to find efficiencies, leverage technology and create partnerships to protect citizens and provide the best way for them to accomplish their goals. Sometimes this means securing policies to protect against online fraudulence or opening new access points for citizens to choose how they want to process their licenses.

We know Florida families’ lives require flexibility, ease, and a friendly face, and our united network of Tax Collectors work to serve them every day.

Legislative Successes

• 2024 | SB958 (Sen. Martin/Rep. Truenow) - This bill addresses a hiring and retention problem that like all employers, private and public, Florida Tax Collectors are facing. This bill helps Tax Collectors attract and retain talent for the delivery of critical state services at the local level at a continued savings to the State of Florida (Tax Collectors save the state millions of dollars annually by delivering state services at the local level) For example, Tax Collectors have saved the state $45 million annually since taking over driver’s license services in 2015).  This measure:

  • Provides adoption incentives for Tax Collector employees as recommended in Governor DeSantis’ 2023 budget recommendations. This will incentivize more adoption which is a huge win for children in the foster care system and a relief for state funded services.
  • Provides authority for Tax Collectors to budget and pay a one-time hiring or retention bonus out of local dollars (no impact to state budget). When it comes to handling sensitive data and Floridian’s personal information, it is imperative to have high-quality and competent staff doing this work.
  • Authorizes a $5,000 adjustment to Tax Collector’s base salary formula (no impact to state budget). This formula has not been adjusted since 1988. Tax Collector’s wage growth has lagged Inflation by 28% since 2002 and average FL wage growth by 50% in the public sector (see attachment).
  • Authorizes Tax Collectors to contract with school districts to do driving tests on school property so that parents don’t have to take their kids out of school.

• 2024 | HB113 (Rep. Maney/Sen. Hooper) - This bill revises provisions related to tax collections and sales in Florida, including the removal of processing fees, updating required report information, and adjusting interest calculations for canceled tax deed applications.  This measure:

  • Removes a $10 processing fee for each partial payment of current year taxes, while partial payments remain ineligible for any applicable discount. FTCA determined to make this change when working with the Governor’s office on providing hurricane relief last year.  Property owners who have fallen on hard times should not have to pay additional fees just because they cannot afford to pay all their taxes at once.
  • Expands the errors and insolvencies report content to include federal bankruptcies, properties with taxes below the minimum bill, and properties assigned to the list available for taxes, besides discounts, errors, double assessments, and insolvencies.
  • Provides clarity when a tax deed application is cancelled due to the applicant not paying the required clerk of court fees. Current law states all taxes and costs associated with the tax deed application shall earn interest at the bid rate of the certificate the application was based. This bill clarifies the tax certificate in which the application was based shall earn interest at the original bid rate and remain inclusive of all tax years and costs associated with the application. This change will benefit distressed taxpayers whereby all tax years associated with a cancelled tax application will accrue interest at the original bid rate.  This bill has no negative impact any local government revenue because once a certificate is sold to an investor at the auction, the various government taxing authorities are “made whole.”
• 2024 | HB247 (Rep. Maney | Sen. Trumbull):  This bill modifies vehicle title transfer and registration processes, and:
  • Establishes an affidavit by a Florida-licensed attorney as sufficient to presume ownership for motor vehicle/mobile home transfer when previous owner died testate, eliminating the need for a will.
  • Prohibits charging a fee for reissuance of lost or undelivered titles.
  • Enables permanent registration for some rental trucks and allows for reduced-dimension license plates for trailers.
  • Allows eligible disabled veterans to choose military or specialty license plates instead of a "DV" plate, with applicable fees.
  • Authorizes the issuance and regulation of temporary tags under specific conditions, including for vehicles with out-of-state titles under lien and for deployed military servicemembers, and standardizes the fee for temporary tags.

• 2024 | SB1084 (Sen. Collins/Rep. Alvarez):  This bill authorizes authorizes fees for finger prints and photos only and authorizes Tax Collectors to process certain security guard license applications under the same fee structure as the concealed weapons license applications.
• 2021 | HB139 (Rep. Fernandez-Barquin):  This bill gives DHSMV the express authority to share data in real time with its agent Tax Collectors so that citizens have options when it comes to renewing their vehicles.
• 2019 | HB87 (Rep. Ponder):  This law changed the state of heavy truck renewals to the driver’s birth month instead of December and allows Tax Collectors to utilize an electronic record of death file maintained by the Department of Health, in lieu of a death certificate, for a title transfer from a deceased co-owner, creating efficiencies in operations and convenience for citizens.
• 2018 | HB185 (Rep. Davis): This bill allows for redirects of much needed fees to Tax Collectors for providing driver license testing and reinstatement services.  
• 2016 | SB772 (Rep. Richter): This law allows Tax Collectors to print and deliver CW license renewals. This led to the most convenient license renewal process. Citizens can now walk into and out of an office with a license in hand.
• 2015 | SB200 (Sen. Latvala/Rep. Eagle): This fraud protection legislation was brought to the attention of Florida legislators as Tax Collectors learned that citizens were being defrauded by online criminals. Before this legislation, criminals would set up fake websites and lure unsuspecting Floridians into thinking they paid their taxes, when in fact they would be taken advantage of. This legislation now protects taxpayers from online fraud and public records manipulation.
• 2014 | HB523 (Sen. Simpson/Rep. Grant): This law created better access and convenience to Floridians to gain their CW license. Before this ground-breaking legislation, citizens would be required to drive many miles to existing state regional offices to gain the necessary pieces to procure a CW license. By working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Tax Collectors opened up their network of community offices to allow citizens to access everything they needed for a CW license all in one local place.
• 2011 | SB 487 (Sen. Thrasher): This extensive bill modernized tax collection for the benefit of taxpayers. The measure enhanced due process, created efficiencies in adding items like e-government (e.g. electronic tax notices and payment), and got rid of antiquated provisions of law.