For Sarasota tax collector

For many longtime Sarasotans, in particular those who live in the northern part of the county, the idea of challenging incumbent Barbara Ford-Coates for the county tax collector position is close to ludicrous.

Ford-Coates has been Sarasota County tax collector for 40 years, elected 10 times. And anyone who has experienced the process of registering a vehicle in another state’s Department of Motor Vehicles or in another Florida county is likely to attest to his or her customer experience in Sarasota being best of class. Ford-Coates’ staff defies the reputation of surly bureaucrats: They’re pleasant, efficient and helpful. 

Ford-Coates’ reputation among her peers is tops. Every year since 2011, the Florida Tax Collector Association has bestowed Ford-Coates and her office with the Excellence in Finance Operations and the Legacy Award. In 2008, the National Association of County Collectors, Treasurers & Finance Officers named her Outstanding Tax Collector in the U.S.

Timothy Qualls, longtime general counsel for the Florida Tax Collector’s Association, says: “Barbara is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.” 

Then, why would anyone want to try to unseat one of the most popular elected officials in Sarasota County history? 

The way the two Republican contestants in the Aug. 20 primary see it, 40 years in the job is too long and enough. Vying to oust Democrat Ford-Coates in the November general election are first-time candidate Charles Bear and term-limited Sarasota County Commissioner Mike Moran.

Bear summed up the situation this way: “In no way am I trying to discount what Barbara Ford-Coates has meant to this community. But … sometimes it’s easier to stick with the status quo than shepherd in change. I believe I can be that agent of change and set the office up for success for the next decade.”

Bear, by the way, out of respect for Ford-Coates, actually visited her to let her know he was going to run for the office.

Let’s cut to the quick: Of the two Republicans in the primary, Sarasota County Republican voters should choose Bear. Decisively.

Sarasota County citizens don’t need a politician in the tax collector’s office. They need someone whose sole interest is providing first-class customer service and operational efficiency over power and status. Bear makes that case.

Bear, 58, has been a resident of Sarasota County for 42 years. Currently, he serves as director of tax operations for the Charlotte County tax collector — overseeing the tax collections and administration of business, tourism and real estate taxes. 

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His credentials are impressive, and his expertise is apropos. A graduate of Riverview High School, Bear holds a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of South Florida. He holds the designations of Certified Florida Collector Assistant from the Florida Department of Revenue; Certified Executive Leader from Valencia College; and a Yellow Belt Certification from Electronic Training Solutions Inc. sponsored by the Florida Sterling Council, a not-for-profit that recognizes superior performance in Florida businesses and organizations.

Over the past 23 years, Bear has been in the trenches of Florida’s tax collectors — 11 years in the Charlotte County tax collector’s office as director of tax services and tax operations and 12 years in the private sector for software vendors that served tax collectors statewide.

One of those roles included implementing the software used today in Sarasota County and in 20 other counties. If anyone knows the ins and outs of tax collecting services, few in Florida are more skilled than Bear.

While he expresses utmost respect for Ford-Coates (He writes: “She will never be replaced. Her potential successor can only hope to carry on her tradition of excellent public service… ”), Bear contends Ford-Coates has not kept up with technology or the growth and needs in North Port.

In his responses to an Observer candidate questionnaire, Bear wrote:

“The current product being used by the tax collector’s office is more than two decades old and is not capable of keeping up … A new software product can provide superior on-line services and streamline internal functions, which will make the entire office run more efficiently.”

To be sure, Bear is a techie. But in Bear’s roles as director of tax operations, his boss, Charlotte County Tax Collector Vickie Potts gives Bear high marks for his knowledge of Florida tax laws and as a manager and leader. “They appreciate everything he does,” Potts says of the team Bear oversees. 

Contrast all of that with what taxpayers have witnessed with Sarasota County Commissioner Mike Moran. 

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While Moran votes as and articulates himself as a watchdog for taxpayers’ money and proponent of “as little government intrusion as possible,” Moran has used his commission position to foist his power and intervene with government his way, constituents be damned.

We have reported examples of this twice in the past 12 months — once with how he handled the distribution of taxpayer funds to the county’s not-for-profit social service agencies, and more recently when he continued his long-running campaign to cut off business tax funds from the Economic Development Corp. of Sarasota County. Both instances drew widespread rebuke.

In the case of the social services, Moran showed little to no regard for the exhaustive work a commission-appointed task force did this past spring to devise a methodology for social services funding. To the task force members’ and others’ surprise, Moran abruptly tossed aside their work at a commission meeting — with no advance warning — and pushed his preferred methodology through the commission.

On June 5, the pattern continued, with Moran-led cuts of $1.12 million to social service agencies that have been serving needy citizens for decades. Moran’s actions triggered a response from the CEOs of the three leading foundations that contribute millions to social service organizations and from the Argus Foundation. An excerpt from their June 17 letter: 

“For decades, citizen-led Advisory Councils carefully reviewed all nonprofit requests for county human services funding. The council members made site visits, deliberated how to meet the needs of a growing community, and, as a group, shared recommendations on how to allocate tax dollars wisely. 

“For the second year in a row, this transparent process was replaced by decision making without public input.

“The June 5 County Commission meeting included recommendations from Chair Moran that were not made public until the meeting. Without input from the citizen Advisory Councils or county staff, the cuts below were made … ”

Moran and his wife moved to Sarasota in 2002, after selling their payroll, tax and insurance firm in Michigan. He says they “have had hundreds of employees and specialized in taking over small organizations and growing them significantly by implementing quality control, efficient systems and procedures and remarkable customer service.”

After settling here, Moran turned his attention to not-for-profits and politics. He served on the boards of the Center for Autism Resources & Education and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and been involved in Guardian Ad Litem. 

Moran says he is “not a career politician,” noting in an Observer candidate questionnaire his 22 years of “public service” — service that currently pays him $105,540 a year as a commissioner. In addition, Moran earns $194,250 a year as the executive director of a state’s Florida PACE Funding Agency, an organization that distributes and oversees the lending of low-cost funds to Floridians for home improvements.

To be sure, Moran is indeed a familiar figure in Sarasota County political circles. He has served as president of the Sarasota Republican Club. He was appointed to the Sarasota County Planning Commission; appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the Southwest Florida Water Management District board — a slot typically bestowed as a payback by governors. And in 2016 and 2020, he was elected to the Sarasota County Commission. 

Reflective of his political involvement and connections, Moran’s campaign contributions as of last week totaled $102,000, 40% of that from Sarasota and Manatee developers. 

In contrast, Bear has no contributors other than himself, at $16,000. (Ford-Coates has raised $51,730.) Bear says he is not accepting outside contributions for the primary.

As voters assess these two candidates, the contrast is sharp: Moran, the politician who has demonstrated a penchant for wielding power as he sees it should be implemented, his way; or Bear, the tax-collector expert who knows how to move that office’s operations forward and who has developed deep respect from his colleagues.

We recommend: Charles Bear