Ford-Coates refutes Moran's charges

Here are the facts, some of which I addressed in my Sept. 11 letter published on YourObserver.com and the Sept. 19 edition of the Sarasota and Longboat Observers:

During the period following the pandemic, which has come to be known as the “Great Resignation,” we had employees leave to care for family members, pursue other opportunities, move to other regions, etc. This resulted in turnover at nearly four times our historic rate.

Throughout 2023, one employee worked 75-80 hours per week because of these staffing shortages. This was the equivalent of two jobs, and I paid the employee for the actual time worked.

The employee was paid $346,000 and not $448,000 as Mr. Moran indicated.

The additional work and associated pay was scheduled to stop once the “Great Resignation” ended and my office was fully staffed. That happened to coincide with Mr. Moran’s public record request. Also, as any manager or leader knows, additional pay or overtime pay is a common practice to make up for staffing shortages.

Concerning Mr. Moran’s comment that the Sarasota County tax collector is “overcharging our taxpayers,” Florida Statute 197.3632(2) says: “A local governing board shall enter into a written agreement with the property appraiser and tax collector providing for reimbursement of necessary administrative costs incurred under this section.”

Further, Florida Statute 192.091(2) says: “The tax collectors of the several counties of the state shall be entitled to receive, upon the amount of all real and tangible personal property taxes and special assessments collected and remitted, the following commissions,” which, according to 192.091(2)(b)(2) is the “Actual costs of collection, not to exceed 2%, on the amount of special assessments collected and remitted.”

My office’s actual cost of collection is approximately 1%, which is paid by the non-ad valorem district for the work my office does to collect its taxes.

I confirmed with multiple counties that my office’s non-ad valorem collection fee is approximately 50% lower than other counties. This is the result of my office costs being 50% lower than the state average and the lowest cost per capita in Florida.

Finally, I want to point out that my office’s financial operations are audited each year by an independent, external auditing firm, and I have always received a “clean” audit with no issues or comments. In fact, my office has received the Excellence in Financial Operations Award every year since its inception in 2011.

I am proud of how each of my employees is able to maintain efficient operations and provide exceptional customer service while achieving the lowest cost per capita of any Florida tax collector. As always, I invite your readers to contact me with any questions about this office.

–Barbara Ford-Coates, Sarasota County tax collector