Sarasota tax office returns nearly $18 million to county in excess fees

The Sarasota County Tax Collector’s office is returning $17.8 million in excess fees to the county.

The office, in a statement from Sarasota County Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates, says the money will go back to the county’s taxing districts. That includes $16.3 million to the Sarasota County Commission. The returned funds set an all-time record, the release states. 

In her message to the county commissioners Ford-Coates said the excess fees represent “what the private sector would call ‘profit,’” adding “this is the highest percentage returned of all Florida Tax Collectors.”