Duties & Responsibilities

Tax Collector Responsibilities

In Florida, Tax Collectors are independent constitutional officers duly elected from their counties of residence by their fellow citizens and taxpayers. The elected county office of Tax Collector in Florida was established in the 1885 state constitution based on the ideas that local taxes could best be collected at the local level, and they are elected for 4-year terms in the presidential election year. The independence of the Tax Collector's Office is necessary for it to serve both local and state agencies. It is this independence coupled with the fact that Tax Collectors deal with a variety of duties and responsibilities and provide a myriad of important public services, that allows them to excercise valuable leadership roles in Florida's Government.

Tax Collectors direct, plan, organize, budget, set and implement policies which affect not only their governments, but reach the state level as well, such as the Department of Community Affairs, the Department of Professional Regulation, and the Secretary of State.

Along with their own local involvement in personnel and financial management matters, Tax Collectors participate in the management of the executive branches of state government which include the Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and Department of Revenue.

It is the Tax Collector who sees all of these departments as a whole and, consequently, is able to coordinate and analyze the impact they have collectively. Staff members from various departments of state along with state legislatures should and do draw heavily on the broad base of knowledge accumulated by the Tax Collectors in drafting tax legislation and establishing rules and regulations for carrying out laws regarding the collection of taxes.

In most counties, the Tax Collector is responsible for not only the collection of as-valorem and non-advalorem taxes, which is the single largest tax collected in Florida, but also for the collection of other taxes at the local level such as taxes imposed by special levying districts and also taxes imposed by state agencies.

The Tax Collector is a vital link between the citizens and the diverse programs that affect them, who insures that both government agencies and individual citizens are treated equitably.

The mission of the Tax Collector's Office is to provide accurate and courteous service to the citizens and government agencies of Gilchrist County.

In order to better help you see at a glance, please note below services and distributions:

Services Provided

Real Estate Taxes
Tangible Personal Property Taxes
Delinquent Property Taxes
Hunting and Fishing Licenses
Boat Registrations and Title Applications
Motor Vehicle Registrations and Title Applications
Handicapped Parking Permits
Auto Sales Tax, Surtax, and Warranty Fees
Mobile Home Registrations and Title Applications