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Delinquent‑tax firm reports $186,000 in base tax and $258,000 total collected for Palm View in FY2023–24
Summary
Guillermo Diaz presented the city’s fiscal year 2023–24 delinquent tax collection report, detailing outreach, litigation and recovery activity and noting the firm collected roughly $186,000 in base tax plus $72,000 in penalties and interest.
Guillermo Diaz, the managing partner for the city’s delinquent tax collection firm, presented the City of Palm View’s fiscal year 2023–24 collection report, saying the firm collected roughly $186,000 in base tax and approximately $72,000 in penalties and interest during the period.
Diaz told the council the collections effort combines outreach, field inspections, payment agreements and litigation as last resort. He reported more than 2,000 contacts with taxpayers, more than 1,600 mailed notices of delinquency, 262 address updates through skip tracing, and 74 field inspections. During the reporting period, the firm said it entered 29 payment agreements representing over $38,000 in base tax and filed 43 suits for more than $140,000 in base tax. The firm placed and sold tax‑foreclosed properties, reporting two sales that together yielded more than $10,000 in base tax, and said tax‑sale proceedings produced over $14,000 in additional collections.
“In all, we collected over $186,000 in base tax and an additional $72,000 in penalties and interest for a grand total of about $258,000 owed to the City of Palm View,” Diaz said.
City Manager Michael Leo and other staff discussed collection limits. The presenters noted legal protections that can limit collection activity: homestead status, age (over‑65) and disability can create deferral protections, meaning some delinquent balances cannot be pursued until property transfer or sale. City staff encouraged council members and residents to report vacant or abandoned properties that might have delinquent taxes so the collection firm can investigate.
Council members asked about collection challenges and praised the firm’s approach of working with taxpayers before litigating. A staff member said the city’s on‑time collection rate for current taxes averages 93–94 percent; litigation involves a small fraction of parcels, the presenters said.
The presentation concluded with an offer from the firm to continue working with the city to pursue delinquent accounts, expedite recoveries on abandoned businesses or properties, and pursue foreclosure and tax‑sale remedies when voluntary repayment is not possible.
