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Glades County commissioners decline to apply for tax deeds on most low‑value parcels
Summary
The Glades County Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 to refrain from applying for tax deeds on 2023 tax certificates whose assessed values are under the $5,000 statutory threshold after hearing an annual report from the tax collector.
Glades County commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday not to move forward with tax‑deed applications for most 2023 tax certificates whose assessed values fall below the $5,000 threshold that triggers a mandatory application.
Bill Jones, Glades County tax collector, told the board that certificates sold to investors operate like liens: purchasers pay unpaid taxes and collect interest on the certificates rather than immediately owning the land. Jones said that under state law the board must apply for a tax deed when a parcel’s assessed value exceeds $5,000; otherwise the county may choose not to initiate the title‑search and deed process.
Jones said 23 certificates were mature enough to be eligible for a tax‑deed application when he mailed notices on April 1; one of those paid afterward, leaving 22 still unpaid. He described the administrative steps if the county applied: a title search fee (about $115 per parcel), referral to the clerk’s office for a tax‑deed sale and, if a deed sale fails to draw a buyer, placement on the county—s list of lands where after three years the county may take ownership.
Commission discussion centered on whether it was worth the county—s expense to initiate title searches for parcels with low market value and whether those properties were maintained. One commissioner recommended additional outreach to adjacent property owners who might want to buy parcels rather than leaving them in limbo. A motion not to apply for tax deeds on the listed 2023 certificates was made and seconded; the board approved the motion by voice vote, 5-0.
The tax collector reminded commissioners that certificates remain valid for seven years, allowing time for owners or certificate holders to cure delinquencies before county ownership could result.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to continue to publish unpaid parcels online and to consider targeted outreach or research in future cycles to identify parcels that might be of value to neighbors or investors.
