Sarasota school tax fight reaches Tallahassee as lawmakers propose fix

The ongoing fight between Sarasota County Schools and Tax Collector Mike Moran over millions in tax dollars is now drawing attention in Tallahassee, where state lawmakers are proposing a change that could clarify who pays the cost of collecting voter-approved school taxes.

State Rep. James Buchanan, R-Osprey, introduced a measure that would allow county tax collectors to waive the collection fee or require counties to cover the cost if collectors choose to charge it. 

The proposal, which was added to Florida’s tax package with approval from House Ways and Means Committee Chair Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, comes as similar disputes are surfacing in other Florida districts. Broward County Schools last week authorized legal action over $5.5 million withheld by its tax collector, while Manatee County Schools said it had lost about $2.5 million to collection fees but since got nearly half back.

In Sarasota, the school district sued Moran in April after his office began withholding a 2% commission tied to the district’s voter-approved 1-mill property tax referendum — a levy that’s equal to $1 taxes per $1,000 of taxable property value and which raises millions of dollars annually to pay for teachers, support staff and school operations. 

For more than two decades — and through multiple such referendums — Sarasota County has covered the collection cost. But after Moran took office in January 2025, he urged the county commissioners to shift the expense onto the school district, arguing state law required the change despite little precedent elsewhere for charging the school district directly.

Buchanan told Suncoast Searchlight he began working on the proposal after following the nonprofit newsroom’s coverage of the Sarasota dispute and hearing concerns from constituents frustrated that voter-approved school tax dollars were being diverted from classrooms. He also said his concerns grew as similar conflicts emerged in other Florida districts. 

“When voters approved this referendum (in Sarasota), they did so with a clear expectation: that the money would support our students, strengthen our schools and keep our children safe, not get lost in bureaucracy,” Buchanan said in a statement to Suncoast Searchlight.

Buchanan said the special session allowed him to address the situation, resulting in what he hopes will end any confusion behind the Legislature’s intent relating to tax collection fees charged to school districts. His proposal became public shortly after noon on Tuesday as part of HB 7031E, otherwise known as the tax package.

“We have an opportunity in this tax package to provide statutory clarity and flexibility so these dollars are used the way voters intended,” Buchanan’s statement continued. “When it comes to our kids and their education, it’s simply the right thing to do.”

Last summer, Sarasota County commissioners agreed to shift collection costs from the county onto the school district. 

But after the school board and two county taxpayers sued Moran and his office this spring, the commissioners reversed course and agreed once again to cover the fees while the litigation played out. 

Even then, Moran said his office would continue collecting commissions and handling excess funds according to his interpretation of state law until it received “a formal agreement and clear direction from both parties.”

That agreement came last week, but the underlying legal dispute remains unresolved

If approved, the legislative measure could effectively resolve the central dispute in the school board’s lawsuit by clarifying in state law that schools should not bear the collection costs — as Moran had argued.

Moran said if the measure becomes law, he would waive the fee.

“This would be a historic win for our community and our children,” Moran said in a statement. “By changing the law, the Legislature has validated our legal position under the old statute and now given us the authority to waive these fees directly in support of our kids.”

Daniel DeLeo, an attorney representing Sarasota County Schools, called the legislative proposal “a repudiation” of Moran’s interpretation of state law.

The proposal has drawn concern from the Florida Tax Collectors Association, however.

In an email obtained by Suncoast Searchlight, the association’s general counsel and lobbyist, Timothy Qualls, warned Tuesday that allowing tax collectors to waive the fees would turn a mandatory statutory entitlement into a discretionary decision that could create recurring political pressure on tax collectors to give up commissions they are otherwise entitled to receive.

“So long as the commission cannot be waived, no one can ask a tax collector to give it up,” he wrote in the email. “Once waiver becomes possible, it becomes something that can be requested.”

Suncoast Searchlight left a voicemail for Qualls on Tuesday afternoon, but Qualls did not immediately return the call.

Holly Bullard, a Sarasota parent who is also the chief strategy and development officer for Florida Policy Institute, celebrated Buchanan’s proposed legislative fix. 

“This clarifying language is a win for not only Sarasota County Schools, students and teachers, but every student and public school across Florida who were at risk of losing out on funding,” she said. “It is a testament to leadership at the Sarasota school district, and honestly, our community coming together to ensure no tax collector does what ours attempted to do.”

Buchanan said in an interview with Suncoast Searchlight the tax package “runs in tandem” with the budget and that the school tax fix will be voted on then. 

“It will be something the membership will be able to opine on for 72 hours once it (the bill) is put out on notice,” he said.

Buchanan, who is running for state Senate to succeed outgoing state Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, said the tax package will be open to public discussion as soon as this week when legislators put the budget up for a vote.

He said several other legislators have also worked on gaining consensus with “conceptual agreement” across chambers. Buchanan said if his bill doesn’t fully address the confusion, he’s open to pursuing additional legislation 

“It’s not the perfect fix,” Buchanan said. “But it’s addressing the issue the best we can in a tax package.” 

Derek Gilliam is a watchdog/investigative reporter for Suncoast Searchlight. Email him at derek@suncoastsearchlight.org.