Commission chair seeks to return $2.5 million to Manatee County Schools

Manatee County Commission Chairman Tal Siddique aims to resolve a simmering dispute by directing county administrators to reimburse Manatee County Schools more than $2.5 million that had been withheld to cover tax collection fees.

Siddique told Suncoast Searchlight that he will make a motion at the next Manatee County Commission meeting on July 28 to send the funds to Manatee County Schools from the excess fees the county expects to get back from the tax collector’s office this year.

After Suncoast Searchlight’s reporting highlighted the dispute, he reached out to officials at the tax collector’s office and Superintendent Laurie Breslin to figure out a solution.

Each year, the county receives excess fees from the tax collector’s office from funds withheld to cover collection of property taxes. Those funds are swept into the county’s reserves, Siddique said, but this year, the county’s projected to receive nearly $9 million, a significant increase from years past due to the new fees charged to the school district. 

“They (excess fees) jumped up a lot,” he said. “They’re excess by definition and weren’t needed. The school district needs it. Let’s give it to them.”

The issue emerged in 2024 from a disagreement over who should pay tax collectors for processing a voter-approved school property tax that funds athletics, teacher retention and school operations.

For years, county commissions covered those fees. But beginning in 2024, some tax collectors, including Manatee County, argued that school districts should pay instead — a change that shifted millions of dollars away from public education.

In April, the fight went public when Sarasota County Schools sued Tax Collector Mike Moran over the withheld funds, accusing his office of  “unlawful diversion” of taxpayer dollars meant to support teachers and students.

Siddique wants to avoid any similar legal fights between governments in Manatee County.

“I want to project a level of calm,” Siddique e said. “We have seen a lot of turmoil on the board and a lot of vitriol in the past. Now, we’re generally getting along.”

Siddique’s proposed solution comes just days after Breslin sent Tax Collector Ken Burton Jr. a letter asking for his office to return the funds that had been withheld after a legislative fix by the State Rep. James Buchanan, R-Osprey, was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Buchanan was responding to a legal fight and the news coverage in Sarasota. His fix provided tax collectors across the state the ability to waive the fee or charge it to county governments.

Breslin, the Manatee County Schools superintendent, thanked Siddique in a written statement to Suncoast Searchlight for his efforts to find a solution and indicated optimism that other county commissioners will support the proposal that would see the voter-approved funds “return to our classrooms, where they can directly support student success and invest in our teachers.” 

“By working together, we have avoided unnecessary legal costs, remained focused on what matters most, and honored the trust of voters who approved these funds with the expectation that they would support public education,” Breslin wrote. “When we collaborate, our entire community benefits — and most importantly so do our students.” 

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