The Escambia County Tax Collector recently sent out notices of 2008 Real Estate Taxes to plaintiffs in this law suit who have not paid the 2008 tax. This has caused concern among many of you, because this is the first time the Tax Collector has sent a notice in April. The explanation that we have heard from the Tax Collector’s office is that they are required to send notices of delinquent taxes in April (Property taxes are due March 31^st). This year they also sent notices to Beach leaseholders who have contested these taxes through the courts.

This has been brought to the attention of the attorneys who represent us in this litigation. Our attorneys continue to recommend that we not pay the taxes. “Plaintiffs are not obligated to pay the taxes until the courts have made a final disposition in this matter.” Please refer to the information listed under “Your Frequently Asked Questions” on the home page for more details concerning the attorneys’ recommendations and interest on the legal interest rate for taxes in the event that payment can be enforced.

Some of us have questioned whether this action by the Tax Collector was a violation of the stay order and might constitute contempt of court. Our attorney has responded “sending you a bill which informs you as to the amount of tax for 2008 is not a violation of the stay order. It simply gives you information, and of course, you have the option to pay it (which I do not recommend). You can keep track of how much is owed, on an accumulated basis, and some people are putting away funds for the possible rainy day (if we lose) when payment can be enforced.”

You can access your tax records on line at the Tax Collector’s web site http://escambiataxcollector.governmaxa.com

The liaison committee has a meeting with the attorneys on April 21^st. We still are waiting for a ruling from the Circuit Court. We will provide another update after the meeting.