March 30, 2010 Update

Judge Jones has signed the final order based on the hearing before him on March 1^st. This was discussed in the March 3^rd update on this web site. The deadline for filling an appeal is April 14^th. An update will be posted again after the appeal is filed.

Judge Jones also ruled on 2 enforcement provisions at the hearing. The ruling concerning tax lien certificates will not have any bearing until all appeals in this case have been exhausted. The other provision involved the refund of the additional 6% interest charges to some plaintiffs who paid the delinquent tax rate of 18% per year.

According to the tax collector’s office, 660 checks have been mailed out totaling over $311,000 in refunds. These checks were mailed to whoever paid the taxes on behalf of the plaintiff. In some cases this would have been the closing agent on the sale of a leasehold interest or a refinanced mortgage. If you are due a refund because you paid the 18% interest rate versus the 12% interest rate and have not received letter and check from the Tax Collector, please contact the entity that paid the taxes on your behalf. This refund is the responsibility of Janet Holley, Escambia County Tax Collector. If you have any questions about the refund process, contact the Tax Collector’s Office at (850) 438-6500.