New Florida law addresses who pays for school millage commissions

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to provide further clarification of the new law HB7031E which took effect July 1 concerning commissions charged on school millages and the status of the lawsuit between the Sarasota School District and the Sarasota Tax Collector.

A new state law that took effect July 1st, changes how commissions on school funding are paid. In 2025, the Sarasota County School District paid those fees, but now, going forward the Sarasota Board of County Commissioners will pay any commissions. For this coming year, the Sarasota County Tax Collector says they will waive the fee of almost $2.2 million and that money will go to the school district.

WATCH: New Florida law addresses who pays for school millage commissions

Sarasota School Board takes Sarasota Tax Collector to Court

School Board Tax Collector Lawsuit by Tampa Bay 28

For over 20 years, Sarasota County voters had approved extra taxes specifically for schools. The money was earmarked to hire teachers, improve safety, and fund classroom programs. However, due to commissions collected, not all millage funds went directly to the school district.

In April, the Sarasota School District filed a lawsuit against the Sarasota Tax Collector over the commissions collected by that office.

"We were told every single penny of that money was going to be used in the classroom for teachers and students," said Daniel DeLeo, an attorney with Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick LLP who led the lawsuit.

According to DeLeo, the district laid off teachers and reduced staff. Court documents show the tax collector's office argued that it was legally entitled to those commissions under state law. The school board disagreed.

House Bill 7031E: In detail
According to House Bill 7031E, which took effect this month,” the commissions on the amount of taxes collected school millages shall be paid by the board of county commissioners.”

The new law also states that “the tax collector may waive the commission authorized for voted school millages. A waiver must be communicated to the board of county commissioners in writing no later than March 1 for the fiscal year beginning October 1 of the calendar year the waiver takes effect and shall remain in effect unless rescinded in writing by the tax collector.”

Taxpayers react
Sarasota resident Richard Jones said he supports giving more money to schools but expressed skepticism about whether reforms work.

"I hope that that law actually works. How about that?" Jones said. "I've gotten to a point in life where I don't really trust anytime we throw extra money, it's never enough."

Tax Collector’s Viewpoint
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the Sarasota County Tax Collector's Office for comment and in an email Mike Moran, the Sarasota County Tax Collector, told us that his office had responded to the district’s lawsuit with a 66-page Motion to Dismiss.

Tax Collector's Motion To Dismiss by Tampa Bay 28

Moran's office issued the following statement to Tampa Bay 28:

"Our office has always been focused on administering Florida law as written. The Legislature has now changed the statute, creating a different framework for how these commissions will be handled going forward, and we will fully comply with the updated law.

It's important for the public to understand that this matter did not affect the Tax Collector’s operating budget or create a new fee. The dispute centered on which public entity was responsible for paying a commission established under state law.

We continue to respect the judicial process while carrying out our responsibilities under the revised law."

It’s important to note that while the new law clarifies who pays school millage commissions (going forward, it’s the county board of commissioners), the lawsuit between the Sarasota School District and the Sarasota Tax Collector is still pending in litigation.