On Wednesday, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph announced that the Tax Collector’s Office will return $4.5 million dollars to the county, thanks to an increase in revenues that pushes them past the $15 million dollars budgeted. Randolph would like to see the extra revenues go toward the Orlando Science Center and County Animal Shelter.
The increase in revenue is a result of increased assessed values of property in the county and efficiency measures being done within the tax collector operation.
There has been a call by the public and by Animal Shelter officials to improve cooling conditions in the canine area of the 30 year old facility, where temperatures have been known to get especially warm in the summer months. Some stop gap proposals considered by Commissioners have been to improve ventilation in the area and perform a treatment on the roof, which would slightly decrease the temperature until a new shelter can be built. 19,000 pets called the animal shelter home last year.
A new AC system is estimated to cost $3 million.
“With this increase, I am hopeful that the County will reinvest in the services that make our community such a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, including the Orlando Science Center and the Orange County Animal Shelter, which desperately needs an air conditioning system,” said Randolph.
The Florida Department of Revenue ranks the Orange County Tax Collector’s Office as the third most efficient tax collector office in Florida, and the most efficient of any of the large counties.
