The St. Pete Times reports that many businesses have not yet paid their property taxes, leading to a record number and amount of delinquencies:
A record number of property tax bills remain unpaid across the Tampa Bay area this year, one more casualty of tough economic times.
In April, 114,000 properties had overdue bills totaling $332.1 million in taxes in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties.
Final warnings to property owners for unpaid real estate taxes spiked 10 percent this March on top of record high delinquencies in 2008.
After reading the Times, the Tribune thought it might be newsworthy, too. Both papers also note that some people can profit from the information – investors can make a buck or two on those delinquent taxpayers. The Tribune sums it up bluntly:
The tax sale surge isn’t bad for everybody. Investors who dabble in tax sales are hoping to cash in at this year’s auctions.
But it’s not only those investors that could profit. Newspapers themselves also get a big hunk of money because of it.
You know the huge supplement that gets thrown in subscribers’ driveways in late April or early May – the super-duper-double-Sunday sized “insert” generally goes immediately to the recycle bin. Well, the entire section is nothing more than a huge Legal Ad. As in Advertisement. As in the tax collector (that’s you, folks) pays for the ad to run, and the newspaper makes a nice huge profit (scroll down to #2).
Which is stupid.
The only people who might peruse the hundreds of pages of late payers are those investors interested in buying up the tax deeds. And even they shouldn’t bother with the printed list anymore, since the same information is available in a searchable file!
Update 4/22 at 5:30pm: Left unstated in this post is the fact that the legal ads are required by law to run in the paper. It’s another law that needs to be updated and change with the times. Thanks to commenter Jason for pointing it out…
jason
11 months ago
The public notice in the paper is legally required actually. See 197.402 for the Florida statutes for the details.
http://www.flsenate.gov/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=Ch0197/SEC402.HTM&Title=->2008->Ch0197->Section%20402#0197.402
tommy
11 months ago
Thanks, Jason…
That’s actually the point I was trying to make, and just assumed that it was common knowledge. I have updated the post to include that information.
Clyde
11 months ago
I believe the requirement is public notice. Perhaps we do need to think of other means of giving public notice, but I think without newspapers you will miss part of the public. Believe it or not some people don’t have a computer and depend on the newspapers. (No idea what we can do for people who don’t read.) As for huge newspaper profits, must be somewhere other than Tampa Bay.
jason
11 months ago
No, they do actually require it to be via newspaper. There are even instructions in the link I posted about who selects the paper and how. I don’t really think it fair to blame the papers for it though (although your line about how the Trib read it in the Times was a riot). The law was written well before the advent of the internet and the paper has long been used to notify the public about all property transactions in a county. It is still the most widely distributed source of info in most areas since everybody can easily get one, unlike internet service. Obviously the papers aren’t really banking a lot on these adverts ($60k a year wouldn’t cover the cost of one laid off columnist), the tax sales which publish three times a year or the regular property sales which publish all the time, or they would be about to collapse. What’s more the use of public notice follows a long tradition of open records that Florida is actually very good at. Few places make all public records, from my arrest record to my water bill to my home sale, so accessible.
The Carl
10 months ago
Ronda Storms wants to do away with legal ads in papers. She thinks it’s better for governments to put that info on their own websites, like anyone will actually bother to read them there. Just what politicians want, for all of us to be ignorant drones. And how’s it feel to be on the same side as that bat-crazy zealot?
Here’s my question for all you press-bashers out there: Who’s gonna tell you what’s happening at City Hall when the last reporter gets laid off? Also, how you gonna do sudoku and crosswords on a computer (boring)? Lastly, are you gonna bother wiping down your laptop or smartphone when you’re done on the toilet?
So I guess we still need newspapers around after all! And these things don’t pay for themselves, so don’t hold legal ads against them as a revenue stream.
tommy
10 months ago
Hey Carl!
No matter where the legal ad is run (paper or govt. website), the only ones who will “bother to read them” are those who are interested. And those people will find the information wherever it is.
I see no need for government to subsidize the newspaper – a for-profit business – in this manner. Ronda IS right on this one, and it feels just fine to acknowledge both the good and bad that all of our politicians do.
Just as it feels fine to both bash the press when it is deserved, and congratulate them when appropriate.
As to your comments about press-bashers, you better come up with a better defense for your industry, Carl. Two of your three arguments for newspapers (puzzles and portability?) are among the lamest reasons ever cited as proof we “still need newspapers around.” Hell, I can buy a sudoku book if I want, and print out your online articles for the can.
Having said all that, it is absolutely critical that JOURNALISM survives. However, your response here tells me that you are not doing much to ensure that important piece survives. I sincerely believe it will take more than just crossing your fingers and BEGGING us to leave your revenue streams alone.
Figure it out.