Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden Closes Offices due to COVID-19

Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden Closes Offices

TAMPA, FL (March 19, 2020) Hillsborough County Tax Collector Doug Belden announced today he will close all Tax Collector branch offices to the public effective today, Thursday, March 19, at 5 p.m. The offices will remain closed until further notice.

“We are in a state of emergency and it is our responsibility to ensure we are doing our part to stop the spread of the Coronavirus and protect our employees and customers,” Belden said.

“We will continue to monitor the situation and will re-evaluate public access at our office locations at a later date.”

Despite the branch closings, Tax Collector back-office personnel, which includes those answering telephones and processing mail and online transactions, will still be working. Updates will be posted on www.hillstax.org as well as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

“We will still be able to process online and mail payments,” Belden said. “What we are doing is eliminating the face-to-face contact that may spread the virus.”

Real Estate and Tangible Personal Property Tax deadlines, interest and fees are governed by Florida law and cannot be changed except by an Executive Order issued by the Governor. As it stands now, the deadline for property and tangible taxes is still March 31. However, Belden and other tax collectors are working with Governor Ron DeSantis and his staff to provide some relief for taxpayers.

These payments can be paid by mail, online or at a drop box set up in front of all Tax Collector locations. These locations can be found online at www.hillstax.org.

Online customers can take advantage of the free e-Check online payment option or mailing in your payments to avoid additional convenience fees. Regretfully, conveniences fees are regulated by a third-party vendor and they are not waiving these fees. In addition, credit card companies and banks are not providing any relief.

DeSantis has granted a 30-day extension which began on Monday, March 16, 2020 for driver licenses and ID cards which expire in the next 30 days. Motorists will be given an extra 30 days to renew them. However, this Executive Order does not remove any stops or holds on a driver license.

For all the latest updates regarding the Tax Collector’s office, please visit our COVID-19 Updates page at www.hillstax.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.