Another 1 percent is added each month afterward. But to avoid a lawsuit, we require they be on a payment plan. If you don't respond to our original notice, we go ahead and file suit and foreclose if necessary. Payment plans can extend for up to 36 months, though taxpayers must pay 1-percent interest per month. The district files some 500 lawsuits per year.
Property owners face foreclosure within six months of being sued.
The delinquent owners can later repurchase the properties. Non-homestead properties can be recovered within six months at 125 percent of the purchase price, while homesteads will cost 125 percent in the first 12 months and 150 percent in the second year. Delinquency notices are mailed in February with a March 1 deadline. The approximately 5 percent who don't pay face the seizure of enough property to satisfy the lien. Sheriff's deputies have taken vehicles, jewelry, office equipment, tools and, in one instance, a couple of tons of bolts.