Scott Lunsford was elected Escambia County Tax Collector in November 2016 with the goal of running the tax collector’s office as efficiently as possible while incorporating new technology to minimize wait times and promote world-class customer service. Scott cares deeply about the citizens of Escambia County and their interaction with the office. With an annual budget of $7 million, Scott operates four offices with a staff of over 100 full-time employees. In his first seven years in office, he has returned over $5 million in unused funds to the Board of County Commissioners. Since taking office in January 2017, Scott has brought many innovations to the office, including:
Returning over $5 million of unspent budget money to the Escambia BOCC
MILO - Mobile Identification and Licensing Office - Serving Century and other outlying areas of the county
Online ordering of electronic titles for pick up
Created a Resident Military Portal to assist military members with registration services
Created an online lienholder request to allow new residents to begin a title transfer without a visit to the office
Making Florida birth certificates available at all four offices
Making vehicle and vessel registrations available for same-day pick up using the ExpressWay lockers
Installing self-service kiosks at some locations for quicker on-site service
Improving services by re-designing web sites, re-organizing office structure and call center, and queuing system
Coordinating the State’s mobile licensing unit (Flow Mobile) to visit the town of Century regularly to assist citizens in the northernmost part of Escambia County
Began offering online business tax receipts applications through BTExpress
New property tax bill design (2017)
Awards and Accolades:
FTCA’s Certificate of Merit for a clean audit free of any findings (2017,2018,2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
FTCA’s Legacy Excellence in Financial Operations Award (2017,2018,2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Donate Life Florida’s special recognition for 2017 and 2018 Donate Life Month for outstanding participation and community outreach
DeMolay International Legion of Honor awarded to Scott Lunsford October 14, 2017
US Probation, Northern District of Florida, awarded Scott Lunsford the Going Beyond Partners in STEP on December 15, 2017
Along with the expansion of services, Scott has increased office participation in community events, including:
Participating in naturalization ceremonies, offering services and guidance to our new citizens
Participating in Driver License Clinics to assist citizens clear their licenses
Paid political advertisement paid for and approved by Scott Lunsford, Republican, for Escambia County Tax Collector.