Putnam County school board members plunged into a tense public back-and-forth this month after learning the county tax collector has been taking commission payments from a voter-approved $300 million school construction bond. Trustees argued that the money, already in the tens of thousands and projected to reach into the millions over the life of the program, should stay with building projects and students, and they called for a formal legal review.
According to reporting from Palatka Daily News, the district’s chief financial officer, Jonathan Odom, told the board the tax collector’s office collected $127,708 in commissions from the district’s first $100 million bond issuance in 2025 and returned about $29,689 to the district. After a later issuance, the district received roughly $28,622 back while the tax collector retained additional commissions. Odom cautioned that, depending on how the formulas are applied, those ongoing commissions could ultimately carve roughly $9 million to more than $11 million out of the bond total under different calculation scenarios.
“My office believes we are legally required to collect these commissions,” Putnam County Tax Collector Brenda Bridges told trustees, adding that the fees help fund a fee-based constitutional office that does not receive county general-revenue support, as reported by Palatka Daily News. The board’s attorney, Donald Holmes, said a recently filed Sarasota County lawsuit over similar withholdings could provide legal guidance, and trustees voted unanimously to have the attorney, superintendent and district staff research their options and report back with recommendations.
What the law says
Florida law does spell out commission formulas and who is supposed to pay them, but how that applies to voter-approved bond millage is open to interpretation. Chapter 192 of the Florida Statutes details commissions for property appraisers and tax collectors and lays out which taxing bodies audit and pay those commissions. The statute’s text and formulas, published by The Florida Senate, sit at the heart of the dispute local officials are now trying to sort through.
Sarasota lawsuit could offer a roadmap
School officials in Putnam were pointed to a recent flare-up in Sarasota County as a possible playbook. There, school leaders sued the county tax collector after millions were withheld in connection with a voter-approved school tax. County commissioners later voted to resume covering the cost of collecting the levy after the lawsuit was filed, according to reporting by WGCU, a PBS/NPR affiliate.
What officials said and what comes next
Board members described the commission figures as alarming and insisted the bond proceeds should remain fully dedicated to construction projects and students. Superintendent Rick Surrency told trustees the district will coordinate with legal counsel and reach out to other Florida districts to gather information before the board considers any formal move.
Trustees said they expect a follow-up at a future meeting once legal and financial staff present their findings and options. Residents who want meeting agendas and document archives can find the district’s public notices and BoardDocs links on the Putnam County School District website.
