Candidate: Terry E Trail

My name is Terry E. Trail, and I am seeking election for the position of Tax Collector for Gilchrist County.  As of January 2, 2020, I have worked in the office for 21 years, originally hired by the Honorable Winfred “Wimpy” Welch on January 2, 1999. In 2011, I became the Assistant Tax Collector under the direction of the Honorable Marilyn Bruce and remained the Assistant Tax Collector under the direction of the Honorable Barbara Merritt and throughout my time in the office until I had to resign in order to run for the position of Tax Collector.  

On February 2, 2019 the Honorable Barbara Merritt retired, I served as “Interim” Tax Collector for Gilchrist County, until an appointment of Tax Collector was made on July 26, 2019. During my 6 months, as “Interim” Tax Collector, I immediately began working with FLHSMV to get Driver’s License approved for Gilchrist County.   After several months of meetings and gathering vital information, our County was approved for Driver’s License. However, the contract could not be signed with FLHSMV until an appointment of Tax Collector was made.  I presented the Gilchrist County Board of County Commissioners the first draft of the 2019-2020 Budget, with the Driver’s License included in the budget - which was later approved by due process.

I have always been on top of the latest innovations for customer service within reach of our budget. The Tax Collector’s office has always been a budget office, the budget is approved by the Honorable Board of County Commissioners who do a tremendous job at diligently and respectively governing our County finances. Therefore, it is not solely up to a Tax Collector as to what they can or cannot do, it all depends on their budget, and of course the budget depends on the population of the County.

I received Certification from the Florida Department of Revenue as Certified Florida Collector Assistant in 2007-2020. I was honored to have been elected as the Chairperson of the North Florida Tax Coalition 2017-2020.  I became a Certified Executive Leader through Valencia College 2018. I have been approved through the Northern, Middle and Southern Bankruptcy Courts to administer the filings for the Tax Collector’s Office. I am well versed in the Florida Statutes and Laws, which govern our State Tax Collector’s Offices and was able to assist in the re-write of Florida Statute 197.502 in 2018.

I have represented Gilchrist County well, at many of the Tax Collector Conferences throughout the years and have received many calls from across the State of Florida (from Miami-Dade to Escambia County) requesting guidance in tax laws and opinions concerning proper protocol in tax operations. 

For many years now, it has been my position in the office (among many other things)  to make sure that our local taxes are correctly billed, being distributed to each of the local taxing authorities, and make sure that each tax roll balances in November and is still balanced in June at the time of the tax roll recapitulation, and providing these reports to the Department of Revenue annually. I have taken care of the Installment Rolls, and the Certificate Sales, as well as assisted County residents with the hardship program.

In the midst of all of the behind the scenes day to day tax operations, I always had an open door policy and found the time when a customer called or came in the office to take the necessary steps to assist them in any way possible to make the dreadful job of “taking care of taxes” a more enjoyable experience. It was always a welcomed challenge to be able to take care of the needs of our taxpayers.   

As Tax Collector, my goal is to be able to serve our community in every way possible, as I have for the past 21 years in the Tax Collector’s Office. This has been more than a career to me, it has always been my heart, and my passion to work for you. I will continue to give you the professionalism, knowledge, confidence and genuine compassion to which you are accustomed, as we move forward providing you with the excellent customer service that you deserve.

Visit my website at

Web Page:

www. terrytrailfortaxcollector2020

or email me at  

Email: ttrailfortaxcollector2020@gmail.com">Terry Trail