Nichols returns funds to county

Santa Rosa County Tax Collector Stan Nichols returned more than $660,000 to the county’s general fund.

Nichols presented the surplus to the board of commissioners during an Oct. 27 commission meeting. He said the funds were what his office had collected in fees after his budgetary spending was complete for 2011.

"We do our very best to provide great customer service to the citizens of Santa Rosa County and to spend our money wisely," he told commissioners.

The tax collector’s office collects fees attached to the purchase of car tags, driver’s licenses and other state and county levied fees. He is able to keep a small portion of each fee, but those small percentages added up to a lot.

For more of this story, see the Nov. 3 issue of Navarre Press or subscribe online.