Page 8 - Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens - February '21

Page 8, Lifestyles in Palm Beach Gardens
Tax Talk

As t he pa nde m i c with an appointment. If you arrive for your scheduled
c ont i nue s t o a f fe c t appointment and find there is a long wait time, please
nearl y every aspe ct consider rescheduling your appointment for a later date
of our daily lives, I am or different location. I know this can be inconvenient and
taking this opportunity to thank you in advance for your patience.
share information about A quick reminder ... our offices are closed Monday,
important safety measures Feb. 15 for President’s Day, but we are always open to
implemented in our offices. serve you online at www.pbctax.com.
I put these measures in Regards,
place at the beginning of the Anne M. Gannon,
pandemic and will continue Constitutional Tax Collector,
to refine them as needed. Serving Palm Beach County
Even with these safety measures, we find ourselves
periodically understaffed due to COVID-19. In these Last Chance To Get A
instances, wait times may be longer than normal, even What We’ve Done
Property Tax Discount • Required face masks or cloth face coverings of anyone
entering our offices.
It’s The Law! Pay real estate • Installed protective barriers at all front counters.
• Placed social distance signage and markers in all offices.
and tangible
personal property • Installed air purification systems in every office.
Did You Know That, In tax in February to • Conducted mandatory onsite COVID-19 education and
testing for all employees.
receive the 1 percent
Florida… discount on your What We Continue To Do
2020 property taxes. • Limit our services to Palm Beach County residents and
By Adam S. Gumson, There is no discount new residents only.
Esq. available in March. • Require an appointment for in-person service.
COVID-19 has led Pay smart, pay • Promote contactless payment methods in our offices.
to people reevaluating online at www.pbctax.com today! • Provide staff with cloth face coverings, plastic gloves,
their marital situation hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.
and finding themselves Delinquent Business Tax • Require daily temperature and blood oxygen level
ready to escape unhappy checks of all employees.
marriages. Coupled with Notices • Initiate periodic deep cleaning at all locations.
the growth of “gray With every decision I make, I strive to balance our
divorces” (divorce Have you received a delinquent business tax notice? most urgent mission to provide essential services while
over age 50) filings for Don’t wait! An additional $250 fine is applied on Feb. 1 protecting the health of our staff and clients. Over these
dissolution of marriage pursuant to Florida Statute 205.053. Pay smart, pay online past several months, we quickly learned we must remain
have increased. In some gray divorces where couples at www.pbctax.com today to avoid further penalties. You flexible to adapt to new ways of working. Transforming
have been long-separated, sorting through equitable can also pay by mail or drop your payment in one of our how we serve you is part of my commitment to continuous
distribution can get complicated because it might secure drop boxes located in our office lobbies during improvement.
require reviewing many years of bank statements or regular business hours.
other financial records. Important Dates And
For new home real estate contracts, buyers must Steps We Are Taking To
decide in writing whether to put money in escrow Deadlines
or release funds to the builder. It’s not always a Protect The Health Of Our
straightforward decision. If the buyer places the Feb. 15 President’s Day – Offices closed
earnest money deposit in escrow, the builder has Employees And Clients Feb. 28 Last day to receive 1 percent property tax discount
the right to charge the buyer the builder’s cost of Do you have an April birthday? Your registration
borrowing that amount of money, less any interest that As this agency and our country continues to deal with expires at midnight on
the builder is able to obtain on the escrow while the the spread of COVID-19, I remain focused on protecting your birthday. You can
deposits are being held in the bank. the health of our employees and the public. Beginning renew your registration
If you die without a will, your estate will be in March 2020, new processes and safety measures were up to 90 days in advance
distributed in accordance with the state’s intestacy implemented in every office, often ahead of county at www.pbctax.com.
laws, which mandate distribution of assets to blood executive orders. These proactive measures were put in
relatives (or their spouses). For example, the intestacy place to ensure this agency could continue to provide
statute designates a hierarchy of beneficiaries starting essential services in the safest manner possible.
with the spouse, children, parents, siblings, etc. So,
if it is your wish that your assets go to someone other
than those on this list (like a friend or charity), it is
especially important that you draft a will.
Probate is a court-supervised process for identifying
and gathering the assets of a deceased person (who is
called the “decedent”), paying the decedent’s debts
and distributing the decedent’s assets to his/her
beneficiaries.
Jupiter Law Center is a private neighborhood law
firm located in the RiverPlace Professional Center,
1003 W. Indiantown Road, Suite 210, Jupiter, FL, (561)
744 - 4600, jupiterlawcenter.com. The firm provides
peace of mind by solving problems with integrity
and compassion in the areas of estate planning
(wills and trusts, powers of attorney, health care
surrogates, living wills, probate estates, succession
planning, contracts and purchase/sale agreements),
family law (divorce, paternity, child support and time
sharing, alimony, property distribution, modifications,
collaborative law, pre/post nuptial agreements) and
real estate (community association law, residential
and commercial transactions, deeds, closings).

Captain’s was established in 1980 servicing
Palm Beach County and is a privately
owned and managed company.
Captain’s is committed to providing
dependable, reliable and professional
ground transportation to and from all
South Florida Airports and Seaports. PBCVH212
To reserve your vehicle:
561-798-2180 or 800-634-7890 www.captainsairport.com