Take a quick look around Panama City Beach and it is easy to see that our area is growing quickly. Residential housing is being built and sold at a rapid pace. As residents move in to occupy these new developments, they too will be utilizing all of our local services, including government. Bay County Tax Collector Chuck Perdue recognizes the importance of working with local developers and government administrators to create service centers to accommodate the growth.
“We have already outgrown our space at the Beach Office. We know there is a need for either an additional service center on the beach or a more expansive one to better accommodate our citizens,” said Perdue. “We’re in talks with County Officials and other constitutional officers about where they are seeing the greatest need for expanding service and asking to be included in those plans for office accommodations.”
“The Latitudes development alone will significantly impact our office as their residents move in and need to obtain Florida driver licenses as well as register and title their vehicles. Additionally, condos and apartments are going up all along Panama City Beach Parkway. Again, any residents moving from out of state to Bay County will be required to visit our office for a driver license/ID card,” said Perdue. ‘’We’re very much aware of the changing landscape and working to grow our offices as our area expands, so we don’t wake up in a world where we have lagged behind.”
In addition to space to better accommodate walk-in customers, the office is also working to expand behind the scenes services, including their Customer Support Center which answers all incoming phone calls, processes mail payments, online renewals and follows up on email and website chats.
“It takes approximately two years for a new team member to have a really good understanding of the work we do and how to problem solve those transactions, because there are so many nuances to the work,” said Perdue. “We are working hard to hire team members who believe what we believe and love serving people, so that as we are able to get more office space, we will have knowledgeable team members to serve both in our service centers as well as through our back office channels.”
The Tax Collector’s Office is aware of the challenges facing them as they look to expand at a time when everyone is hiring and businesses are having a difficult time retaining talent.
“We are not immune to the challenges so many others are seeing in their workforce. We have lost some great team members over the past couple of years due to retirements or just other personal needs which have arisen,” said Perdue. “There is a significant learning curve and investment required for both us as an employer as well as to for the new team member, we’re looking to hire individuals who want a career, not just a job.’’
In addition to office space to accommodate beach residents, the tax collector’s office plans to open office space on Tyndall Air Force base as well as northern Bay County.
To learn more about the tax collector’s office, please visit BayTaxCollector.com.
