Seminole Country Tax Collectors Will Open-Carry While Residents Told They Cannot

Seminole County Tax Collector, Joel Greenberg, has been leading his office and his nearly 100 employees for a few years and noted that with a current budget crunch coming up, he had found a way to avoid a $350K private security firm expense for the Tax Office by having between 20-30 of his agents open-carrying Glocks.  His reasoning is sound and it is possible that he will be able to justify this in a court of law.  However, the question of why revenue officers are allowed to carry weapons versus private citizens is a nagging one that will most likely be a question for the courts to decide.

Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg told the Orlando Sentinel that according to Florida law, he and his employees are considered “revenue officers” and are exempt from the state’s ban on the open carrying of firearms while performing their duties.

Greenberg said his office will save about $350,000 a year by not hiring private security to accompany deputy tax collectors to see property or at branch offices where residents renew vehicle registrations and obtain other licenses.

He said 15 to 20 employees will be allowed to carry firearms.

Greenberg said no one will be forced to carry a weapon, adding that he “can’t imagine that they wouldn’t want to.”

Despite the provocative title of the video, the reality of the situation is that these agents could possibly use deadly force against those people who are having their property seized.  For now, this policy (which is just for Seminole County) is not fully in effect.  As Greenberg has stated, the employees would not be required to open-carry their firearms and the participation in the program would be completely on a volunteer basis.  For that to clear the courts and law enforcement background checks might take a while before it’s fully implemented.

If I were a Seminole County resident, however, I’d be kind of angry, especially if I were a gun owner there.  Other area counties are not taking a similar stance, but it is an interesting development.

Image: Joel Green