Appointments necessary, and face coverings will be required
The Sarasota County Tax Collector Mid-County Service Center will re-open Monday, May 11, for limited driver’s license transactions that cannot be completed online, the staff has announced.
The office will be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but appointments are required, a news release emphasizes. “Under a phased re-opening plan, other Tax Collector locations will re-open as the need for in-person services increases,” the release adds.
“We are proceeding cautiously and taking a phased approach to re-opening with safety in mind,” Tax Collector Barbara Ford-Coates said in the release. “Protective barriers are being installed at every other service station to provide social distancing for staff, and other precautionary measures are being implemented to comply with CDC guidelines,” the release says.
Upon re-opening, the following is required, the release notes:
- Customers must be Sarasota County residents.
- An appointment must be scheduled in advance by calling 941-861-8300, Option 2.
- Upon arrival, customers will be asked a series of health questions before they are allowed to enter the office. Anyone experiencing a fever or COVID-19 symptoms will have his or her appointment rescheduled.
- Only the person completing the transaction will be able to enter the office.
- A face covering will be required for service.
“Services such as driver’s license road tests and the learner’s permit test remain on hold until further notice,” the release points out. “Transactions such as registration renewals and tax payments will continue to be completed online.”
While closed, the office handled more than 26,000 phone calls, 20,000 pieces of mail, more than 1,700 emails, “and countless online transactions,” the release notes.
“My exceptional staff have continued working behind the scenes to serve our residents, but they are anxious to meet the needs of our community and provide assistance in person,” Ford-Coates added in the release.