OUTSOURCING OR SELLING COUNTY DEBT

Board of County Commissioners · 2026-07-21 · report

This is a legislative report, not a project approval. It analyzes the feasibility of outsourcing or selling County debt. The report recommends the Board consider selling a portion, not the totality, of the outstanding debt portfolio. As of July 29, 2025, the outstanding debt for County Departments was about $525 million, of which almost $41 million gross (8%) could be considered for sale. The report was accepted by the Board of County Commissioners on July 21, 2026. The report is in response to Resolution R-785-25, sponsored by Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, adopted July 16, 2025, and Directive No. 251385. The report notes that selling citations is legal but not in the best interest of constituents or the County. It also notes potential legal risks under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) if third-party collectors are used, and concerns about HIPAA compliance for ambulance-related billing. The report states that CCS has almost $17 million average annual collections on recurring balance, and that the sale of receivables could jeopardize funding streams for departments and the Clerk of the Court and Comptroller. No specific project, site, or action is described beyond this administrative report.