If a politician has clearly shown you in the past how he behaves in his job, should you really be stunned when he stays true to form in the present?
Which leads to another question:
Why exactly is everyone suddenly throwing hissy fits over Sarasota County Tax Collector Mike Moran?
I mean, sure, Moran has drawn intense anger lately because his office charged Sarasota County’s school system more than $2 million as a commission fee for collecting the district’s millage funds – something that had never been done before over a nearly 25-year period.
And, sure, Moran’s step led the Sarasota County School Board to file a lawsuit aimed at forcing his office to give back the millions.
And, sure, Moran has ticked off Schools Superintendent Terry Connor enough to accuse the tax collector of trying to gaslight the community by insisting he’s legally bound to take the district’s money.
And sure, Moran has maintained an “I ain’t givin’ back nuthin'” stance on returning the money – even after the Sarasota County Commission reversed a previous decision allowing him to charge the school district for the fee (which had been traditionally paid for by the county).
But why is any of this a surprise to anyone?
Isn’t Moran just doing what he’s always done as a Sarasota County politician – which is to take whatever position he holds and leverage it as much as possible to grab as much power, resources and influence for himself as possible?
Didn’t we already know that?
Shouldn’t we have already known that?
Did everyone forget?
Come on now.
Did everyone forget that after merely one year as tax collector, Moran successfully demanded an obnoxious 34% budget increase for his office?
Did everyone forget that during his previous eight years as a county commissioner, Moran conjured up a complicated, bizarre ranking system to strip county funding for numerous local nonprofits?
Or that Moran then led a move to direct the stripped funds toward programs that were – surprise, surprise – more to his liking?
Did everyone forget how Moran, in his dual role as the head of a Florida government agency, sparked controversy after spending more than $30,000 on bougie restaurants and big-baller hotels?
Was everyone asleep during all of this?
Could you really know all this and still be shocked that Moran figured out a way to vacuum a $2 million-plus fee from a financially challenged school district?
Time to look in the mirror
Let’s be honest here.
If we’re truly angry about what Moran’s doing right now as tax collector, we shouldn’t be looking at him.
We should be looking in the mirror.
I mean, weren’t we the willing enablers who put Moran in a position to pull off this latest stunt?
You know, back in 2024, when – at a moment when Moran couldn’t seek re-election as a commissioner and could have been shut out for good from public office – we elected him as county tax collector over a longtime incumbent who had largely run a department that generated little drama and much praise?
And the only reason we did it was because Moran had an “R” after his name in a county that’s as blindly incandescent Republican red as they come?
Now we’re going to be mad at Moran?
Now?
We’re going to be mad because the scorpion that’s already provided ample proof that it’s going to sting ends up, well, stinging us?
Again?
And I say this as someone who rather likes Moran, who’s always been pleasant to deal with – even when I’ve criticized him – and who, more to the selfish point, submits great guest columns.
Look, in this era of “You do you, I’ll do me,” Mike Moran is just doing Mike Moran as only he can.
The only thing surprising about that is that anyone is surprised by that.
Opinion Editor Roger Brown can be reached at roger.brown@heraldtribune.com. Follow him on X at RBrown_HTOpin.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Everyone is mad at Sarasota County tax boss Mike Moran. Why? | Opinion
Reporting by Roger Brown, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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