Paying a city tax bill? How to skip the line

Government

The days of having to take a number and then wait your turn to renew your driver’s license or pay a tax bill are coming to an end in Duval County.

Using a new online appointment-setting system at duvaltaxcollect.net, customers can schedule the day and time when they want to transact their business. If the customer checks in by the appointed time, he or she can expect to begin the transaction in about 15 minutes or less.

“The new system will put you at the front of the line when you have an appointment. We anticipate the public will be receptive,” said Duval County Tax Collector Michael Corrigan.

Appointments have been available for driver’s license road tests, but the new system will be available for almost every type of business you can transact at the main office Downtown or at the nine branch offices throughout the county.

That includes the driver’s license written test, reinstatement and updating the name or address on a license; paying Duval County property taxes or bills for other city services; applying for a Florida birth certificate; hunting and fishing licenses; and vehicle registration or title transactions.

Visit the website, click on “Appointments” and available times on the day desired and in the next several days will be shown. After the appointment is selected, customers will get an email confirmation.

Upon arrival — within 15 minutes before or after the appointment time — they’ll be given a ticket that will put them in front of the next available customer service representative, Corrigan said.

He said customers still will be able to walk in without an appointment and take a number, but that will mean getting in line instead of going to the front of the line.

Corrigan and his staff began designing the system more than two years ago by studying what works best for tax collectors in other Florida counties and states. It’s been tested for the past four months at some branch offices.

“We’re not the first, but we want to be one of the best when it comes to adding convenience for our customers,” he said.