Collector

“We need to know where that money flowed over the past eight years, and what did we — the citizens of Seminole County — get for it?,” Beute said. “The money flow will tell us everything.”

Beute said the office’s full-time staff will receive more recognition than they have under Greenberg’s leadership.

“They are highly qualified people,” Beute said. “Good leaders delegate, but good leaders also make sure they are held responsible.”

Kroll said as tax collector he will provide more transparency to the office’s budget — including where every dollar is being spent.

“The budget [under Greenberg] was posted as a one-page summary online,” Kroll said. “I will bring in more transparency . ... From day one, I’m going to cut all those consultant jobs.”

Kroll said his experience running a real estate firm will help him manage the Tax Collector’s Office, which has about 120 full time employees. Kroll said, if elected, he will turn over his company and its operations to his wife, Holly Kroll.

“I love Seminole County and to just watch somebody coming in there with so much corruption, I said, ‘Someone has to go in there and stop it,’” Kroll said.

Beute said he favors conducting an independent audit of the tax collector’s office, whereas Kroll wants to do an internal audit conducted by county employees.

Beute said he has no ties to the real estate industry, unlike Kroll, which could present a conflict of interest. He also pointed out that Kroll received campaign contributions from Valdes. According to campaign documents, Bravados Enterprises Inc., a company registered by the state to Valdes, contributed $500 to Kroll on Dec. 31.

While he was Seminole’s tax collector, Valdes spent years buying and selling taxdelinquent properties with his relatives. Kroll pointed out that Greenberg put in place a strict code of ethics that prohibits the tax collector or employees from taking part in those public transactions.

“I’ve said it 1,000 times: I have zero interest in tax deeds and tax certificates,” he said.

Kroll said said he met with Valdes several times after being referred to him by another Realtor last October and sold a couple of his properties.

“I asked him about what it takes to run for office, and that’s when I decided to run,” Kroll said.

Kroll said he’s a businessman with 20 years of management experience and will know how to run the tax collector’s office from the first day he takes office.