Page 6 - The Shorers of Jupiter - April '25

Page 6, The Shores
Tax Talk

Dear Friends: everything afloat. They are part of the fabric that binds
The arrival of April the organization together. When asked about the role that
means that the 2024 he and his team play at the tax collector’s office (TCO)
property tax season is a he said, “There is more to IT than just computers; there
done deal, so hopefully are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes, which means
everyone paid their there are often several ways to do something, and I give
taxes before the March my team the latitude to explore those options.”
31 deadline. In addition, Joe tells us that his approach to tackling challenges
before the onslaught of the or problems is “taking the time to come together to
summer heat, we have a understand the issue and make sure everyone is on the
flurry of community events same page.” He emphasizes that computer security and
around this time that we improving staff experience are among his department’s
look forward to participating in each year – one of which top priorities.
was the Jupiter Jubilee, which you will read more about When the topic of artificial intelligence arose, Joe
in this issue. had this to say, “AI can’t replace what our people do, but
This time of year also means our staff is embarking on can accelerate our processes” noting that “the benefits
our annual Journey to Good Health program that provides outweigh the potential consequences with the proper
them with an opportunity to learn more about their policies and managed approach.”
individual health profile. We then help them, through one- With 13 years at the TCO and extensive experience,
on-one sessions with a licensed nutritionist, to set personal Joe was asked what career he would choose if he had
health goals to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Over the years, not chosen IT, and he quickly answered, “an automotive
a good number of our employees, who have participated mechanic.” Joe, we are glad that you chose IT and we
in the program have achieved amazing results. And the value the integral part you and your team play for our
program is designed to reward those employees who meet organization’s success.
standards for good health or who make progress toward
their goals. I am very proud that we are able to offer this TCO In The Community
program to our employees and that we are committed to
promoting good healthy lifestyles. The Town of Jupiter is celebrating its 100th birthday
In closing, I want to take this time to wish you a Happy this year and our organization took part in the Centennial
Easter and Happy Passover as you celebrate with friends Celebration by participating in the Jupiter Jubilee. This
and family. event is Jupiter’s biggest hometown celebration and the
Anne M. Gannon, Town’s official birthday party! It was a great day of
Constitutional Tax Collector, celebrating with our neighbors in the North County. TCO
Serving Palm Beach County employees were on hand to answer questions about TCO
services and distribute informational materials.
To Our Citizens … Thank you to our staff for volunteering their time to
share their expertise with attendees. We all look forward
Publishing our to this event to provide outreach to our North County
organization’s annual residents.
report is a huge If you missed us at the Jubilee, visit us at these
undertaking each year. upcoming community events: Palm Beach Pride, March
Data for the report is 29 and 30 at Bryant Park in Downtown Lake Worth
gathered from many Beach and the Black Gold Jubilee, April 12 at Torrey
of our departments Island Campground in Belle Glade.
in order to accurately
and fully detail our
performance during
the previous fiscal
year. As you can
imagine, this can be
tedious when working with dollar amounts in the billions
and servicing numbers in the hundreds of thousands. My
team did a fantastic job pulling this together and I am
pleased to present our “Report to Our Citizens” for fiscal
year 2023-24.
This year’s report has been thoughtfully designed to
present the data and information in an organized fashion
to highlight the efforts and initiatives undertaken by my
office. Among our areas of focus this past fiscal year
were improving communication, continuing to enhance
our online service, and expanding the convenience and
availability of the vehicle registration renewal kiosks
throughout the county. 747-PALM
There is a great deal of valuable information in this
16-page report and I encourage you to review it by 747-7256
visiting www.pbctax.gov/annual-report where you can
also request a copy be mailed to you.
Faces Of The TCO: Joe Sverak

Title: Chief Information Officer Peripheral
Hometown: Plantation, Florida
Favorite Activity: Four-wheeling Neuropathy?
Favorite Food: Steak and Potatoes
Favorite Movie: Star Wars
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Whether you
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o n l i n e , y o u a re
i n t e r a c t i n g wi t h
systems that have been
put in place by our
dedicated Information
Technology (IT) team,
a department that 561-745-1002
often goes unnoticed.
Joe Sverak, Chief 654 West Indiantown
Information Officer, oversees our IT department of 16 THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO Road, Jupiter, FL 33458
REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER
team members who manage and safeguard the stability of SERVICE, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT WHICH IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND
WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED
our equipment and technology, which includes everything OR REDUCED FEE SERVICES, EXAMINATION OR TREATMENT. www.drlaruffa.com
from computers and software to the servers that keep