Lakewood Ranch residents to get unwelcome gift
Tax mistake leads to new bills for hundreds of homeowners.
LAKEWOOD RANCH -- About 1,000 households here will be getting some mail this Christmas season, but it won't evoke any holiday cheer.
The letters sent to residents of Community Development District 5 will contain a second tax bill, an apology and an explanation for the extra bill.
It turns out that Severn Trent Services, the company that manages the district's finances, made a mistake and sent last year's budget to the Manatee County Tax Collector.
The budget supervisors approved for 2006 was about 4 percent, or $64,303, higher than last year.
