Pinellas County Tax Collector Hopes To Continue Serving Residents

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Patch sent out questionnaires to all candidates for local and state races.

The following is the response from current Pinellas County Tax Collector Charles W. Thomas, R, who is running against Christian Kane Lanier, D, and write-in candidate Dan Dahlberg to retain his seat.

Background/Education

Thomas graduated from Western Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1975 and from Troy State University, Troy, Alabama, magna cum laude in 1994 with a bachelor of science degree in resource management.

Professional Experience

Thomas served as Pinellas County's chief deputy tax collector for 16 years before becoming tax collector in 2017.

He was the driving force behind the organization's efforts for continuous improvement, which resulted in the office's award of the prestigious Governor's Sterling Award in 2013, the Governor's Sterling Sustained Excellence Award in 2016 and the Governor's Sterling Award again in 2020.

Before joining the Pinellas County tax collector team, Thomas was the program manager for Gordon-Darby Inc. where he was responsible for the operation of 11 emissions testing centers.

Before working at Gordon-Darby Inc., he served in the United States Air Force, working in avionics maintenance of F15s.

Thomas is the past chairman of the Pinellas Federal Credit Union, a board member of the Florida Sterling Council and a member of the Government Finance Officers Association.

Previous Elected Offices

Thomas ran for Pinellas County tax collector in 2016 and won election without opposition. He's now served in the office for 3 1/2 years.

Personal

A longtime Pinellas County resident, he and his wife, Patti, are the parents of two children, Joshua C. Thomas, 38, and Kristy Thomas Foley, 36, and grandparents of two.

Reasons For Running For Office

"My three highest priorities will be:

(1.) Continue to ensure customer-focused excellence for both our citizens and our workforce.

(2.) Effective recruiting, training, development and retention of staff.

(3.) Maintaining data security and using value-added technology to better serve customers.

I am running because service to my country and community has been important to me since my time in the U.S. Air Force and it is a passion of mine to this day. I look forward to continuing to serve you and our community."