Sarasota · Bradenton · Venice · Southwest Florida
Sarasota’s IRS problems deserve
a Florida attorney.
I’ve solved IRS problems for Southwest Florida taxpayers for over 25 years. The homestead, the retirement accounts, the waterfront real estate — Florida law protects more than people realize, and using those protections is the job.
32
Years of IRS work
$100M+
Tax debt resolved
FL · CO · TX
Bar admissions
The home-field advantage
What Florida protects
The IRS is federal. Your defenses are Floridian. Most national tax-relief outfits never use them — because they don’t know they exist.
Your homestead
Florida’s homestead protection is among the strongest in America. The IRS lien attaches, but seizure is another story entirely.
Read the guide →
Your retirement
IRAs, 401(k)s, pensions, and annuities enjoy layered protections under Florida law — leverage most national firms never use.
Read the guide →
Your real estate
Liens can be discharged, subordinated, or withdrawn. Sarasota property sells and refinances even with the IRS in the picture.
Read the guide →
Free tool
Can bankruptcy wipe out your taxes?
Some income tax debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy if it passes three timing rules. Sarasota cases are filed in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. Run your dates and see where you stand.
Use the Calculator →Guides for Southwest Florida
Know the local ground
From Siesta Key to Lakewood Ranch, these guides cover what matters when the IRS meets Florida law.
When the IRS is moving on you
IRS Bank Levy and Florida Exemptions
The IRS levied your bank account. Florida law protects certain funds, but you have to assert those exemptions.
IRS Wage Garnishment and Florida Law
Florida protects more of your wages from creditors than most states. But the IRS plays by different rules.
IRS Revenue Officer in Southwest Florida
When a Revenue Officer shows up at your Sarasota business, the IRS has decided your case needs personal attention.
IRS Tax Lien on Florida Property
A federal tax lien attaches to everything you own in Florida. But attachment and forced sale are two very different things.
IRS Collections Statute: When Your Tax Debt Expires
Every IRS debt has a 10-year expiration date. In Florida, the strategy for running out the clock has unique advantages.
Ways out
Offer in Compromise for Florida Taxpayers
Florida's asset protection laws can work in your favor when calculating an Offer in Compromise. Here is how.
IRS Installment Agreements for Florida Residents
A payment plan with the IRS. Straightforward in concept, tricky in execution if you do not know the rules.
Currently Not Collectible Status in Florida
The IRS shelves your account because you cannot pay. Collections stops. And Florida's exemptions make qualifying easier.
IRS Penalty Abatement for Florida Taxpayers
Penalties often double your IRS bill. First-time abatement and reasonable cause can eliminate them, but you have to ask.
Tax Bankruptcy in Sarasota County
Sarasota County bankruptcies are filed in the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. Here is what you need to know about discharging tax debt.
Unfiled Tax Returns: Florida-Specific Consequences
The IRS knows what you earned. Florida has no state return requirement, but the federal obligation does not disappear.
IRS Audit Representation in Sarasota
If you have been selected for an IRS audit in Southwest Florida, what happens next depends entirely on how you respond.
What Florida protects
Florida Homestead Exemption and IRS Debt
Your Sarasota home may have significant protection from IRS collection. But the rules are more nuanced than most people think.
Tax Debt and Florida Retirement Accounts
Florida provides unlimited protection for IRA and retirement accounts. The IRS does not always agree.
Sarasota Real Estate and IRS Liens
Selling or refinancing Sarasota property with an IRS lien requires specific procedures. Here is how it works.
Hurricane Tax Relief in Florida
After a major hurricane, the IRS extends deadlines and provides relief. But you have to know what is available and how to claim it.
Your business, your situation
Small Business Tax Problems in Sarasota
Sarasota's service economy means thousands of small businesses face payroll tax, sales tax, and income tax complications every year.
Payroll Tax Attorney in Sarasota
Sarasota's restaurant, hospitality, and construction industries generate more payroll tax cases than almost any other category.
Self-Employed in Sarasota? IRS Debt Options
Self-employment income is the number one audit trigger and the number one source of unexpected IRS debt in Southwest Florida.
Snowbird Tax Problems: Florida Residency and the IRS
Splitting time between Florida and another state creates tax complications most snowbirds do not see coming.
Around Southwest Florida
IRS Problems in Sarasota: A Local Guide
Southwest Florida has a unique mix of retirees, small business owners, seasonal workers, and self-employed professionals. The IRS knows this.
Local Tax Attorney vs. National Firms
The national firms spend millions on advertising. They do not spend that on your case.
Straight answers
Sarasota taxpayers ask
How much does a consultation with a Sarasota tax attorney cost?
Nothing. The initial consultation is free. Bring the IRS notice and you will get a straight answer about where you stand, what your deadlines are, and what it takes to fix it.
Can the IRS take my Florida homestead?
Florida’s homestead exemption is one of the strongest in the country, and actual IRS home seizures are rare and require special approval. But the federal tax lien still attaches and follows the property through a sale. Resolving the underlying debt is what truly protects the house.
Are my retirement accounts safe from the IRS?
Safer than most assets, but not untouchable. Florida law shields IRAs, pensions, and annuities from most creditors, and while the IRS has broader reach than private creditors, it levies retirement accounts only as a genuine last resort under its own rules. How those accounts are presented in your case matters enormously.
I split the year between Sarasota and up north. Does that complicate my IRS case?
It can — and it can also help. Residency drives which state’s protections apply, where the IRS sends notices, and sometimes which state is still trying to tax you. Snowbird cases reward an attorney who handles the Florida side of that equation every day.
Why hire a Florida tax attorney instead of a national tax relief company?
Most national outfits are not law firms — no attorney-client privilege, no Florida knowledge, and a case manager you never chose. The exemptions that protect your home and retirement are creatures of Florida law, and using them requires counsel who actually knows they exist.
Sarasota · Bradenton · Venice · North Port · Lakewood Ranch · Siesta Key
Ready to talk to a Florida tax attorney?
Free consultation. I’ll review your IRS situation, tell you what I see, and give you a straight answer on what it takes to fix it.