Alachua County Tax Collector John Power has built his career on public service. Prior to his election in 2014, John served as Chief Deputy Tax Collector for 14 years. John also served with the Alachua County Property Appraiser as a Senior Level Appraiser and Tax Roll Analyst. He has a combined 27 years of tax roll experience in Alachua County and insists on delivering service to the public with integrity, innovation, fiscal responsibility, and respect.
Under John’s direction as Tax Collector, his senior leadership team adopted the Sterling Management System for Organizational Excellence in 2014. In 2022, after an 8-year journey, the office was awarded the Governor’s Sterling Award for Organizational Excellence. The only organization in Florida to receive the award that year. John has implemented policies and procedures to increase efficiency within the Tax Collector organization and achieved excellent ratings for fiscal responsibility and customer service. He has received the Legacy Award for Financial Excellence every year since 2016. The office has now received a clean audit for 21 consecutive years while processing over $400 million dollars and serving over half a million customers each year.
John’s leadership abilities are recognized by his colleagues & peers statewide. He was elected to the Board of Directors for the Florida Tax Collectors Association (FTCA). He has served other leadership roles with the FTCA including the Secretary of Education, Vice-President, and President of the statewide organization.
John is actively involved in the Gainesville/Alachua County community, leading the Tax Collector office staff’s participation in community efforts through fundraising and advocacy for charitable organizations such as United Way, Tools for Schools, Cell Phones for Soldiers, Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, etc. John previously served on the Community Investment Council, the Finance Committee, and the Board of Directors for the United Way of North Central Florida. He is a current Board member of the Florida Sterling Council.
A Gator through and through, John is a graduate of the University of Florida with a Master’s Degree from the College of Business along with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations. John is an accredited Certified Public Manager, a Certified Florida Collector, a Florida Certified Appraiser, as well as a Florida Real Estate Broker. John is also a graduate of Leadership Gainesville and a current Board member for Radiant Credit Union.
John lives on a small horse farm just outside of Gainesville in Melrose with his wife Linda, and their numerous animals.