Venice water nazi?

[News Flash]

Venice water nazi?

Of the 18 million recreational boats in the United States, 5 million are not registered, according to 2005 industry statistics. Although no one has estimated how much Florida loses in unpaid sales taxes on boats, the figure is believed to number in the tens of millions. "This issue many times falls into one simple category: taxes," Officer Erickson said. "Folks just don't want to pay the taxes on these boats."

"That jerk is simply obsessed with checking registrations and he's dam [sic] rude about it," wrote one boater who said he was pulled over three times in six years, always by Officer Erickson. "The last time was in April and that will be the last time."

Erickson's prying has flushed out one tax cheat after another, helping the Department of Revenue recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid, 6 percent sales taxes on expensive yachts, liners and speedboats. Over the past three years, he has written an average of 255 tickets per year. He helps tax investigators like John Isaacs, who wrote a letter to Officer Erickson's boss last year, praising him for a single tip that netted $23,000 in unpaid taxes.

The sheer volume of written outrage caught the mayor's attention, who asked state delegates to intervene and see that Erickson receives "corrective counseling." As the peak of the tourist season nears, these cruisers have deluged City Hall with complaints that Erickson preys on them, harassing them over licenses, registrations and paperwork.

Supervisors call Tim Erickson a model officer and his 26-year record patrolling Venice's waterways exemplary.

Click here for the full story.

[News Flash]

Follow-up story