Pasco County Tax Collector Dies at 68

Pasco County Tax collector and Gulf High grad Mike Olson has passed away. 

Olson died Wednesday June 26 at the age of 68, according to the Tampa Bay Times. He died around 9 p.m. while in hospice care. It’s unclear what he died of.

He was first elected in 1981. That would make him the longest serving tax collector in Florida, the Times asserts. 

State Rep. Mike Fasano issued the following statement and forwarded it to Patch:

"Mike Olson was one of the finest public servants Pasco County has ever had. He was a loving family man who took great care of his family and the community in which they lived. As a county commissioner, and later as tax collector, Mike Olson served the people of Pasco County with a level of professionalism and commitment that was second to none. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."

Florida State House Speaker Will Weatherford issued the following statement:

“I was deeply saddened to learn of Mike’s passing last night. "As Florida's longest-serving Tax Collector, and a former County Commissioner, his life was a life of servant leadership.  Customer service was Mike's number one priority and was a hallmark of his career in public service to the citizens of Pasco County."