The Florida Senate

201.17  Penalties for failure to pay tax required.--

(1)  Whoever makes, signs, issues, or accepts, or causes to be made, signed, issued, or accepted, any instrument, document, or paper of any kind or description whatsoever, without the full amount of the tax herein imposed thereon being fully paid, or whoever makes use of any adhesive stamp to denote any tax imposed by this chapter without canceling or obliterating such stamps as herein provided, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.

(2)  If any document, instrument, or paper upon which the tax under this chapter is imposed, upon audit or at time of recordation, does not show the proper amount of tax paid, or if the tax imposed by this chapter on any document, instrument, or paper is not timely reported and paid as required by s. 201.133, the person or persons liable for the tax upon the document, instrument, or paper shall be subject to:

(a)  Payment of the tax not paid.

(b)  A specific penalty added to the tax in the amount of 10 percent of any unpaid tax if the failure is for not more than 30 days, with an additional 10 percent of any unpaid tax for each additional 30 days, or fraction thereof, during the time which the failure continues, not to exceed a total penalty of 50 percent, in the aggregate, of any unpaid tax. In no event shall the penalty be less than $10 for failure to timely file a tax return required. If it is determined by clear and convincing evidence that any part of a deficiency is due to fraud, there shall be added to the tax as a civil penalty, in lieu of the aforementioned penalty under this paragraph, an amount equal to 200 percent of the deficiency. These penalties are to be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other penalties imposed by law.

(c)  Payment of interest to the Department of Revenue, accruing from the date the tax is due until paid, at the rate of 1 percent per month, based on the amount of tax not paid.

(3)  The department may settle or compromise any interest or penalties pursuant to s. 213.21.

History.--s. 4, ch. 15787, 1931; CGL 1936 Supp. 7473(7); s. 105, ch. 71-136; s. 2, ch. 71-344; s. 4, ch. 76-261; s. 1, ch. 77-281; s. 5, ch. 81-14; s. 5, ch. 81-178; s. 65, ch. 87-6; s. 39, ch. 87-101; s. 13, ch. 91-224; s. 7, ch. 92-320; s. 9, ch. 93-233; s. 15, ch. 96-395.