Miami-Dade County Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez said Monday his office has started accepting bitcoin for property tax payments, both online and in person. Every transaction is converted to US dollars before the money reaches the county, so the office never holds, invests in or manages any cryptocurrency.
How the payment works
The option is voluntary and covers property taxes only. The process, described in a statement on the Tax Collector's website, has four steps:
- Select the cryptocurrency option during online checkout or request it at the counter
- Connect a supported exchange account or digital wallet and authorize the payment
- A third-party system converts the bitcoin into dollars at the time of payment
- The office receives the full dollar amount owed and records it in its standard payment reports
No county workers maintain digital wallets. "Government must keep up with the times and the needs of the people we serve," Fernandez said, adding that the office is "embracing new technology without compromising our responsibility to protect taxpayer dollars."
Fees and traditional options
The office did not name the payment processor or say whether bitcoin payments carry a convenience fee. Card and mobile-wallet payments already carry a nonrefundable 2.50% fee online, with a $2.50 minimum.
Checks, cards, cash and fee-free eChecks remain available. You can pay at the office's 13 locations, through T-Connect mobile units or online around the clock.
The discount calendar
The change lands in the middle of Florida's property tax collection season. Miami-Dade opened the 2026 tax roll on October 30, and discounts are based on the date you submit the payment online or in person.
Payment month | Discount |
|---|---|
November | 4% |
December | 3% |
January | 2% |
February | 1% |
March | full amount due |
Unpaid bills generally become delinquent on April 1. In his "Save the Max" campaign, Fernandez has pointed out that an eligible $5,000 bill saves $200 if paid in November.
The 2021 proposal
In 2021, Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins put forward a resolution to study letting residents pay county taxes and fees in bitcoin, after Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pushed for city fees and taxes in BTC and explored paying city workers in it. The city also launched MiamiCoin, a token tied to the Stacks protocol.
Fernandez, elected in November 2024, previously served on Miami-Dade's Cryptocurrency Task Force. The office calls Miami-Dade one of the first government agencies in the US to accept such payments.
- Colorado has taken cryptocurrency for state taxes since 2022, converting it to dollars through a third party
- Utah later opened a similar option for individual income taxes
- Detroit announced in 2024 that it would accept crypto for city taxes and fees from mid-2025, also settling in dollars
At the state level, Florida's CS/SB 1038 to create a Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve died in an appropriations committee in March and never became law.