Florida's CS/HB 967, "Electronic Payments Made to Units of Local Governments," passed both chambers unanimously in 2026 and was enacted as Chapter 2026-169. It takes effect on January 1, 2027. For Florida finance offices, that leaves one budget cycle to confirm residents can pay what they owe by card or bank transfer, online.
What the law requires
- Who it covers: every Florida municipality, county, special district, and county constitutional officer.
- What must be accepted: credit cards, charge cards, bank debit cards, and electronic fund transfers for financial obligations owed to the local government, such as taxes, license fees, fines, civil penalties, and court-ordered payments. The exception is where another form of payment is required by law.
- Online: each local government must have an online method to accept payments.
- Processing costs: a surcharge may be applied to electronic payments to cover processing costs.
How Vantage customers meet it
Vantage CitizenLink portals already take card and ACH payments online for the obligations most Florida offices collect, and post them back into Vantage so they reconcile like counter receipts:
- Utility bills through the Utility Billing portal.
- Accounts receivable invoices through the A/R Payments portal in Fund Management. Customers can view open invoices and history, pay through a cart, or use a quick-pay link or QR code without logging in.
- Sales tax returns and business license fees through the Sales Tax & Licensing portal.
- Permit fees, license renewals, and code-enforcement fines through the Building Permits portal.
- Citations and court payments through the Court Management portal.
Payments run through an integrated payment processor, and convenience fees can be configured to cover processing costs, as the law allows.
Fees that don't start with an invoice
Most of what a government collects is tied to an account, invoice, permit, or citation, and those are covered above. Some revenue, such as facility rentals or program fees, is usually rung up at the counter. Today an online payment for those starts with a quick A/R invoice. We're extending the A/R Payments portal so residents can pay configured fees directly, and we'd like to hear which fees matter most to your office.
What to do before January 1
- List the obligations residents pay you, and note which ones can't be paid online today.
- Confirm your payment processor setup and any surcharge or convenience-fee policy.
- If you run Vantage, check which CitizenLink portals you have live, and talk to your ADG account team about adding the ones you need.
This post summarizes CS/HB 967 for planning purposes and isn't legal advice. Confirm how it applies to your office with your attorney.