Seminole County Florida Tax Collector to Accept Bitcoin
In reference to the story that was written by @cryptoletter, titled, "Florida Tax Collector To Start Accepting Bitcoin Payment" (resteemed below), I must say that it has me really optimistic and excited about the implications it could have!
For those who do not want to read it now, here is the quick, quick version: ... The Seminole County offices of the Florida Tax Collector have officially announced that they will begin accepting Bitcoin as a payment option. Residents will be able to use Bitcoin, via Bitpay, to pay their property taxes, driver's license fees, permits, etc...
(Please visit @cryptoletter 's blog for the full story or use the link that I resteemed below)
I am totally stoked! It is great news! I am a Floridian and live one county over from Seminole, in Volusia County (Daytona Beach). Hopefully the county where I live and other counties that share a border with Seminole, especially Orange County (Orlando), will jump on board, as well.
It would be a huge thing for Bitcoin, and the entire cryptocurrency sphere if Orlando's government officially acknowledged cryptos by accepting Bitcoin. Orlando is one of the most visited places in the world and the top Tourist city in America. (Thanks to it being the home of Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.) Daytona Beach is dubbed, "The World's Most Famous Beach.", thanks to Spring Break, so this is a great chance for cryptocurrency to get a foothold.
My reasoning goes like this:
Since Seminole will have set precedence, other counties will be quicker to follow. In the most likely scenario, the counties which are closer would be the first to adopt cryptocurrency transaction for government related fees. This is because the mere proximity causes government officials to communicate with each other more often, which allows for a closer relationship.
Orange and Volusia County are both home to top tourist destinations. Once the county government accepts Bitcoin, it will be more readily accepted by the local community. Businesses will follow suit and it will become more normal, rather than* 8taboo* for residents.
Now, Enter the millions of tourists that visit this area each and every year. Exposure to Bitcoin will become more than just an online thing. Tourists will see "Bitcoin Accepted Here" signs on business windows. Word of mouth will cause more awareness.
Tourists are great and generate a large portion of the revenue that comes into this area, and by far is the leading industry for local employment opportunities. However, Those of us who live here have a saying, "The best thing about a tourist is that they go home!" This is also the best news for cryptocurrencies in my little scenario.
Why, you might ask?
Because when those people get home, they will have had exposure and it will come to their mind and they will pursue their own path into the cryptocurrency sphere and/or talk to others that they know. Just like the flu, Bitcoin will spread, infecting everyone it can reach.
It makes no difference how much you spend to put links on websites, forum signatures or even Google Ads; if people are not looking, or do not even know to look for Bitcoin, it might as well not exist for them. Getting it to them directly and in person is a winning formula for speeding up mainstream acceptance of cryptos.
Or maybe I am just delusional, who knows?