After 32 years of IRS work — and more than $100 million in resolved tax debt — I've seen just about every version of the problem you're dealing with. I'm Darrin Mish, a tax attorney in Tampa. Here's what you should know.
The Tampa Bay Area Has a Tax Problem
The Tampa Bay metro is the second-fastest-growing region in Florida. New residents, new businesses, new retirees, new gig workers – all of them generate tax complications the IRS is happy to find.
Florida has no state income tax, which is part of why people move here. But the IRS still operates federal tax law in all 67 Florida counties, and the IRS has been intensifying enforcement across the state. CP2000 notices, audit selections, levy notices, and lien filings have all increased meaningfully in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando counties over the last several years.
The Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A. has been resolving IRS problems for Tampa Bay residents for 32 years. More than $100 million in tax debt resolved. Free consultations. Tampa-based, serving the entire Bay area.
Here is where we work and what we work on.
Cities and Counties We Serve
Tampa (Hillsborough County)
Tampa is our home. The firm’s office is in Tampa, and Tampa residents make up the largest single share of our client base. We handle every type of IRS controversy matter for Tampa residents, from $20,000 individual debts to seven-figure business tax problems.
Tampa neighborhoods we work in include Hyde Park, South Tampa, Westshore, Channelside, Carrollwood, New Tampa, Town N’ Country, and everywhere else inside the Hillsborough County lines.
St. Petersburg (Pinellas County)
St. Petersburg is the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay area and one of the highest-volume sources of clients outside Tampa proper. The combination of small business activity, retirees, and a strong gig economy in St. Pete generates a steady stream of IRS issues.
We handle clients across St. Petersburg, including Downtown St. Pete, Old Northeast, Tyrone, Pinellas Point, and the beaches.
Clearwater (Pinellas County)
Clearwater is the third-largest city in Pinellas. We frequently represent Clearwater residents in audit cases, lien matters, and Offer in Compromise filings. The Pinellas County IRS Appeals office serves this entire area.
Wesley Chapel (Pasco County)
Wesley Chapel has grown faster than almost any other community in the Tampa Bay area. The growth has brought significant new business activity, new construction, and a wave of relocations from higher-tax states. All of that activity generates IRS issues.
We represent Wesley Chapel residents in everything from CP2000 disputes to multi-year unfiled return cleanups. The Wesley Chapel area also has a significant population of new business owners who run into payroll tax problems within the first three years of operations.
Brandon (Hillsborough County)
Brandon, Riverview, and the FishHawk area east of Tampa generate a steady stream of tax debt cases, particularly involving self-employed taxpayers, real estate investors, and small business owners.
Pasco County (Land O’Lakes, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey, Dade City)
Pasco County stretches from the western coastal communities through Land O’Lakes and into the rural areas around Dade City and Zephyrhills. Each community has its own pattern of IRS issues – retirement income tax problems on the coast, small business and agricultural tax issues inland.
We represent clients in every Pasco County community.
Pinellas County (Beyond St. Pete and Clearwater)
Pinellas includes Largo, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, and the entire string of beach communities. The county has the highest concentration of retirees in the Tampa Bay area, which means we see more retirement-income tax issues, Social Security levy cases, and pension garnishment matters from Pinellas than anywhere else.
Hernando County (Spring Hill, Brooksville)
Hernando County clients typically come to us with multi-year unfiled return issues, small business payroll tax problems, or audit defense matters.
Hillsborough County (Beyond Tampa and Brandon)
Hillsborough also includes Plant City, Apollo Beach, Sun City Center, and the rural areas in the eastern part of the county. The agricultural community in east Hillsborough generates a specific pattern of tax issues we work on regularly.
Why Local Matters for an IRS Case
Federal tax law is federal. The Internal Revenue Code does not change at the Hillsborough County line. A taxpayer in Wesley Chapel and a taxpayer in Wyoming face the same statutes.
But the actual handling of an IRS case is heavily local. Here is what changes with geography:
The Revenue Officers Who Work Your Case
The IRS Collection Division operates through field offices. Tampa Bay cases get assigned to revenue officers and revenue agents based in the Tampa, St. Petersburg, or Lakeland field offices. After 32 years, we know how those specific offices operate. We know which positions get pushed back hardest. We know the people who handle which kinds of cases.
That knowledge does not transfer easily to attorneys based in Chicago or Los Angeles working a Tampa Bay case remotely.
IRS Appeals Office Practice
Tampa Bay cases that go to IRS Appeals are typically handled through the Tampa or Jacksonville offices. Each office has its own settlement patterns and procedural quirks. Working those offices regularly matters when you are negotiating an Offer in Compromise, Collection Due Process hearing, or audit appeal.
Florida State Law Interactions
Even though Florida has no state income tax, Florida law affects federal tax cases in ways out-of-state attorneys often miss. Florida’s homestead protection (Article X, Section 4 of the Florida Constitution) affects IRS collection strategy. Florida tenancy by the entireties affects joint tax debt analysis. Florida wage exemptions affect levy strategy. These are not federal tax issues, but they shape federal tax outcomes for Florida residents.
Local Court Practice
If a Tampa Bay case proceeds to United States Tax Court, the trial sessions are held in Tampa. If a case reaches the Middle District of Florida federal court for collection litigation, the venue is in Tampa or Fort Myers. Working those courts regularly matters.
IRS Problems We Solve in the Tampa Bay Area
The same federal tax issues come up across all the cities and counties we serve. Here is what we handle most often.
IRS Audits
We represent Tampa Bay clients in correspondence audits, office audits, and field audits. Audit representation includes preparation of records, responses to information document requests, audit conferences, and appeals if the result is unfavorable.
Common audit issues for Tampa Bay clients include Schedule C business losses, home office deductions, rental property issues, cryptocurrency transactions, and unreported 1099 income.
Federal Tax Liens
Tampa Bay tax lien cases include Notices of Federal Tax Lien filed in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando county records. We handle lien withdrawals, lien releases, lien subordination for refinancing, and lien discharge for property sales.
Wage Garnishments and Bank Levies
The IRS can levy bank accounts and garnish wages without going to court. We work with Tampa Bay clients to release levies, set up installment agreements that prevent future levies, and pursue Currently Not Collectible status when financial hardship justifies it.
CP2000 and Underreporter Notices
The IRS Automated Underreporter program generates over a million CP2000 notices per year, with Tampa Bay residents receiving their proportional share. We help clients respond accurately, document offsetting facts (cost basis, related expenses, income reported elsewhere), and avoid the response mistakes that turn CP2000s into full audits.
Offer in Compromise
For taxpayers with limited collection potential, an Offer in Compromise can settle federal tax debt for less than the full amount owed. We prepare and submit OIC packages, negotiate with the IRS Centralized Offer in Compromise unit, and represent clients in appeals if an offer is initially rejected.
Installment Agreements
When full payment is not possible, an installment agreement converts a lump-sum tax debt into a monthly payment. We negotiate Streamlined Installment Agreements, Partial Payment Installment Agreements, and full-financial-disclosure agreements depending on the situation.
Currently Not Collectible Status
For taxpayers whose income barely covers necessary living expenses, Currently Not Collectible status stops IRS collection activity. The debt continues to accrue interest and approaches its statutory expiration date while the taxpayer is left alone.
Payroll Tax Problems and Trust Fund Recovery Penalty
Tampa Bay business owners with 941 employment tax problems face one of the most aggressive areas of IRS enforcement. We represent clients in payroll tax cases, including defense of Trust Fund Recovery Penalty assessments against individual owners and officers.
Unfiled Returns
Multi-year unfiled returns are one of the most common reasons clients first contact us. We work with clients to reconstruct records, file the back returns, and resolve the resulting tax debt through one of the collection alternatives.
Innocent Spouse Relief
Joint tax debt cases sometimes have one spouse who should not be on the hook. We pursue innocent spouse relief, separation of liability, and equitable relief for clients in these situations.
Tax Court Petitions
When the IRS issues a Statutory Notice of Deficiency, the taxpayer has 90 days to file a petition with the United States Tax Court. We file Tax Court petitions and represent clients through the case, with trial sessions held in Tampa.
What to Look for in a Tampa Bay Tax Attorney
Not every Tampa Bay tax attorney handles the same kinds of cases. Some focus on transactional tax planning. Some focus on estate work. Some handle controversy work as a small share of their practice.
When you are looking for help with an active IRS problem, here is what matters.
Specific IRS Resolution Experience
Tax law is broad. The lawyer you need for an IRS levy case is not the lawyer you need for an international tax planning matter. Ask any prospective attorney how many IRS controversy cases they handle and what types.
Bar Admission and Standing
A Florida-licensed tax attorney can represent you in Florida federal court, in the United States Tax Court, and before the IRS. Verify bar admission through the Florida Bar website. Verify good standing.
A Real Track Record
Years in practice, total dollars resolved, and case-type experience all matter. So does the willingness of the attorney to give you a clear picture of what realistic outcomes look like in your specific situation.
Free Initial Consultation
Most reputable Tampa Bay tax attorneys offer a free initial consultation. If a firm wants you to pay just to talk through your case, that is a yellow flag. The consultation is where you decide if the attorney is the right fit and where the attorney evaluates whether they can help you.
Direct Access to the Attorney
In some firms, you sign up with the senior attorney and then spend the next year working with a paralegal or junior associate you never met during the consultation. Ask who will actually handle your case day-to-day.
What Sets Our Firm Apart
The Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A. has been doing tax resolution work for Tampa Bay residents for 32 years. Over $100 million in IRS debt resolved. Direct attorney access. Free consultations.
This is what we do. We are not a general practice firm that takes the occasional tax case. We handle IRS controversy work full-time, and we have been doing it long enough to have seen virtually every type of case the IRS brings against taxpayers in our part of Florida.
The Bottom Line
The Tampa Bay area is large, growing, and generating an increasing volume of IRS controversy work. Whether you are in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Wesley Chapel, Brandon, Land O’Lakes, or anywhere else in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, or Hernando counties, federal tax problems work the same way and the same procedural rules apply.
What differs is who handles your case. The right tax attorney for a Tampa Bay client is one with deep IRS controversy experience, Florida bar admission, and direct knowledge of the local IRS field offices, Appeals, and federal courts.
If you have a federal tax problem and you live in the Tampa Bay area, the consultation is free and the conversation is private.
Get Help Now
If you are dealing with an IRS audit, lien, levy, CP2000, or any other federal tax issue in the Tampa Bay area, contact the Law Offices of Darrin T. Mish, P.A. at (813) 229-7100 for a free consultation.