For Additional Headlines - go to our News Section »

• Boyd to Support Healthcare Reform, Candidates for Office Respond
  made by zippie
• Beach Business Claims Self Defense in Spring Breaker Injury
  made by Droshki
• Boyd to Support Healthcare Reform, Candidates for Office Respond
  made by Dewey712
• Boyd to Support Healthcare Reform, Candidates for Office Respond
  made by 216.250.166.120
• Boyd to Support Healthcare Reform, Candidates for Office Respond
  made by sandmounder

• Boyd to Support Healthcare Reform, Candidates for Office Respond
• St. Joe Company Moving to New Airport Site
• Mail Carriers Arrested for Stealing Mail on Their Routes
• Body of Deceased Boater Recovered from St. Andrew Bay
• Wewahitchka Woman Hit and Killed
• La Vela Numbers
• Driver Crashes Into Home
• Pizza Mascot Loses His Head in Robbery
• South Walton Beach Patrols Handle Underage Drinking
• Gas Prices Predicted to Hit $3

Owner of Parramores Restaurants Arrested
11/07/08 - 08:54 AM

Florida Department of Revenue

 RSS Feed

The Florida Department of Revenue announced that the owner of Parramores Restaurant and Parramores Too Restaurant has been arrested on charges that he stole more than $164,000 in sales tax he collected from customers at both locations, but failed to send in to the state. 

Ralph Eugene Cox, age 64 of Bascom, was arrested by the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department at approximately 7:30 AM on November 6, 2008, on a first degree felony charge relating to failure to submit all the taxes he collected.  If convicted, Mr. Cox faces up to 30 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines, as well as possible repayment of stolen tax, interest, penalty and investigative costs.  Mr. Cox is the owner of Parramores Too Restaurant, located at 16438 South West Chipola Road, in Blountstown (Calhoun County) and Parramores Restaurant, located at 8141 Highway 90, in Sneads (Jackson County).

According to Revenue Department investigators, Mr. Cox routinely collected tax from customers at his business.  However, during various periods between January 2004 and February 2008, he failed to send in to the state all of the sales taxes that he had collected.  Investigators found that he had illegally kept more than $164,000 in tax money.  Under state law, sales tax is the property of the state at the moment of collection. 

“Most Florida businesses do an excellent job of meeting the state’s requirements for collecting and submitting sales tax, which pays for services Floridians need,” said Lisa Echeverri, Executive Director, Florida Department of Revenue.  “Individuals who collect tax but don’t send it in are stealing taxpayer dollars and gaining an unfair financial advantage over honest businesses.  It’s our job to ensure that Florida’s tax laws are administered fairly.”

If you have information about tax crimes, please call the Florida Department of Revenue investigations office in Panama City at 850-747-5614.