Gadsden County’s new tax collector Tonjii Wiggins-McGriff is making history as the county’s first Black tax collector.
In front of a jam-packed audience, Wiggins-McGriff took office Friday morning at the Gadsden County Courthouse.
Wiggins-McGriff became not only the first African American to hold the position, but the first woman in the county to do so.
She said the accomplishment should send a message to Black kids in Gadsden—that anything is possible.
“It gives the younger generation the opportunity to see people in government," said Wiggins-McGriff. "Whereas when I grew up, it wasn’t nobody that really looked like me so now they’ll be able to see people that look like them.”
Wiggins-McGriff will be stepping in for Dale Summerford. The former county tax collector decided to retire after serving in the position for more than three decades.
“It’s an honor to participate in this historic occasion,” Summerford said. “I hoped and prayed that she’d be the one that got elected. She’s definitely the most qualified.”
Wiggins-McGriff was elected in August 2024.