Where and how well our school districts spend our education dollars can have a profound impact on student academic achievement and success. Historically, education makes up about one-fourth of Florida’s total budget. Florida TaxWatch believes that shifting education spending away from administrative and other expenses and toward classroom/instructional expenses is beneficial.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new report by Florida’s premier independent taxpayer research institute of forty years, Florida TaxWatch, provides an update of the true average cost of educating a K-12 public school student in Florida. The government watchdog previously released a similar independent study in March 2017 that considered all categories of expenditures necessary for the operation of public schools.
This report is a look at the provisions in HB 7109, along with the Senate bills that contain one of these provisions and that have cleared at least one committee. Following this analysis is an examination of several bills and proposed constitutional amendments dealing with property taxes that could also impact the taxes Floridians pay.
This annual report details how Florida stacks up against the rest of the nation in terms of taxes and fees.
Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier, non-partisan government watchdog for almost 40 years, has led the charge for expanding scope of practice for advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) and physician assistants (PAs), which would significantly lower costs for patients while improving access across the state. On January 1, 2017, provisions within HB 423 became effective, making Florida the final state in the country to allow ARNPs to prescribe controlled drugs.
The FY2017-18 budget process is now underway. The Governor’s office recently provided budget instructions to state agencies to use in formulating their legislative budget requests (LBRs), which are due on October 14. The Governor will then use the LBRs to develop his budget recommendations, which must be provided to the Legislature at least 30 days before the start (March 7) of the 2017 Legislative Session.
Introduction Many in the Florida Legislature have been rightly criticizing local governments for rapidly increasing property taxes and budgets. The property tax debate and the
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 5, 2026 CONTACT: Christina Johnson Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Thursday, March 5, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Dr. Carter G. Woodson
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 CONTACT: Christina Johnson Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Wednesday, March 4, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Coquina Elementary School former
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 CONTACT: Christina Johnson Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Tuesday, March 3, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce Spring Creek Charter School Principal
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