Q4 2018 Broward Schools SMART Program Report Review
Broward BOC, Local Government, ResearchDistributed to the Bond Oversight Committee on October 8, 2018, this report examines the SMART program quarterly report for Q4 of FY2018.
Florida TaxWatch Joins Taxpayers In Celebrating Taxpayer Independence Day – April 14Th, 2018
Press ReleasesOn Saturday, Floridians will celebrate the first day of the year where taxpayers are finally earning money for themselves and not for the tax collector. Taxpayer Independence Day, calculated by Florida TaxWatch, assumes that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local obligations.
Comments to the Honorable Ed Hooper, Chair, and Members of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Tourism Regarding SB 704 –
ReleasesIn November 2018, Florida TaxWatch released an independent research report entitled “Is the Sun Setting on Film In Florida.” Our report highlights the critical economic need to consider incentives for the film and television industry as part of the state’s overall economic development strategy.
Budget Watch – General Revenue Estimates Inject $842 Million Into The Next Budget Process
Budget & Appropriations, ResearchLess than a week after the Senate Appropriations Committee heard a gloomy presentation on the outlook for the upcoming budget, the General Revenue Estimating Conference met on December 18 and increased the revenue projections by $461.5 million in FY2018-19 and another $380.5 million in FY2019-20. This means the 2019 Legislature will have an estimated $842 million more in General Revenue (GR) collections for the next state budget than was previously expected.
2018 Voter Guide Wrap-Up: $1.5 Billion in Local Tax Referenda
Research, Taxes, Voter GuidesOn November 6, 2018, Floridians voted on 12 proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Eleven of the 12 passed with at least a 60 percent majority, all but Amendment 1, which would have provided an additional $25,000 homestead property tax exemption. But the amendments were not the only thing that voters had to agree on. In addition to the amendments, voters across Florida chose to put in place a number of local tax measures and new bond issues.
2018 Voter Guide
Research, Taxpayer Guide, Voter GuidesOn November 6, 2018, Floridians will vote on 12 proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. This Florida TaxWatch Voter Guide is designed to provide voters with information about each of the amendments to help them cast well-informed votes.
2018 How Florida Compares: Taxes
Local Government, Research, Taxes, Taxpayer GuideThe 2018 Edition of this annual pocket guide gives taxpayers and elected officials great insight as to how Florida’s taxes compare to other states and the national average across a wide variety of metrics.
2018 Taxpayer Independence Day
Research, Taxes, Taxpayer GuideSaturday, April 14, Florida TaxWatch joins the taxpayers in our state in celebrating Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2018. On that day, Floridians are finally earning money for themselves–not for the tax collector. This symbolic date assumes that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local tax obligations.
Florida TaxWatch Releases 2018 Budget Turkey Watch Report
Press ReleasesFlorida TaxWatch’s annual independent review of Florida’s FY2018-19 budget, the Budget Turkey Watch Report , was released today. The report promotes additional oversight and integrity in the state’s budgeting process based on the principle that: because money appropriated by the Legislature belongs to the taxpayers of Florida, the process must be transparent and accountable, and every appropriation should receive deliberation and public debate.
2018 Budget Turkey Watch
Budget & Appropriations, Budget Turkeys, Research, Taxpayer GuideThe $88.7 billion budget passed by the Florida House and Senate for FY2018-19 contains 87 appropriations items qualifying as Budget Turkeys worth $147.5 million. Since projects were not added to the budget during conference this year, most of these were flagged because they circumvented established selection processes. This includes 56 local transportation projects worth nearly $120 million. These member projects, for which there is no formal evaluation and selection process, bypass the transportation planning process, potentially diverting funds from projects that are in the DOT work program.
