The following statement is to be attributed to Dominic M. Calabro, Florida TaxWatch President and CEO, relating to the Halifax Hospital Taxing District Legislation.

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro released the following statement regarding Senator Jeff Brandes' Florida First Step Act –

Year after year, families across the nation and the world choose Florida as their top vacation destination. As the Sunshine State, it is not hard to see why. When you consider tourist attractions like Miami Beach, Walt Disney World, Clearwater, the World Golf Hall of Fame, the Florida Keys, Universal Studios and Sea World, not to mention an expanding economy with a steady supply of jobs, Florida seems to have it all.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – On Sunday, April 14, 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, accepts that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local obligations. This year, it will take the average Florida family 103 out of 365 days - or almost three and a half months - to satisfy its tax obligations. Looking at it another way, it takes two hours and 15 minutes of every eight-hour workday to earn enough to pay your taxes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s premier, independent government watchdog of forty years, Florida TaxWatch, has released a new research report about the state’s affordable housing crisis. In the Sunshine State, there are only 26 affordable and available housing units for every 100 “extremely low-income” renter households. This is the sixth-smallest percentage of available units in the nation and well below the national average of 36 percent.