Statement by Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro on Governor DeSantis’ Veto of Senate Bill 620: Local Business Protection Act

Tallahassee, Fla. – The following statement is to be attributed to Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, in response to Governor DeSantis’ recent veto of Senate Bill 620: Local Business Protection Act.

“Florida TaxWatch commends Governor DeSantis for vetoing Senate Bill 620. We acknowledge that local ordinances can hurt jobs and productivity and look forward to finding ways to address this, but we also know that local governments and, in turn, taxpayers, would have been subjected to many unintended, yet significant, consequences with this legislation. As we shared when the bill was being considered by the legislature, in an already exceptionally litigious state like Florida, it would have resulted in an influx of financially motivated and malicious lawsuits, costing local governments more than $900 million annually. Local government’s only response would have been to either increase taxes or reduce services, and in both cases, this bill would have hurt hard-working taxpayers across the state. As the trusted ‘eyes and ears’ of taxpayers, we are confident the governor has once again made a choice that protects the pocketbooks of Florida’s residents.”

Read: Florida TaxWatch Report: The Impacts of Lawsuits Against Local Governments for Business Damages, January 2022