The TaxWatch Research Blog

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Mon., March 22, 2021 at 1:30 p.m., Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will host a virtual press conference with Senate Bill 358 co-introducer Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach), along with House Bill 1119 prime sponsors Rep. Dan Daley (D-Coral Springs) and Rep. Jim Mooney (R-Islamorada) related to water safety.

The Qualified Target Industry Tax Refund Program is a performance-based incentive program, that incentivizes the creation of high-quality, high-wage jobs – the higher the wage, the larger the refund – in sought-after targeted industries and offers a bonus for new jobs in rural areas of the state, incentivizing businesses to locate in economically disadvantaged counties.

Florida TaxWatch supports the concept of a centralized management system for the fleet of state[1]owned motor vehicles, maintenance facilities, and fuel depots.

Telemedicine increases access to quality care and can be used as an innovative tool to reduce costly medical interventions such as emergency room utilization and length of hospital stay.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –  Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro commended the state’s legislative leaders, House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor) and Senate President Wilton Simpson (R- Trilby), on their plan to bolster the state’s unemployment-compensation system by requiring out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians.

"Even before the pandemic proved how essential connectivity is to enterprise and education, we knew that Broadband is vital to talent development, health and safety, job creation, business climate, capital attraction, and Florida’s economic growth."

Tallahassee, Fla. –  Today, Florida TaxWatch released its review of the Broward County School District's SMART Program in its report Monitoring and Oversight of General Obligation Bonds to Improve Broward County Schools: SMART Program Quarterly Report Review for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2020.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. today released the results of a February 2021 poll, which indicate 63 percent of Floridians support e-fairness legislation that would require out-of-state retailers to collect online sales taxes. Currently, the burden falls on consumers, which costs Florida’s state and local governments over $1.3 billion a year, while also putting in-state retailers at a competitive disadvantage. For these reasons, this is an issue that Florida TaxWatch has been engaged in for more than a decade.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch and Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy, Inc. today released the results of a February 2021 poll, which indicate Floridians strongly support COVID-19 business and healthcare liability protections by 72 percent and 74 percent, respectively. Notably, these sentiments transcended party affiliation, as well as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and region.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, as part of ongoing efforts to analyze the economic consequences of COVID-19, Florida TaxWatch released Economic Commentary: The Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Florida’s Employment.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch today announced five taxpayer priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session, which will begin on March 2 and adjourn on April 30.

Since 2014, Florida TaxWatch has researched and supported the expansion of telehealth (see Critical Connections to Care and Telehealth in Florida: Where We Are and What is Next) and our work has consistently found that telemedicine provides a way for Florida to increase self-sufficiency, contain costs, and improve health care access and outcomes. 

My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for over 40 years, has worked hard to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Florida government and promote a fair and equitable system of taxation.

Tallahassee, Fla – Florida TaxWatch’s annual State of the Taxpayer Dinner – traditionally held the Wednesday evening after the Tuesday start of Legislative Session – has long served as a forum for the state’s elected officials to speak directly to the interests of hard-working taxpayers and their families. While we are extremely proud to provide our leaders and legislators with this opportunity, we are even prouder to reinforce our role as a trusted government watchdog through such a well-respected, effective platform every year. 

In 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.

Tourism plays a major role in Florida’s economic strength. In 2019, more than 131 million tourists visited Florida and spent an estimated $91.3 billion. This spending supports as many as 1.5 million Florida jobs, and generates significant state and local tax revenues in Florida, helping to keep the tax burden on residents down. According to the Office of Economic and Demographic Research, for every $1 the state invests in VISIT FLORIDA, $3.27 in state tax revenue is generated.

Last month, Florida TaxWatch released an independent research report entitled “The Best Defense Is A Good Offense: The Economic Impact of Protecting Responsible Floridians from COVID-Related Civil Liability.”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch today released its latest report, A Decade of Self-Taxing, providing a comprehensive overview of the $10.8 billion in local taxes and bond issues that voters have approved since 2010. The report further details that Floridians have voted in favor of local tax referenda a total of 142 times – worth $4.8 billion annually – while also passing $6 billion in new bond issues in the last decade.

My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for over 40 years, has worked to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Florida government and promote a fair and equitable system of taxation. 

My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for over 40 years, has worked to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of Florida government and promote a fair and equitable system of taxation.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, comments from Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro were delivered to the Honorable Ed Hooper, Chair, and members of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee in support of SB 50 (Sales and Use Tax).

The proposed legislation follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling (South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc.) that states can apply reasonable requirements for remote vendors to collect sales and use taxes on sales to residents even if the vendor does not have a physical presence in the state. Currently, Florida is one of only two states that has not taken the steps to implement these requirements. Not collecting sales taxes on remote sales not only costs Florida governments millions in legally owed revenue, it also puts Florida retailers at a competitive disadvantage, distorts purchasing decisions, is unfair to Floridians that do pay the tax, and makes millions of Floridians – often unwittingly – lawbreakers.

My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for 40 years, has worked hard to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. 

Last week, Florida TaxWatch released an independent research report entitled, “The Best Defense Is A Good Offense: The Economic Impact of Protecting  Responsible Floridians from COVID-Related Civil Liability.”  Copies of the report have been made available to members and staff of the Committee and are available at FloridaTaxWatch.org/Research.  We look forward to discussing the findings with you and your staff as the Liability Shield protections conversation progresses.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released two reports, Bringing The Sunshine State Back: The Impact of COVID-19 Across Florida’s Economy & Options for Recovery, and The Best Defense is a Good Offense: The Economic Impact of Protecting Responsible Floridians from COVID-Related Civil Liability, that address the impacts of a lack of a liability shield and the pandemic on Florida’s major economic sectors.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released its 2021 Economic Preview: An Uncertain Yet Hopeful Year of Growth. Floridians have plenty of reason to be cautiously optimistic as the state’s economic picture in 2021 appears mixed and uncertain. Although strong job creation will certainly aid Florida’s labor market recovery, personal income will not grow as rapidly for many families.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its review of the Broward County School District's SMART Program in its report Monitoring and Oversight of General Obligation Bonds to Improve Broward County Schools: SMART Program Quarterly Report Review for the Quarter Ended September 30, 2020. While the BOC meeting originally scheduled for today, Monday, December 14, 2020 has been canceled, the released report includes five recommendations which will be presented and discussed by FTW Senior Vice President of Research Bob Nave at the next meeting of Broward County Bond Oversight Committee (BOC).