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 1382: Tax Administration.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled Built for Success: Manufacturing’s Role in Florida’s Economy. The report evaluates the significant impact of manufacturing on Florida’s economy and outlines opportunities for growth, which the taxpayer research institute notes will require a collaborative approach, involving both the public and private sectors, as well as strategic investment in human capital. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released its review of the Broward County School District's Safety, Music & Art, Athletics, Renovations and Technology (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 March 31, 2022. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled International Trade as a Catalyst for Florida’s Economy. The report outlines changes in Florida’s international trade over time – underscoring the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic – while analyzing the economic impact in the state and presenting it as a global trading hub. The trusted taxpayer research institute also identifies opportunities for future trade growth.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, during Florida TaxWatch’s (FTW) spring meeting in Tampa, the taxpayer research institute released 2022 How Counties Compare. Complementing the larger How Florida Compares research series, this report analyzes Florida’s 67 counties and the myriad of local governments within the state, offering community leaders, elected officials, and members of the media insight into tax rates, tax collections, other revenue sources, and government expenditures.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its 2022 Budget Turkey Watch Report, an independent review of the state’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget. Since 1983, FTW has provided Floridians with¬¬ this additional level of oversight that identifies individual appropriations that circumvent a thoughtful and thorough budget process.The annual practice is based on the principle that, because funds appropriated by the legislature belong to Florida taxpayers, the process must be transparent and accountable, and every appropriation should receive proper deliberation and public debate.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a new report entitled At The Cliff’s Edge: How Reducing Benefits Cliffs Can Stimulate Workforce Participation and Economic Growth, which analyzes public safety net programs and benefits cliffs, a scenario in which a small increase in wages results in the partial or total loss of public benefits. The report presents implications for hiring and retaining workers in Florida’s tight labor market, as well as the overall impact on the economy. In the report, FTW also offers recommendations to mitigate these problems and thereby expand economic self-sufficiency, advancement, and mobility over time. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled The Economic and Fiscal Significance of the U.S. Census and American Community Survey (ACS). The report underscores the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on 2020 Census data collection efforts, including disruptions to the ACS, and highlights how this impacts federal funding and critical decision-making among policymakers and business leaders alike.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch announced that tomorrow, Thurs., April 14 marks the 2022 Florida Taxpayer Independence Day. This symbolic occasion assumes that every dollar Floridians earned since the start of the year goes to pay local, state, and federal taxes, but now, they will finally begin earning for themselves. Based on the relative size of all taxes paid in Florida to the state’s total personal income, it took taxpayers an average of 103 days to satisfy their tax obligations this year, four more days than in 2021. 

Bradenton, Fla. – Today, Tues., April 12, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Principal Bonnie Brett of Manatee Charter School in Manatee County is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Principal Brett has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Pensacola, Fla. – Today, Fri., April 1, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Hollie Wilkins, immediate past principal of Montclair Elementary School, and Laura Touchstone, immediate past principal of Pine Forest High School, are among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). 

Dunnellon, Fla. – Today, Fri., March 25, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Delbert Smallridge, immediate past principal of Dunnellon Middle School in Marion County, is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Smallridge – who is now retired – has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled Too Expensive to Rent: Florida’s Rental Market and Eviction Moratorium. The report analyzes the accelerated demand for rental properties in Florida and the significant rise in prices since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It presents concerns relating to such rapid rent growth, focusing on the impact of a lack of affordable workforce housing, while also considering the prevalence of evictions throughout the state now that the federal eviction moratorium has expired.

Palm Bay, Fla. – Today, Wed., March 23, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Rachel Roberts, immediate past principal of Columbia Elementary School in Brevard County, is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Roberts – who now serves as Director of Elementary Leading and Learning with Brevard Public Schools – has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship. 

The award and scholarship will be presented to Roberts and the student at a ceremony on the Columbia Elementary School campus at 9 a.m. today. Local media are invited to attend and asked to contact Aly Coleman via email at aly@on3pr.com or by phone at 850.391.5040.

Hialeah Gardens, Fla. – Today, Fri., March 18, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Jose “Tiger” Nunez, immediate past principal of Mater Academy Charter High School in Miami-Dade County, is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Nunez has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Dania Beach, Fla. – Today, Thurs., March 17, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) proudly announced that Principal Lewis Jackson of Dania Elementary School in Broward County is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Principal Jackson has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Tallahassee, Fla. – As the Florida Legislature begins budget negotiations this week, Florida TaxWatch is presenting a proposal that would accelerate the replenishment of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund (UCTF) while also repealing the onerous and nationally unique Business Rent Tax (BRT) by October 1, 2022.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a Session Spotlight report entitled The Impacts of Consumer Data Privacy on Florida’s Economy. In the report, FTW analyzes HB 9 and SB 1864, proposed legislation that would enact consumer data privacy and provide sweeping changes to how certain Florida businesses interact with their customers’ personal information. The taxpayer research institute builds on an October 2021 report, Who Knows What? An Independent Analysis of the Potential Effects of Consumer Data Privacy Legislation in Florida, and incorporates recent empirical findings to present potential impacts of these bills.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled Wage Growth and Talent Attraction in the Pandemic Labor Market. The report presents wage growth as a result of companies’ recent efforts to attract and retain talent and analyzes the economic complexities surrounding this economic trend.  

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing A River (No Longer) Runs Through It: Ocklawaha River Restoration, a report wherein the government watchdog examines the recreational, economic, and environmental impacts of full retention and partial restoration of the Ocklawaha River, which flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released a comprehensive briefing on Florida’s child welfare case manager retention crisis, A System in Crisis: Stabilizing Florida’s Child Welfare Workforce, wherein FTW presents factors contributing to high attrition rates and considerations for stabilizing this critical sector of the state’s workforce.   

Tallahassee, Fla. – The following statement is to be attributed to Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch on the passage of SB 7014: COVID-19-Related Claims Against Health Care Providers.

Florida’s taxation of government-owned property when it is leased by a non-government entity is complex and conflicting and falls well short of the goals for good tax policy, including fairness, simplicity, transparency, and ease of administration. It has been shaped more by the courts than the Legislature.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier independent, nonpartisan policy research institute, is releasing a report entitled Manufacturing a Transformational Shift: Expanding Florida’s Workforce Development Through Sector Strategies. It features a comprehensive summary of the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit, which included a series of four events (three virtual and one in-person) from June through October 2021, bringing together thought leaders such as Associated Industries of Florida, CareerSource Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, and FloridaMakes to elevate the importance of the Manufacturing industry in Florida and identify ways to strengthen and advance Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity, and technological performance of its Manufacturing sector.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a Session Spotlight report entitled The Impacts of Lawsuits Against Local Governments for Business Damages. In the report, FTW analyzes four pieces of legislation, SB 620, CS/HB 569, CS/SB 280, and HB 403, which will impact the process of passing local ordinances and provide additional rights to businesses and residents wishing to challenge those ordinances. The government watchdog also presents considerations for the unintended consequences and secondary fiscal effects of the bills.