Summary of the Florida TaxWatch April 2011 Briefing: Benefits of the Sunshine State's Investment in the Solar Renewable Energy Sector Thursday, March 31, 2011 / Categories: Research, Energy & Environment, Transportation Florida's window of opportunity to become a leader in solar and renewable energy manufacturing is rapidly closing. This briefing details the status quo and what needs to be done to make the state competitive with those states that have done more in the clean energy field. Read more
Benefits of the Sunshine State's Investment in the Solar Renewable Energy Sector Thursday, March 31, 2011 / Categories: Research, Energy & Environment, Transportation "Putting the 'sun' in Sunshine State, this report examines steps already taken in solar energy and what impact further steps would have on the Florida economic outlook. " Read more
State Competitiveness Indices & Rankings: What National Rankings Tell Us about Florida's Competitiveness Monday, February 28, 2011 / Categories: Research, Economic Development "From corporate tax to personal income tax to property tax, this report shows how Florida compares to southeastern states as well as the nation. " Read more
Mitigating Unemployment Comp Tax Increases Facing Employers Using Cost Saving Recommendations to Help Pay Federal Loan Obligations and Enacting Reforms Can Help Monday, February 28, 2011 / Categories: Research, Economic Development The high cost of unemployment hit the state coffers hard. This report shows what happens when the state paid out more in unemployment benefits than it collected in the trust fund used to provide benefits to jobless Floridians. Read more
The Governor's Budget Recommendations for FY 2011-12 First Proposed Budget a Bold Plan for Spending Cuts- Tax Relief Monday, January 31, 2011 / Categories: Research, Budget/Approps, Taxes "Just weeks after being sworn in as governor, Rick Scott released his first budget which called for several billion dollars in spending cuts and the layoff of thousands of state workers. " Read more
Florida Remains a Donor State Even Through The Great Recession Friday, December 31, 2010 / Categories: Research, Cost Savings Florida receives less money in federal grants to state and local governments than nearly every other state. This report examines the reasons why the Florida pays more than it gets back. Read more
Briefing: Corrections 2.0: A Proposal to Create a Continuum of Care in Corrections through Public-Private Partnerships Friday, December 31, 2010 / Categories: Research, Corrections/Judicial "Many current correctional systems operate under policy decisions made decades ago, a leading factor in persistently high recidivism rates. This report shows how private sector involvement could be the key to improved inmate outcomes. " Read more
The Inaugural Speech of Governor Rick Scott Friday, December 31, 2010 / Categories: Research, Guest Columns (From Ideas in Action: verbatim transcript of Jan. 2011 inaugural address) Read more
Report and Recommendations of the Government Cost Savings Task Force for FY2011-12 Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Categories: Research, Cost Savings The Task Force provides a compilation of 125 extensively researched recommendations aimed at achieving major cost-savings and cost containment in many areas of state government. Read more
Fiscal Responsibility:The Key to a Safer- Smarter- and Stronger Juvenile Justice System Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Categories: Research, Corrections/Judicial Florida's incarceration of children is excessively high and is actually making citizens more vulnerable. This report offers some proven paths toward improving the system. Read more
Governor's Transition Decision Handbook Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Categories: Research A virtual handbook for 'How-to-be-a-Governor' this publication details key issues facing the state's chief executive and includes advice from former governors as well as their key aides. Read more
Analysis of the Impact on Retail Sales in NW Florida from the Gulf Oil Spill Tuesday, November 30, 2010 / Categories: Research, Economic Development The timing of the oil spill could not have been worse for NW Florida retailers and this analysis shows how those retail losses cascaded through other economic sectors in the region. Read more