Taxpayer Independence Day 2025

/ Categories: Research, Local Government

Florida TaxWatch’s Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2025 report commemorates the symbolic April 21 date when the average Floridian has earned enough to satisfy all federal, state, and local tax obligations. In 2025, Floridians spend 110 days—until 11:24 a.m.—paying taxes each year before they begin earning for themselves.

Extending the Local Communication Services Tax Increase Moratorium and a Sales Tax Exemption for Broadband Equipment Should be Part of Any Tax Relief Package this Session

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps

Florida TaxWatch's CST and Broadband Equipment report examines the impact of the high Communications Services Tax (CST) on broadband infrastructure investment and consumer expenses. The report details how Florida’s current CST ranks among the highest in the nation and explores its effects on both businesses and low-income households, who are particularly vulnerable to the disproportionate burden of such taxes on essential wireless services.

Fair Share Taxes Driven Away by Electric Vehicles

/ Categories: Research, Transportation

Proposed solutions include redistributing a portion of the sales tax collected at EV charging stations to the STTF and adopting a hybrid approach that combines higher registration fees with targeted EV taxes. These proposals aim to ensure that all drivers contribute their “fair share” toward maintaining Florida’s transportation infrastructure in the face of rapid technological change.

The Voter Guide for the City of North Port’s May 13, 2025 Referendum

/ Categories: Research, Local Government, Voter Guides

The City of North Port, Florida's second fastest growing city in the United States, faces significant challenges from rapid urbanization, population growth, and ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ian's devastating impact in 2022. This Florida TaxWatch report examines the implications of the May 13, 2025 special election referendum, which asks voters to decide on several critical municipal issues.

Using Microelectronic Sensors to Continuously Monitor Vertical Infrastructure

/ Categories: Research

This Florida TaxWatch report explores how microelectronic smart sensor networks can proactively monitor vertical infrastructure to detect issues such as structural fatigue, corrosion, or damage before they lead to catastrophic failures, as seen in the 2021 Champlain Towers South collapse (98 deaths) and the 2018 Florida International University pedestrian bridge collapse (6 deaths).

The What, Why, and How of the Florida TaxWatch Budget Turkey Watch Report

Legislator Resource

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps, Budget Turkeys

Florida TaxWatch’s annual Budget Turkey Watch Report for 2025 meticulously examines the state budget to identify appropriations that deviate from sound fiscal management principles. Below is an expanded overview of what Budget Turkeys are, why they are identified, and how they are determined.

Despite Uncertainty and Significant Downside Risk, Florida’s New General Revenue Forecast Adds $1.3 Billion to the Money Available for the New Budget

Budget Watch | March 2025

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps

Florida TaxWatch’s Budget Watch report for March 2025 examines the state’s updated General Revenue forecast, which adds approximately $1.3 billion to the money available for the new state budget. After a long streak of collections exceeding estimates, January’s shortfall signals a shift amid mounting economic uncertainty.

More States Are Using State-Level Tax Credits to Address Workforce and Affordable Housing Deficits

Florida Should Consider These Incentives

/ Categories: Research, Housing Affordability

This Florida TaxWatch report highlights a severe affordable housing crisis in Florida, where rising housing costs and a limited supply of affordable units place significant financial and social burdens on low-income families and essential workers. It advocates for the adoption of state-level tax credits to supplement federal programs, thereby incentivizing the construction of affordable housing, stimulating local economies, and reducing public costs.

An Independent Assessment of the Economic Impacts of South Florida’s St. Thomas University on Florida’s Economy

/ Categories: Research, Economic Development, Education, ROI Study

St. Thomas University (STU) plays a large role in Florida’s economy, fostering workforce development and economic mobility, particularly for underrepresented communities. This Florida TaxWatch ROI report evaluates STU’s impact, highlighting its contributions to job creation, income growth, and return on investment. With record-breaking enrollment, a diverse student body, and strong financial stability, STU generates over $1.5 billion in economic output and supports more than 8,500 jobs. Every $1 spent on STU results in $21.50 of economic output.

Enhancing Lives, Ensuring Accountability: The Value of Florida’s Behavioral Health Managing Entities

Tenth Year Review

/ Categories: Research, Cost Savings, Health Care

Florida’s Behavioral Health Managing Entities (BHMEs) are at the heart of an innovative, community-based network delivering critical mental health and substance use services across the state. This report’s summary reveals how BHMEs efficiently coordinate a vast network of providers with minimal overhead—ensuring accessible, continuous care for vulnerable populations—while highlighting the risk that stagnant operational funding poses to their long-term sustainability. It ultimately recommends boosting operational funding from 3% to 5% to maintain the system’s effectiveness and guide future policy decisions.

Florida Economic Forecast: Q3 2024

A Florida TaxWatch Economic Commentary

/ Categories: Research, Economic Development, Economic Forecast

Florida's Economic Forecast 2024–2030 offers a concise look at Florida's future economic landscape. The report, built on REC Group data, outlines how the state is expected to continue growing—approaching a nearly $1.5 trillion economy—while highlighting shifts in population, net migration, and employment. It also examines changes in GDP, personal income, and the influence of tourism, comparing these trends to broader national economic indicators. Overall, the forecast serves as a valuable guide for understanding the opportunities and challenges Florida may face as it transitions into a more normalized, post-pandemic economic environment.

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POLICY STUDIES ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Be Prepared: Using Florida’s Natural Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change

POLICY STUDIES ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT Be Prepared: Using Florida’s Natural Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change

Florida has a diverse and beautiful natural environment, ranging from the Everglades to the beaches of the Florida panhandle. The state is also vulnerable to a variety of extreme weather events, such as flooding and hurricanes, which are projected to become more severe in the coming decades due to climate change. Protecting the state against these events could be a costly undertaking. Various proposals seek to minimize the risks through new infrastructure projects such as sea walls. But in deciding how best to adapt to extreme weather risk, Florida should be sure to consider using the state’s “natural infrastructure” to protect itself in a less costly and more sustainable way.

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IDEAS IN ACTION: Be Prepared: Using Florida’s Natural Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change

IDEAS IN ACTION: Be Prepared: Using Florida’s Natural Infrastructure to Combat Climate Change

Florida has a diverse and beautiful natural environment, ranging from the Everglades to the beaches of the Florida panhandle. The state is also vulnerable to a variety of extreme weather events, such as flooding and hurricanes, which are projected to become more severe in the coming decades due to climate change. Protecting the state against these events could be a costly undertaking. Various proposals seek to minimize the risks through new infrastructure projects such as sea walls. But in deciding how best to adapt to extreme weather risk, Florida should be sure to consider using the state’s “natural infrastructure” to protect itself in a less costly and more sustainable way.

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A Closer Look at Florida’s Sales Tax Exemptions

A Closer Look at Florida’s Sales Tax Exemptions

The six percent sales and use tax is Florida state government’s largest revenue sourceby far, currently bringing in approximately $36 billion annually. When the almost $6 billion in local option sales tax collections is included with the state tax, the $42 billion total collections make the sales tax the number one tax source for all Florida governments, topping the $40 billion local property tax.

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Why Taxpayers Should Care about Workforce Instability with Florida’s Public Defenders and State Attorneys

Why Taxpayers Should Care about Workforce Instability with Florida’s Public Defenders and State Attorneys

One of the fundamental responsibilities of government is to ensure the safety and welfare of those in its care. This includes indigents who are accused of wrongdoing and who would otherwise be unable to afford a private attorney to defend them. It is essential that, in all criminal prosecutions, the accused is afforded all rights under Amendment VI of the U.S. Constitution, including the right to a speedy trial and the right to have the assistance of competent defense counsel, even if they cannot afford it.

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Op-Ed: Reversing Florida's Back-Breaking Tort Tax

If you are looking for a wild ride in the legal system, Florida is the place to be.

Florida has taken significant steps to mitigate the effects of the state’s tort environment, specifically as it relates to the challenging property insurance marketplace. The legislature convened in May and December 2022 to pass crucial legislation (Senate Bill 2D and Senate Bill 2A) intended to help the marketplace heal from frivolous lawsuits, insurance company insolvencies, and issues resulting from natural catastrophes. (For perspective, Florida makes up 79 percent of homeowners insurance lawsuits nationwide, but only accounts for 9 percent of all homeowners insurance claims). Yet there is still a great deal of room for improvement.

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Florida’s Housing Market: Trends of Supply and Demand

Florida’s Housing Market: Trends of Supply and Demand

As Florida continues to grow, the development of infrastructure (e.g., roads, water and wastewater systems, parks, etc.) must keep pace. In January 2023, Florida TaxWatch released “Economic Commentary: An Update on Florida’s Housing Rental Market,” which evaluated the troubles Florida has experienced with the ever-rising cost of rent. In Florida, the cost of rent has jumped by 36 percent since 2020, with much of the increase occurring in 2021 alone.

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BudgetWatch: New General Revenue Estimates Add $7 Billion for the Next Budget

BudgetWatch: New General Revenue Estimates Add $7 Billion for the Next Budget

In what has been a regular occurrence, the Florida General Revenue (GR) Estimating Conference significantly increased the estimate of the amount of GR that will be collected. This is the sixth conference in a row that has produced a rosier revenue forecast. The last reduced estimate came at the August 2020 conference, just as the coronavirus pandemic began its relatively short-lived slowdown of Florida’s revenue collections.

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Water Turkeys: Despite Increased Funding for Florida’s Water Resources and the Creation of New Competitive Grants Processes, Local Member Earmarks are Proliferating

Water Turkeys: Despite Increased Funding for Florida’s Water Resources and the Creation of New Competitive Grants Processes, Local Member Earmarks are Proliferating

Florida has been making very large investments in the protection and restoration of the state’s water resources. On his second day in office, Governor Ron DeSantis issued an Executive Order making water a top priority. The Executive Order called for funding of $2.5 billion over four years—$625 million a year—to significantly expedite Everglades restoration and enhance the protection of our water systems. This goal was surpassed, with $3.3 billion appropriated by the Florida Legislature in the last four years for specific key water funding in addition to hundreds of millions more in water-related appropriations also in the state budget.

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