We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Florida’s future

Here is what Florida TaxWatch thinks the Legislature should do.

/ Categories: Budget/Approps, Economic Development, Taxpayer Guide, In the News

The 2022 legislative session begins today and, despite the pandemic, Florida is in an enviable fiscal position. The state’s current budget is record in size, as are our budget reserves. Revenue collections are back above pre-pandemic levels, and this Legislature will have even more money available for the next budget cycle, made possible by both strong economic performance and billions in unappropriated federal funds.

Read more
«January 2022»
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
272829303112
34
1/4/2022
THE GOVERNOR’S FY 2022-23 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS

THE GOVERNOR’S FY 2022-23 BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS

As the Florida TaxWatch Budget Watch series1 has been detailing, the budget outlook for the state is extremely rosy. Governor DeSantis’s 2022-23 budget recommendations reflect the current fiscal environment. It totals $99.7 billion and just like the current budget, the price tag does not fully account for all the spending it contains.

Read more
56789
10
1/10/2022
2021 Annual Report

2021 Annual Report

The story of Florida TaxWatch in 2021 was one of taxpayer victories and a hand in the recovery of one of the world’s (14th if Florida were a country) biggest economies.

Read more
11
1/11/2022

We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in Florida’s future

The 2022 legislative session begins today and, despite the pandemic, Florida is in an enviable fiscal position. The state’s current budget is record in size, as are our budget reserves. Revenue collections are back above pre-pandemic levels, and this Legislature will have even more money available for the next budget cycle, made possible by both strong economic performance and billions in unappropriated federal funds.

Read more
1213141516
1718
1/18/2022
The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Education and Training Beyond High School in Florida

The Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Education and Training Beyond High School in Florida

An increasingly technological and information-driven economy generally requires higher levels of educational achievement for both individual and community success. To sustain continued economic growth and competitiveness, Florida must maintain a workforce with the types of skills— trade and professional—that can attract high-wage, high-value industries.

Read more
192021
1/21/2022
WORKING PAPER: Where Are The Women?

WORKING PAPER: Where Are The Women?

This working paper is an endeavor to learn more about Florida’s labor force participation rate of women. Exploring reasons for women’s absence from the workforce can help Florida better understand the needs of its entire workforce. As a working paper, Florida TaxWatch hopes to start a discussion and encourage others to offer their insights about women’s absence from the workforce.

 

Read more
2223
24
1/24/2022
Closing the Digital Divide-The Expansion of Broadband Internet Service to Unserved Areas of the State

Closing the Digital Divide-The Expansion of Broadband Internet Service to Unserved Areas of the State

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of access to reliable and affordable high-quality broadband Internet service to our daily lives. Communities that currently lack access to the affordable, reliable, high-quality broadband Internet that is necessary for full participation in education, health care, employment, social services and government programs, and civic life are at a marked disadvantage without that access. To help ensure that all Florida communities have access to reliable and affordable high-quality broadband Internet service Florida TaxWatch recommends the following:

Read more
2526
1/26/2022
The Impacts of Lawsuits Against Local Governments for Business Damages

The Impacts of Lawsuits Against Local Governments for Business Damages

The 2022 Florida Legislature is debating two pieces of legislation that add to the process of passing local ordinances and provides additional rights to businesses and residents who wish to challenge those ordinances. This Session Spotlight takes a detailed look at SB620/CS/HB569 & CS/SB280/HB403.

Read more
2728
1/28/2022

What Benefits Cliffs Teach Us About Incentives

Throughout the U.S. and in Florida, a variety of federal and state public programs exist to provide economic stabilization and promote economic self-sufficiency for low-income individuals and families with children. These public supports are often designed with specific income eligibility limits so that benefits phase out as an individual or family earns more. Although constructed to reduce reliance on public assistance over time while empowering families to move up the economic ladder, this program design can sometimes have the unintentional consequence of creating a “benefits cliff” that stifles upward mobility.

Read more
2930
311
2/1/2022
Aging in Place—The Economic and Fiscal Value of Home and Community-Based Services

Aging in Place—The Economic and Fiscal Value of Home and Community-Based Services

Similar to demographic trends across the U.S., Florida will encounter a rapid increase in the number of elderly residents requiring long-term care and services. Florida’s 65 and older population is anticipated to grow by 52.1 percent over the next two decades from 4.4 to 6.7 million elderly residents. A variety of continuum of care options exists to accommodate the impending rise in long-term healthcare utilization, ranging from nursing homes to home and community-based settings. Not only do these options differ in their public costs and quality outcomes, but the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted the importance of physical risk and exposure to infection when considering what long-term settings exist. Due to the projected growth in Florida’s elderly population over the coming decades, it will be critical to expand resources across the state’s entire continuum of care.

Read more
23456

Archive

About TaxWatch

Quick Links

Copyright 2025 by Florida TaxWatch Research Institute : Terms Of Use : Privacy Statement