Florida has proven ideas, demonstrated wins, and active tools; now it needs permanence. By embedding efficiency into the annual budget cycle—backed by transparent tracking and regular reporting—the state can convert sporadic initiatives into sustained savings and better service delivery for taxpayers.

Florida TaxWatch's 2025 Legislative Session Wrap-up Report provides a comprehensive analysis of Florida's extended legislative session that concluded June 16 with a $115.1 billion budget and $2.0 billion tax package. The Governor signed the budget on June 30 and issued $376 million in line-item vetoes, resulting in a net budget of $114.8 billion while maintaining strong fiscal reserves of $12.6 billion.

Florida TaxWatch’s 2025 Legislative Session Wrap-Up report provides a concise but comprehensive overview of the extraordinary budget impasse that extended this year’s session to June 6, 2025, the narrow scope of allowed legislation (including the General Appropriations Act, budget conforming bills, the House and Senate tax packages, and the Rural Renaissance bill), and the high-stakes negotiations that will resume on May 12 in conference committee.

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.

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.

Florida voters demonstrated strong support for local tax increases and bond issues in the 2023-2024 election cycle, approving 89% of referenda. Voters passed $1.9 billion in annual tax increases and nearly $1 billion in bond issues, primarily targeting schools, infrastructure, and public services. The report highlights Florida's unique reliance on local government funding, with municipalities and special districts providing over 56% of the state's revenue. Despite statewide tax cuts, local taxes are rising with voter approval, reflecting public willingness to invest in community development when they perceive clear value and benefit.

This report analyzes the key aspects of the deal and identifies critical questions that local officials should consider before deciding whether the proposed ballpark is in the best interest of taxpayers.

The report does not draw conclusions on the merits of the deal but instead focuses on outlining the important factors that need to be weighed, such as the total public costs, the best use of public funds, and the fairness of the cost-sharing agreement. While the project is expected to generate significant economic impacts over 30 years, research shows that the benefits of publicly subsidized sports facilities are often overstated.

To learn more about this critical issue affecting the Tampa Bay region, download the full report for an in-depth, independent analysis.

Originally designed to serve specific community segments, credit unions have since expanded their reach and service offerings, making their tax exemptions increasingly valuable. From 1997's exemption value of $89.1 million, the exemption's worth has risen to $259 million in 2023. This report sheds light on the industry's transformations, recent trends like mergers and acquisitions, and reevaluates the rationale behind the tax exemptions. It aims to fuel informed discussions on credit union taxation and their exemption status.

“Annual salary rate” (“salary rate”) means the monetary compensation authorized to be paid a position on an annualized basis. Fringe benefits (e.g., health insurance, retirement contributions, etc.) and other additives (e.g., competitive area differentials, etc.) are not included in the base salary rate associated with a position. 

The gap between Florida’s infrastructure needs and what Florida currently has is nearly $2.59 trillion over ten years. By year 2039, a continued underinvestment in Florida’s infrastructure at current rates will have serious economic consequences — $10 trillion in lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP), more than 3 million lost jobs, and $2.4 trillion in lost exports. Two creative solutions are public-private partnerships (PPPs) and public-public partnerships (PUPs). Why then, are there not more PPPs and PUPs? 

The once-in-a-lifetime pandemic disrupted the 2020 Census— the 24th in U.S. history—delaying field operations and hampering the public’s ability to respond. This 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.

On Thursday, April 14, Florida TaxWatch joins the taxpayers in our state in celebrating Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2022. On that day, Floridians are finally earning money for themselves–not for the tax collector. This symbolic date assumes that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local tax obligations. This measure of tax burden is based on the relative size of all taxes paid in Florida to our state’s total personal income. In 2022, for the average Florida household, paying its taxes takes 103 out of 365 days, nearly three and a half months.