We cannot forget that the money appropriated by the Legislature belongs to the taxpayers of Florida. But what happens when appropriations circumvent the budget process or competitive project selection? Or when they bypass the opportunity for public scrutiny or competitive bidding?

The state budget is the only law that the Florida Legislature is constitutionally required to pass every year. The process begins with the agencies’ budget requests, and then the governor submits his budget recommendations to the Legislature. The Senate and House of Representatives then pass their preferred version of the budget, and the two chambers negotiate a compromise during budget conference. Finally, this becomes the General Appropriations Act.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of access to reliable and affordable broadband Internet service in our daily lives, which makes available an almost limitless amount of information; provides a platform for education, health care, and commerce; and facilitates family connections, social communication, and idea sharing. What’s more, public and private agencies alike offer critical services and regular updates for citizens through online programs.

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.

'Hardworking Americans at any income level will pay higher insurance premiums.'

Florida taxpayers should start to pay attention to a debate that is playing out behind the scenes in the halls of Congress and would have a very real effect on Floridians.

A medida que el impacto del coronavirus, o COVID-19, continúa extendiéndose a través de nuestro estado y nuestra nación, también lo hace la incertidumbre que trae a cada comunidad que toca. Empresas están cerrando, todo está cancelado, el desempleo está aumentando a un ritmo récord y el Congreso está aprobando el proyecto de ley de ayuda por desastre más grande en la historia de nuestro país, destinando billones de dólares para ayudar a combatir los impactos económicos de esta pandemia.

Sin duda, estamos viviendo tiempos inciertos sin precedentes, pero durante las crisis es que vemos lo mejor de nuestros compañeros residentes de Florida. En estos últimos días y semanas, muchos han buscado formas de ayudar, y tenemos una simple sugerencia: lea su periódico y complete el Censo 2020.

As the impact of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, continues to spread across our state and nation, so too does the uncertainty it brings to every community it touches. Businesses are shuttering. Everything is canceled. Unemployment is climbing at a record pace. And Congress on Friday passed the largest disaster relief bill in our nation’s history, directing trillions of dollars to help beat back the economic impacts of this pandemic. President Trump signed the bill into law late Friday afternoon.
We are undoubtedly living in unprecedented and uncertain times, but it is during crises that we see the very best in our fellow Floridians. Over these past days and weeks, many have looked for ways to help and we have a simple suggestion — read your newspaper and complete the 2020 Census.

In today’s world of immediate access to information and ten-minute news cycles driven by social media, it is easy to forget that when it comes to government policies, we are all playing the long game. Florida’s low-tax, business-friendly climate and taxpayer-friendly policies have allowed our state to become one of the most desirable places in the world to call home. But it was not always this way. On the way to becoming the Sunshine State we all know and love, there were more and higher taxes, a more volatile constitutional amendment process and less-informed elected leaders.

As we approach the holiday season, countless Floridians will shop online for the perfect gift. During Cyber Monday and through the weeks ahead, many of these shoppers will unknowingly come short on the taxes owed for these remote purchases. This is why the 2020 Florida Legislature should finally address the most significant tax compliance and collection issue facing Florida — the collection of sales taxes on remote sales. This can be done by taking the burden of remitting the tax off the consumer and putting it where it belongs — on the seller.