Florida property tax levies have been rising rapidly—increasing by nearly 40 percent in just the last three years and more than doubling in the last ten years—with property taxes now totaling $59.2 billion (FY2025–26). With the Legislature’s increased focus on affordability, especially housing affordability, property taxes are expected to be a top issue during the 2026 legislative session.

Interdisciplinary Pain Management as a Means to Help Address Solvency of the State Employees’ Health Insurance Trust Fund examines how treating chronic pain through integrated, team-based care can both improve outcomes for State Group Insurance Program (SGIP) members and lower overall claims paid by Florida’s State Employees’ Health Insurance Trust Fund. With the Trust Fund projected to face a nearly $1.7 billion shortfall by FY 2029-30 without action, Florida TaxWatch outlines a pragmatic path that reduces costs by treating pain more effectively—not just shifting them to employees.

Explore the latest insights from Florida TaxWatch's "Property Insurance Briefing" as it delves into the complexities of Florida's property insurance market amidst the 2024 hurricane season. This report examines the instability caused by soaring premiums, driven by litigation and hurricane damages, and discusses the role of Citizens Property Insurance as a critical safety net for over a million Floridians. Highlighting legislative efforts to stabilize the market and initiatives like home hardening to reduce costs, this briefing is essential for anyone affected by or interested in Florida's property insurance challenges. Download the full report for a comprehensive analysis and actionable solutions.

Serving as the eyes and ears of Florida taxpayers, Florida TaxWatch annually reviews the state budget to prepare its Budget Guide, showing how hard-earned taxpayer dollars are spent. This year, consistent with a recommendation by Florida TaxWatch, line item 2923 of the 500-page General Appropriations Act appropriates $500,000 in nonrecurring funds to the Department of Management Services to contract for a comprehensive analysis to determine the fiscal impact and feasibility of extending the State Group Insurance Program (SGIP) to employees of the Florida College System.

Florida’s homeowners insurance market is in the emergency room on life support. Homeowners and insurance agents across the state struggle to obtain reasonably priced homeowners insurance. In 2022, the average annual premium for a homeowners insurance policy was $4,231, close to three times the U.S. average of $1,544, and nearly twice Florida’s $2,505 average just two years ago. In 2023, premiums are on track to climb even higher. The Florida state legislature held two special sessions in 2022 focused on making insurance more available and affordable. Although the meetings helped raise lawmakers’ awareness of the cause of the crisis and introduced measures to arrest further market deterioration, reasonably priced insurance is expected to remain hard to find in 2023.