Friday, April 17 is Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2026 — the symbolic date when the average Florida household has earned enough to satisfy all federal, state, and local tax obligations for the year. In 2026, that takes 106 out of 365 days, or just over three and a half months. On a daily basis, Floridians' Taxpayer Independence Time falls at 11:19 a.m. each workday.

To remain competitive and sustain Florida’s share of the U.S. tourism market, Florida must continue to invest in tourism marketing and promotion to make sure that when tourists begin to plan their next vacation, they think first of Florida. Florida TaxWatch recommends the Legislature not approve any legislation that permits local governments divert the use of TDT-generated revenue from tourism marketing to support other activities.

For the second year in a row, the Florida Legislature ended its 60-day session without completing its only constitutionally required task — passing a state budget. House Speaker Daniel Perez cited a "fundamental disagreement on what the state budget should look like," with the House seeking to spend less and the Senate more. The House and Senate budget proposals total $113.6 billion and $115.0 billion, respectively.

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.

Setting water utility rates that incorporate the recovery of the costs associated with standard operating expenses and debt obligations is essential to ensuring the short-term and longer-term financial stability of the utility. Once these costs are covered, many publicly owned utilities make transfers to the General Fund (a practice known as “sweeping”) ostensibly to help pay for governmental services that do not generate revenue (e.g., roadway maintenance, public safety, etc.) and to help keep property taxes lower. Keeping property taxes low often means higher municipal utility rates to balance the general budget, a habitual practice that burdens utility customers with cross-subsidies and normalizes underinvestment in infrastructure.