9 Actions Florida Should Take to Help Taxpayers Impacted by Hurricane Ian

1.     Postpone tax notices and waive penalties or interest for late tax filings in affected areas

2.     Extend the date for residents to take advantage of the tax discounts they would normally receive for paying property taxes and special assessments in November and postpone or defer the deadline for property tax installment payments

3.     Protect individual and business taxpayers from the risks for notices that they will likely not receive because their home or business addresses is not accessible anymore

4.     Issue no new audits in severely impacted areas, extend the statute of limitations and postpone existing audits that haven’t reached the assessment stage because these can’t be responded to while entire communities are still recovering

5.     Create procedures for fairly estimating taxes which can’t be calculated because records have been destroyed by the storm, moving away from the current method which significantly overestimates activity if no records are available

6.     Initiate procedures to offer payment plan assistance for late taxes, rather than resorting to the standard collection methods, like liens, levies, or bank freezes

7.     Retroactively apply the recently passed law that provides property tax refunds for residential property rendered uninhabitable as a result of a catastrophic event

8.     Provide tangible personal property relief and allow n on-residential properties rendered uninhabitable to receive property tax refunds

9.     Get Congress to pass a Disaster Tax Relief Act that includes provisions from past packages, including elements such as an Employee Retention Credit, an enhanced casualty loss deduction, and other relief provisions

Other Resources

Florida TaxWatch Statement on Hurricane Ian Recovery

Community Involvement

Florida TaxWatch Highlights Opportunity for Increased Private Sector Investment in Florida’s Public Infrastructure

Infrastructure Government watchdog calls for Florida Legislature to facilitate infrastructure-related public-private partnerships and public-public partnerships

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Using Public-Private Partnerships and Public-Public Partnerships to Meet the Growing Demands for Public Infrastructure, a report highlighting the opportunity for increased private sector investment in Florida’s critical public infrastructure. FTW also outlines recommendations for facilitating such investment, drawing from well-planned and successfully executed infrastructure-related public-private partnerships (PPPs) and public-public partnerships (PUPs) in Florida and other states.

Florida TaxWatch to Present 2022 Florida TaxWatch Productivity Awards to Florida Department of Transportation Districts Four and Six Winners

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Statement by Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro on Passage of Senate Bill 4-A: Disaster Relief

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The statement below, to be attributed to Florida TaxWatch (FTW) President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro, pertains to the Florida Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 4-A: Disaster Relief, which occurred today and will provide more than $750 million in financial relief for localities and residents impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. To learn more and/or schedule an interview with a FTW representative, please contact Aly Coleman Raschid at aly@on3pr.com or 850.391.5040. 

Florida TaxWatch Announces 2022-23 Executive Officers, Seven New Board of Trustees Members

Lakeland local Piyush Patel of Kyra Solutions, Inc. assumes the highest position of Chairman

/ Categories: Releases

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) announced its 2022-23 executive officers and seven new board of trustees members who will contribute to the independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit taxpayer research institute’s efforts to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. These men and women, who hold prominent positions within highly regarded organizations across a variety of industries, were elected at FTW’s Annual Meeting earlier in December and will serve three-year terms. They join an esteemed executive committee and 89 returning board members.

Florida TaxWatch Highlights Value of Census Data Throughout Disasters

Billions in federal funding left on the table from the 2020 Census could have supported Hurricane Ian recovery efforts

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released A Key to Overcoming Disasters: Complete Census Data Reinforces Resiliency, a timely commentary highlighting the value of census data throughout the planning, response, and recovery stages of a disaster. The report also points to the estimated 750,000 Florida residents who were not counted in the 2020 Census, leaving up to $2.1 billion per year on the table for the next 10 years – federal funding that could have supported Hurricane Ian recovery efforts.

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