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 Releases Independent Assessment of Broward College

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its latest report, An Independent Assessment of the Impact of Broward College. The report looks at the comparative benefits to students who attend Broward College, how Broward College compares to other institutions of higher learning in the tri-county South Florida region, and Broward College’s economic impact and return on investment to its students and the community.

Florida TaxWatch Briefing Warns Against Expanding Diversions for Tourist Development Tax Revenue

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its latest briefing, Diverting Tourist Development Tax Revenue: Florida Shouldn’t “Eat Our Seed Corn” by Diverting Tourist Development Tax Revenue warning against continued expansion by the Florida Legislature of authorized uses for locally imposed tourist development taxes (TDT).

Panama City and Bay County Leaders Join Florida TaxWatch to Reiterate Importance of Increased Participation in the 2020 Census

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Panama City, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with leaders from Panama City and Bay County highlighted the need for community participation in the 2020 Census. As the third largest and fourth fastest growing state in the country, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. Federal grant programs distribute $700 billion using census data. If Florida is under-represented by the count, it could cost the state millions, or even billions, of dollars. Florida’s state and local officials need to immediately start ensuring the accuracy of the count by participating in existing intergovernmental processes to verify addresses and residences. 

STATEMENT: Florida TaxWatch on House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee University Merger Proposal

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro released the following statement regarding the House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee’s proposal to merge Florida Polytechnic University with the University of Florida and merge New College of Florida with Florida State University.

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