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 Quarterly Report for Broward SMART Program

/ Categories: Releases, BOC

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released its review of the Broward County School District's Safety, Music & Art, Athletics, Renovations and Technology (SMART) program in its report Monitoring and Oversight of General Obligation Bonds to Improve Broward County Schools: SMART Program Quarterly Report Review for the Quarter Ended December 31, 2022.   

Florida TaxWatch’s Annual State of the Taxpayer Dinner to be Held TOMORROW, Tues., March 14, at the August B. Turnbull III Conference Center in Tallahassee

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – With the recent start of Florida’s 2023 Legislative Session, Florida TaxWatch is once again hosting its annual State of the Taxpayer Dinner on Tues., March 14 at 6 p.m. Held at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Conference Center in Tallahassee, the program will offer the state’s elected leaders and policymakers the opportunity to speak directly to the interests of hard-working taxpayers and their families.

TOMORROW: Florida TaxWatch to Honor Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center Immediate Past Principal Dr. Bridgette Tate-Wyche with 2022-23 Principal Leadership Award

/ Categories: Releases

Miami, Fla. – On Tues., March 14, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will honor Dr. Bridgette Tate-Wyche – immediate past principal at Lillie C. Evans K-8 Center in Miami-Dade County, now principal at Miami Northwestern Senior High School – with the Florida TaxWatch 2022-23 Principal Leadership Award (PLA), which identifies Florida’s most effective principals in high-risk K-12 public schools, recognizes and rewards their work, and promotes their transformational practices throughout the state. 

Florida TaxWatch’s Annual State of the Taxpayer Dinner to be Held Tues., March 14 at the August B. Turnbull III Conference Center in Tallahassee

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – With the recent start of Florida’s 2023 Legislative Session, Florida TaxWatch is once again hosting its annual State of the Taxpayer Dinner on Tues., March 14 at 6 p.m. Held at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Conference Center in Tallahassee, the program will offer the state’s elected leaders and policymakers the opportunity to speak directly to the interests of hard-working taxpayers and their families.

Florida TaxWatch Analyzes Compensation and Workplace Issues in the Offices of State Attorneys and Public Defenders

/ Categories: Releases

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Why Taxpayers Should Care About Workforce Instability with Florida’s Public Defenders and State Attorneys. This report builds on FTW’S previous research, Improving State Attorney and Public Defender Budget Process and Targeting Salary Increases Will Help Achieve Revision 7 Goals- Reduce Trial Lawyer Turnover (February 2004) and When It Costs More To Pay Less(March 2014), to present an updated analysis of how low salaries, heavy caseloads, limited work flexibility, and high turnover rates among assistant state attorneys (ASAs) and assistant public defenders (APDs) impact these critical positions and the Florida taxpayers they serve. Both previous reports successfully led to more competitive salaries and reduced turnover in these offices.

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