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

Hospice and Palliative Care

Florida is a National Leader Among the States Looked to for Best Practices in Compassionate Care

Florida's aging population is driving sustained demand for cost-effective, patient-centered care across the continuum. Palliative care—non-curative, interdisciplinary support for patients with serious but often nonterminal conditions—improves quality of life and can lower overall costs when introduced early in the disease course. Hospice provides end-of-life care once a clinician certifies a terminal prognosis; in Florida, hospice providers operate under a Certificate of Need (CON) program that authorizes new entrants only when unmet need is demonstrated through twice-yearly batching cycles.

Florida TaxWatch 2025 Legislative Session Wrap-Up: Extended Session Edition - Includes Final Budget, Tax Package, and Vetoes

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps, Local Government, Procurement

Florida TaxWatch's 2025 Legislative Session Wrap-up Report provides a comprehensive analysis of Florida's extended legislative session that concluded June 16 with a $115.1 billion budget and $2.0 billion tax package. The Governor signed the budget on June 30 and issued $376 million in line-item vetoes, resulting in a net budget of $114.8 billion while maintaining strong fiscal reserves of $12.6 billion.

2025 Budget Turkey Watch Report

An analysis of the transparency and accountability of the budget process

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps, Budget Turkeys

Florida TaxWatch’s 2025 Budget Turkey Watch Report delivers an independent, line-by-line review of Florida’s conference budget worth $115.1 billion. It identifies 238 appropriations totaling $413.5 million that bypassed established vetting procedures or public scrutiny—designating them as “Budget Turkeys”—and flags an additional $799.5 million in member projects that merit heightened executive review.

Extending the Local Communication Services Tax Increase Moratorium and a Sales Tax Exemption for Broadband Equipment Should be Part of Any Tax Relief Package this Session

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps

Florida TaxWatch's CST and Broadband Equipment report examines the impact of the high Communications Services Tax (CST) on broadband infrastructure investment and consumer expenses. The report details how Florida’s current CST ranks among the highest in the nation and explores its effects on both businesses and low-income households, who are particularly vulnerable to the disproportionate burden of such taxes on essential wireless services.

The Voter Guide for the City of North Port’s May 13, 2025 Referendum

/ Categories: Research, Budget/Approps, Energy & Environment, Local Government, Voter Guides

The City of North Port, Florida's second fastest growing city in the United States, faces significant challenges from rapid urbanization, population growth, and ongoing recovery from Hurricane Ian's devastating impact in 2022. This Florida TaxWatch report examines the implications of the May 13, 2025 special election referendum, which asks voters to decide on several critical municipal issues.

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