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

Could Florida Experience a Significant Water Shortage?

2025 Update

Could Florida Experience a Water Shortage? — 2025 Update (Report Cover)

Florida’s Water Future: A 2025 Review of Funding Strategies and Policy Needs updates last year’s analysis of statewide water supply risks and financing. New EDR projections show a widening state funding gap—more than $50 million in FY 2025-26—with total demand still trending upward through 2045. While Florida continues to invest heavily in Everglades restoration, water quality, and resiliency, water-supply dollars are fragmented and too often routed via member projects rather than through transparent, criteria-driven programs.

The commentary highlights several pressure points: daily water use already exceeds seven billion gallons; demand is projected to rise by ~750 million gallons per day by 2045; and meeting supply needs will require roughly $2.4 billion statewide, with an estimated $777 million state share. An additional $1.4 billion is needed to sustain natural systems (excluding Everglades), including springs, aquifers, and water bodies. These needs compound as drought, heat, sea-level rise, and saltwater intrusion stress regional sources.

What Florida TaxWatch recommends: (1) establish a five-year Water Project Work Program to unify planning, selection, and multi-year budgeting; (2) reinstate a dedicated funding stream to stabilize supply investments (e.g., restore distributions that previously supported water programs); and (3) prioritize projects using consistent, data-driven criteria—coordinated among DEP, water management districts, and local governments—to maximize outcomes per dollar and reduce ad-hoc earmarking.

Meet the Authors:

Taylor Thorne
Taylor Thorne
Intern | Lead Author
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Kurt Wenner
Kurt Wenner
Senior Vice President of Research | Contributing Author
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Jessica Cimijotti-Little
Jessica Cimijotti-Little
Research Analyst | Contributing Author
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