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

Derailing Brightline – The Cost of Taxpayer-Funded Lawsuits

America’s love affair with trains began in the 1860s with the creation of the first intercontinental railroad. Linking the east and west coasts by rail opened new opportunities for commerce and began a love affair between Americans and trains that continues to this day. The construction of additional railroad lines facilitated the establishment and growth of towns in the Midwest and West by providing a relatively rapid means of transporting goods and people. Towns depended on the railroads and, therefore, were developed along railroad lines. In the East, railroads were built to serve existing towns and cities.

All Aboard Florida (AAF) is a privately-owned and operated intercity passenger rail service. When fully operational, AAF will provide express passenger rail service (known as “Brightline”) from Miami to Orlando, with stops in Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. With top speeds ranging from 79 mph to 125 mph, and a minimal number of planned stops between Miami and Orlando, Brightline will offer passengers an opportunity to travel from Orlando to Miami in roughly three hours.

Unlike other high-speed rail projects, Brightline will not require direct taxpayer appropriations. Ridership risk will be borne by the private sector. Funding for the construction and operation of Brightline will come from a combination of tax-exempt private activity bonds (PABs), which are backed by project revenues, and federal Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Program loans and loan guarantees. Should the project default, only those who invested in the project are on the hook, not the taxpayers.

When completed, Brightline will pass through the Treasure Coast region of the state without any planned stops. This has prompted local governments in the Treasure Coast region to pursue legislative and legal remedies in an attempt to derail Brightline.

Documents to download

  • AAF-FINAL(.pdf, 1.82 MB) - 1786 download(s)

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