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

Enhancing Lives, Ensuring Accountability: The Value of Florida’s Behavioral Health Managing Entities

Tenth Year Review

Behavioral Health Managing Entities Report Cover

Florida’s Behavioral Health Managing Entities (BHMEs) are transforming the delivery of mental health and substance use disorder services for the state’s most vulnerable populations. In this tenth year review, Florida TaxWatch examines how BHMEs have evolved into efficient, community‐driven systems that manage over a billion dollars in services while keeping operational overhead remarkably low.

The report details how these nonprofit entities coordinate expansive networks of community providers to ensure continuous, high‐quality care. It highlights their role in streamlining service delivery, leveraging data for decision-making, and implementing strategic financial management—all essential in addressing rising demand amid rapid population growth.

Despite their successes, the review warns that the current operational funding—at just 3%—may soon compromise the system’s sustainability. To safeguard this critical infrastructure, the report recommends increasing operational funding to a sustainable 5%. This comprehensive analysis serves as an essential resource for policymakers and stakeholders looking to enhance Florida’s behavioral health landscape.

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