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

2025 Legislative Session Wrap-up Report Cover

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.

The report examines key legislative achievements including the repeal of the Business Rent Tax (BRT) effective October 1, 2025, delivering $1.3 billion in state savings, and making the Back-to-School sales tax holiday permanent with $217 million in annual consumer savings. It also analyzes continued challenges with member projects—approximately 1,700 earmarks totaling over $2.5 billion—and highlights Florida's accelerated debt reduction efforts, including $580 million dedicated this year and a cumulative $7.3 billion in tax-supported debt retired since 2019.

The analysis covers education funding with FEFP at $29.5 billion ($9,130 per student), health and human services anchored by $36.5 billion for Medicaid/KidCare, substantial environmental investments exceeding $4 billion across various water and conservation programs, and a 2% state workforce pay raise. Florida TaxWatch recommends continued fiscal discipline, enhanced transparency in project selection, and systematic implementation of tax reforms to maximize taxpayer value and maintain Florida's strong fiscal position.

Download Full Report (PDF)

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Kurt Wenner
Kurt Wenner
Senior Vice President of Research
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