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

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Other Resources

Florida Disaster.biz
FEMA
Florida Department of Financial Services
Florida SBDC
Disaster Contractors Network
Florida Disaster Fund

Florida TaxWatch Statement on Hurricane Ian Recovery

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Florida TaxWatch's New Staff Will Bolster Efforts to Inform Policymakers and Taxpayers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – To better educate Florida’s taxpayers and public officials using high quality, independent research and analysis, Florida TaxWatch has added several new members to its respected team.

“Florida’s economy continues to grow and the importance of quality investments will determine whether our state continues on its path toward sustainable job creation, better health outcomes, increased support services and a more highly educated workforce,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that taxpayers have a trusted nonpartisan watchdog group to keep them informed. With the addition of our new staff members, Florida TaxWatch will continue to provide high-quality, independent research that Florida policymakers and citizens have come to rely on over our organization’s 35 year history.”

Gwynn Virostek joins Florida TaxWatch as Vice President of Development. Virostek will leverage strategic partnerships to involve Florida’s business community, state and national foundations, as well as civically engaged citizens in support of Florida TaxWatch research. Virostek is a former bank executive and comes to Florida TaxWatch from Haven Hospice of North Central Florida.

Steve Petty, Ph.D., comes to Florida TaxWatch as the Chief Economist. Petty provides economic analysis of state and local government taxation, expenditures, policies, and programs. Prior to joining Florida TaxWatch, Petty worked as a college economics professor and conducted financial research and analysis for several private finance firms.

Kyle Baltuch, MS, is a new Economist with Florida TaxWatch. A recent graduate of Florida State University, he most recently served as Florida TaxWatch’s Neil S. Crispo fellow. Baltuch’s research will identify economic opportunities in the Sunshine State and will support the Florida TaxWatch research team on a variety of economic development projects.

Joshua Gabel is Florida TaxWatch’s new Outreach Coordinator. Gabel, a former campaign staffer for Governor Rick Scott and Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry, will engage Florida TaxWatch supporters and outside organizations with relevant research and event opportunities.

Morgan McCord has been promoted to Director of Communications and will continue to share Florida TaxWatch’s independent research findings with taxpayers, policymakers and members of the media.

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