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

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Briefing: Are Floridians Ready to Go Back to School? Not Without More Teachers…

2024 Update

Florida ranks 50th nationwide in teacher pay, with a critical shortage affecting students across the state. Despite recent efforts, teacher salaries have actually decreased by 15.7% over the past decade when adjusted for inflation.

Key findings:

  • One in ten Florida courses lacks a properly certified teacher
  • 15% of courses in low-performing schools are taught by out-of-field teachers
  • Florida needs 9.7% more teachers by 2031, but fewer college graduates are choosing education

This Florida TaxWatch Briefing explores the root causes of Florida's teacher shortage, from low pay to high stress, and examines recent policy actions. More importantly, it offers concrete solutions to attract and retain quality educators.

Are Florida's students getting the education they deserve? Download our free briefing to understand the crisis and learn how we can secure Florida's educational future.

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