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

Download the Recommendations

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

Community Involvement

/ Categories: Op-Eds

Florida the New High-Tech Frontier

Silicon Valley is synonymous with global technology, but could Florida be the next frontier? A new high-tech hub being developed outside Orlando will thrust the Sunshine State into the global advanced manufacturing industry, and promises high-skill jobs, new capital and the influence of a multibillion dollar industry.

Central Florida's newest tech endeavor is a result of the work of the International Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research, a public-private partnership between several Florida Universities and business groups. While the state already boasts more than 18,000 manufacturers, the consortium is focused on growing advanced manufacturing in Florida and developing emerging technologies in its Florida Advanced Manufacturing Research Center.

The research center will explore emerging technologies, such as smart sensors, an industry expected to be worth more than $154 billion by 2020. While there are huge financial opportunities for Florida in advanced manufacturing, the industry is already flourishing in the Sunshine State. In fact, four of the top five of Florida manufacturing sectors are considered advanced. The state features aerospace, medical equipment, semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, which offer high-skill, high-wage jobs to Floridians.

According to a recent Florida TaxWatch analysis, Florida's manufacturing sector employs more than 317,000 workers, who are paid 100 percent more than the average annual wage of other private industries. However, advanced manufacturing industries boast a 228 percent higher salary than the average private sector workers' wages. Attracting industries that pay high wages, like advanced manufacturing, results in more economic activity in Florida, since the state economy heavily relies on consumption.

However, the economic impact of expanding advanced manufacturing extends beyond higher wages. Each dollar of manufactured goods results in $1.33 in activity from other sectors, improving the output of all Florida businesses. More advanced manufacturing could also be an opportunity to increase Florida's high-value exports, positioning the state for more global trade, especially important upon the opening of the Panama Canal expansion.

The research and economic development entities supporting the consortium and its research center is an impressive list, including the University of Florida, University of Central Florida, University of South Florida, Florida International University, Osceola County, the Florida High Tech Corridor, the State University System, the Orlando Economic Development Commission, Enterprise Florida, the Mist Center and Novati Technologies Inc. These high-powered resources have the relationships and capital investment commitments to ensure advanced manufacturing success in central Florida and around the state.

Florida's leaders continue to work to diversify the state's economy and position it to be a regional, national and global leader. The wise state investment to go along with the private and local investments in advanced manufacturing growth and development will help Florida capitalize on an important industry, providing needed jobs and revenue.

ICAMR will help to transform Florida's economy, placing our state at the front of the next generation of technological advancement, resulting in innumerable benefits to the Florida taxpayers and the Sunshine State economy.

Dominic M. Calabro is the President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.

Featured in Florida Today.
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