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

/ Categories: Research, Transportation

From Roads to Roots: A Review of Florida’s Highway Landscape Spending

Florida's growing population places increasing demands on its roadways, and with each new transportation project comes a significant investment in highway landscaping. Florida law mandates that at least 1.5% of all transportation construction funding be dedicated to purchasing plant materials for highway beautification. In fiscal year 2023-24 alone, this amounted to more than $200 million. While highway landscaping provides essential benefits such as reducing erosion, enhancing safety, and supporting local ecosystems, questions remain about the lack of an upper limit on landscaping expenditures.

Florida TaxWatch's latest report delves into the Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT) spending on landscaping, examining how these funds are allocated and whether current policies maximize taxpayer value. The report also explores potential legislative changes, such as implementing a tiered spending approach or setting a maximum threshold, to ensure that public funds are used efficiently.

Download the full report to learn more about how your tax dollars are being spent and Florida TaxWatch's recommendations for improving highway landscaping policies.

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