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: Research, Education

HB7087 — Proposed Merger of SUS Institutions

HB 7087, upon becoming law, would require the Boards of Trustees of Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly), New College of Florida (New College), and the University of Florida (UF) to submit to applications for merger to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSSCOC). Upon approval of the mergers, New College and Florida Poly would become part of UF and specified items and assets of New College and Florida Poly would be transferred to UF.

The bill sponsor has cited the high cost per degree at both Florida Poly and New College and the percentage of Florida Poly’s and New College’s operating budgets used for administrative expenses as justification for the proposed mergers. According to an analysis by the professional staff of the House Appropriations Committee: 

  • The average cost per degree awarded at Florida Poly during fiscal year 2019-20 is $180,958, compared to $31,598 at UF. 
  • Florida Poly’s administrative costs are estimated at 23 percent, which is almost two and one-half times the 9.8 percent rate at UF. 
  • The average cost per degree awarded at New College New College during fiscal year 2019-20 is $197,681, compared to $31,598 at UF. 
  • New College’s administrative costs are estimated at 27 percent, which is almost three times the 9.8 percent rate at UF. 

The analysis by the House professional staff suggests that reducing Florida Poly’s and New College’s administrative costs to a level more comparable to UF’s reported 9.8 percent rate would make available an additional $5.6 million at New College and an additional $6.9 million at Florida Poly that could be used for instruction or other expenditures. 

On February 12, 2020, Florida TaxWatch urged the Legislature to reconsider the proposed merger and “pump the brakes” until a better understanding of any cost savings, and the effects of the mergers on Florida’s economic and workforce goals, are available. On February 25, the House Appropriations Committee approved HB 7087, which now goes to the full House for consideration. 

Documents to download

Print
8734 Rate this article:
No rating

x