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

Thursday, July 10, 2025

/ Categories: Research, Economic Development

How Childcare Costs Impact Florida’s Economy

Throughout Florida, there are approximately 1.28 million children under the age of six, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. About 69.1 percent (883,085 children) had two parents participating in Florida’s workforce, while 285,097 children (22.3 percent) had only one parent in the labor force, and more than 109,000 children (8.6 percent) had no parents in the labor force.

Not every case of non-participation is driven by childcare challenges, yet a 2022-23 survey found that 15.3 percent of working parents—about 198,465 people—reported quitting, declining, or drastically changing a job due to childcare problems for children under six.

Working Parents

Roughly 64 percent of working parents in Florida missed an average of 19 workdays annually because of childcare needs. Using the July 2022 Florida TaxWatch analysis, working parents with children under six earn an average annual income of $53,042 (about $25.50 per hour). Assuming 851,175 working parents (64 percent of 1,329,962) each miss 19 days, the resulting loss of income totals $3.3 billion per year.

In addition, an estimated 186,194 working parents (14 percent of 1,329,962) experience income losses exceeding $9.8 billion due to leaving the workforce altogether. Employers shoulder a further $4.9 billion in turnover costs to replace these workers—losses that more accessible, affordable childcare could prevent.

Childcare Workers

As of 2024, Florida childcare workers earned an average of $16.64 per hour, compared with $30.29 per hour for all other occupations. Research shows that boosting childcare wages toward the statewide average, alongside expanding training, skill-building courses, and professional certifications, would improve recruitment and retention in the sector.

Childcare issues clearly impose sizable economic costs on Florida—from absenteeism and turnover among parents to chronic understaffing in childcare centers. Investing in affordable, high-quality childcare and better compensation for childcare workers can mitigate these losses and unlock future economic growth.

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