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

LUCA Primer: The First Step In Preparing for the 2030 Census

LUCA Primer: The First Step in Preparing for the 2030 Census – Report Cover

LUCA Primer: The First Step in Preparing for the 2030 Census explains how Florida’s statistically significant undercount of approximately 750,000 residents in the 2020 Census cost the state an additional U.S. House seat, up to $21 billion in federal funds, and weakened the quality of the data that businesses and community leaders rely on for planning.

The report introduces the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA)—the only opportunity state and local governments have to review and correct the U.S. Census Bureau’s Master Address File before the next count. It details how gaps in this master list, especially for subdivided buildings, informal housing, converted garages, and other hard-to-identify units, can leave residents uncounted and communities under-resourced.

Drawing on Florida’s experience as a national model for LUCA preparation in 2010, the analysis highlights how state grants, technical assistance, and centralized guidance previously helped local governments overcome staffing and technology constraints and significantly improve address data.

Looking ahead to 2030, the report recommends that Florida designate a LUCA liaison within the Executive Office of the Governor, appropriate funds during the 2026 Legislative Session to support local technical work, and require or strongly incentivize local governments to submit full LUCA reviews. Taken together, these steps can reduce undercount risk, protect Florida’s fair share of federal funding, and safeguard its political representation in the coming decade.

LUCA Handout 2025 – One-Page Summary

View the LUCA Handout 2025 one-page summary.

Meet the Author:

Meg Cannan
Meg Cannan
Senior Research Analyst
LinkedIn

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