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

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Meeting Florida's Transportation Investment Needs

Florida continues to grow and is now the nation’s third largest state. After a slowdown during the Great Recession, Florida is on the rise again, and the state will add more than four million new residents by 2030. This growth and the economic expansion that will come with it will further strain Florida’s already over- burdened transportation system, as Florida will be moving more people and goods through its network of highways, railways, seaports, airports and space ports. Meeting these challenges will require investment in the transportation infrastructure to keep our economy flowing, maintain Floridians’ quality of life and safety, and continue to make the state an attractive tourist destination.

  • Transportation funding provides a myriad of benefits. An improved system to save motorist time and money by reducing congestion, gas consumption and wear and tear on vehicles, as well as improving safety. Increased transportation spending itself creates jobs and has a large return on investment, as much as $5.60 for each dollar spent.
  • Over the next 25 years, the state is facing a $161 billion shortfall between projected revenues and estimated transportation needs.
  • The per capita spending on roads by Florida’s state and local governments ranks 41st among the 50 states.
  • Florida has not had a major state transportation funding increase since 1990 and the gas tax is proving to be an inadequate source to meet the state’s future transportation challenges.
  • Improving fuel efficiency could further reduce state gas tax collections by $3.3 billion below current estimates by 2025.
  • Other states are addressing their transportation needs – 24 states have increased funding since 2012.

It is clear that Florida’s current transportation funding system is inadequate to create and maintain a high- quality system. Florida needs to begin seriously planning for its transportation funding future now.

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