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Florida TaxWatch: Florida PTA Dropping Out of Lawsuit is Good News for Florida Children

Press Releases

The Florida PTA is dropping out of the Florida Education Association’s lawsuit targeting a tax credit funded scholarship program and this is excellent news for Florida families. These scholarships provide lower income families, most of whom are minorities, the opportunities to receive a high quality education and are funded through donations from businesses across the state. The Florida PTA joins Florida School Boards Association and the Florida Association of School Administrators in dropping out of the lawsuit.

Florida Taxwatch Recognizes Top Principals in High-Risk Schools

Press Releases

Principals are critical leaders in the education system. They are effective managers, role models and are the face of the school to families and taxpayers. For these reasons and many more, Florida TaxWatch, the independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research institute, is proud to have established the Principal Leadership Awards program in 2013 to identify Florida’s most effective principals in K-12 public schools. This year’s top performing principals who have helped students achieve in Florida’s high-risk public schools were recognized on Thursday, November 17th, at the 4th Annual Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.

Zoonoses Uncaged!

Blog

Given our relationships with animals, would it surprise you to know that even mundane exposure to pets, livestock, wildlife, and insects has the potential to result in a zoonotic infection, and that there are currently 868 known zoonotic diseases?

Presidential Candidates Need to Get Serious About the Federal Debt

Blog

With tomorrow being Election Day, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been ramping up their campaign efforts to swing voters into their camps. Both have been traveling to vital battleground states, bringing along their economic messages that they hope can turn out voters to the polls.

Flu IQ – Go ahead and take a shot

Blog

Across the nation, influenza infections result in tens of thousands of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths annually. It is estimated that over 1.3 million Floridians will catch the flu this year, resulting in 2.3 million lost days of work and $307 million in lost productivity.

Broward Bond Oversight Committee Settles In

Blog

If the August 29, 2016 meeting is any indication, the Broward Bond Oversight Committee is getting more and more comfortable in its role of overseeing the implementation of the $800 million general obligation bond program approved by Broward voters to renovate and improve Broward’s public schools. The issues raised and questions asked by Committee members reflected a thorough and careful review of reports provided by District staff and by Florida TaxWatch.

Bees, Please Don’t Buzz Off

Economic Development, Research

Honey bees enable the production of more than 90 commercially grown crops here in the United States. Around the world, more than one-third of food production relies on pollination, which is important to understand because, over the past 60 years, the number of honey bee colonies in the United States has decreased steadily.

Statement From Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro on House Speaker-Designate Corcoran’s Review of Sanford Burnham

Press Releases

We appreciate and support House Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran’s efforts to recover taxpayer money provided to Sanford Burnham. The California-based institute received $350 million in incentives from local and state taxpayers yet failed to create all the jobs it promised before announcing earlier this year that it was withdrawing from the state. This includes nearly $155 million in incentives funded by state taxpayers.

Telehealth Momentum Grows After Florida TaxWatch Leadership

Press Releases

For years now, Florida TaxWatch has been a leader in calling for the expansion of telehealth in Florida. In addition to releasing numerous high-quality research reports on telehealth, TaxWatch has presented our research to the Legislature, spoken with elected officials and held summits featuring world-class speakers on this issue.

Halloween Not So Spooky for the Economy

Blog

Halloween conjures images of witches, ghouls and goblins and can be a scary sight for little ones. But the holiday isn’t so spooky for the economy as consumers purchase billions of dollars of costumes, decorations and candy. In 2015, more than 157 million Americans celebrated the holiday, spending nearly $7 billion.

Finally! A Tipping Point for Telehealth

Blog

In March, Governor Scott signed HB7087 (Ch. 2016-240) creating the Florida Telehealth Advisory Council. Florida TaxWatch, which has been promoting the advancement of telehealth for years, attended the Council’s inaugural meeting on Tuesday, October 18.

International Trade a Boon for Florida’s Economy

Blog

Since the early days of humanity, people have traded for goods or services that they needed. In today’s world, the power of trade has been magnified and, with the rise of technology, has made many around the world better off. With the global economy expected to double in the next 20 years, it is crucial that Florida continues to take advantage of the opportunities presented by international trade.

Florida TaxWatch Announces Top Principals in High-Risk Schools

Press Releases

Today, Florida TaxWatch announced this year’s top performing principals, who help students achieve in Florida’s high-risk public schools. These nine principals will be recognized on November 17th, 2016 at the 4th Annual Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards in Orlando. At this ceremony, three will take home top honors and an additional cash prize for their work with Florida students.

No Chance to Make a First Impression

Blog

When considering an applicant for a job, one of the first things employers do is run a background check. These can be as informal as a Google search or as formal as hiring a private screening company, but the goal is the same—to figure out whether or not an applicant could be a risk to the employer. The typical results of these investigations are arrest records, but they usually don’t tell the full story.

Citation Today, Jail Tomorrow

Blog

“Traditional” sanctions that keep offenders behind bars have cost the U.S. and its taxpayers millions, despite limited returns on investment regarding public safety. Recognizing this, many states have implemented alternative sanctions that focus on reserving prison beds for dangerous offenders and prioritizing treatment for lower-level offenders.

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