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PrimersWhere Does the $634 Million Go? These are the appropriations in the 2019-20 General Appropriations Act that most closely align with the Governor’s recommendations. Everglades […]
Annexation in Florida
PrimersAnnexation, in its simplest terms, is the addition of unincorporated areas into a municipality. In a state such as Florida, rapid urban growth can force cities to find ways to expand and maintain their network of goods and services to the unincorporated areas that surround them.
Florida TaxWatch Releases From Grease & Grime to Technology & Talent, Details Opportunities, Challenges Facing Manufacturing
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW), joined by Senator Debbie Mayfield (R-Melbourne), CareerSource Florida, the Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber Foundation, and the Florida Manufacturing & Logistics Council, today released its latest report, From Grease & Grime to Technology & Talent , summarizing the findings of the second annual FloridaMakes 2019 Florida MakeMore Manufacturing Summit which was held on May 31 in Orlando, Florida. The report highlights the state’s manufacturing industry and its impact on the economy, details industry challenges and strategies proposed to confront them, and presents policy and business recommendations for continued manufacturing growth and prosperity in Florida.
City of Sarasota Elected Leaders Join Florida TaxWatch to Reiterate Importance of Increased Participation in the 2020 Census
Press ReleasesSarasota, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with elected leaders from the City of Sarasota highlighted the need for community participation in the 2020 Census. As the third largest and fourth fastest growing state in the country, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. Federal grant programs distribute $700 billion using census data. If Florida is under-represented by the count, it could cost the state millions, or even billions, of dollars. Florida’s state and local officials need to immediately start ensuring the accuracy of the count by participating in existing intergovernmental processes to verify addresses and residences.
From Grease & Grime to Technology & Talent
ResearchThe slogan “Made in America” has always meant jobs for Americans. Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into new products and it ranges from small, home-based businesses that make products by hand to the largest, most technologically sophisticated factories and plants. The Manufacturing sector is made up of 21 subsectors which provide more than 12.5 million high-paying jobs. Manufacturing jobs pay an average of 12 percent more than other jobs. In 2017, persons employed in U.S. Manufacturing jobs earned an average of $84,832 (includes benefits) annually.
Reforming remote sales-tax law would grow business, help taxpayers | Commentary
Op-EdsAs we approach the holiday season, countless Floridians will shop online for the perfect gift. During Cyber Monday and through the weeks ahead, many of these shoppers will unknowingly come short on the taxes owed for these remote purchases. This is why the 2020 Florida Legislature should finally address the most significant tax compliance and collection issue facing Florida — the collection of sales taxes on remote sales. This can be done by taking the burden of remitting the tax off the consumer and putting it where it belongs — on the seller.
TaxWatch Report: PACE Program Improves Quality, Lowers Costs for Elderly Medical, Social Care in Florida
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its latest report, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) , which finds that participants in this innovative program enjoy a higher quality of care, improved quality of life, and consume services at a lower cost than that of other comparable Medicaid and Medicare programs. PACE is a comprehensive, long-term care program where a single provider is responsible for all primary, acute, and long-term care services, as well as all appropriate social, restorative, and supportive services for adults 55 or older at home or in health care facilities who are certified as needing nursing home level of care.
Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Report 2019
Health Care, ResearchAs of 2010, there were 2.5 million Floridians in their 50s, 2.1 million Floridians in their 60s, 1.4 million Floridians in their 70s and almost 1 million Floridians in their 80s and above. There is every reason to believe that these numbers will continue to rise. Recent estimates predict that Florida’s 65 and older population will represent 24.1 percent of Florida’s overall population by the year 2030. As Florida’s population continues to age, the elderly population will require vastly different and more costly forms of health care, such as long-term care for chronic conditions, more frequent examinations and follow-ups, and services and care for cognitive and mental impairments.
TaxWatch Report: Florida Maintains Low Tax Status, but Climbs Rankings in Per Capita, Local Tax Burdens
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its 2019 edition of the How Florida Compares: Taxes report. The FTW How Florida Compares: Taxes report is an easy-to-use guide to help Floridians better understand their state through comparing Florida’s taxes to those that are levied across the nation. The report, which is part of FTW’s larger How Florida Compares series, provides nonpartisan information on where Florida ranks and contains nearly 40 tables, graphs, and charts that provide a comprehensive look at tax collections and other government revenues for all 50 states.
2019 How Florida Compares: Taxes
Local Government, Research, Taxes, Taxpayer GuideThe 2019 Edition of this annual pocket guide gives taxpayers and elected officials great insight as to how Florida’s taxes compare to other states and the national average across a wide variety of metrics.
Budget Watch – Small Surplus Estimated for the Next State Budget
Budget & Appropriations, ResearchIt appears the 2020 Florida Legislature will have a little money left over after funding a continuation budget for the next fiscal year, but lawmakers need to be careful about spending it. State economists estimate that there will be a General Revenue (GR) budget surplus of $289.3 after funding the base budget plus “critical needs” and “high priority needs”—a conservative continuation budget.
Florida TaxWatch Presents More Than 130 State Employees in Central Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards
Press ReleasesLAKELAND, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this afternoon awarded more than 130 state employees based throughout Central Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at the Lone Palm Golf Club in Lakeland. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.
Florida TaxWatch Presents More Than 150 State Employees in South Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards
Press ReleasesFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this afternoon awarded more than 150 state employees based throughout South Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at The Westin Fort Lauderdale. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.
Florida TaxWatch Presents More Than 200 State Employees with TaxWatch Productivity Awards
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this evening awarded more than 200 state employees with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at FSU’s Turnbull Center in Tallahassee. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.
Q4 2019 Broward Schools SMART Program Report Review
BOC, Broward BOC, ResearchDistributed to the Bond Oversight Committee on August 30, 2019, this report examines the SMART program quarterly report for Q4 of FY2019.
Florida TaxWatch Releases Findings of 2019 Roundtable Discussion with Top Principals and Education Leaders
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released its Education Leadership Roundtable Summary Report, which explores ways to improve the overall quality of Pre-K – 12 education by examining the “best practices” of some of the state’s most effective public-school principals. The summary report includes key strategies for success discussed during the Friday, May 24 FTW Education Roundtable in Orlando, along with supporting research and key takeaways.
Education Leadership Roundtable Summary Report 2019
Education, ResearchModerated by our Vice President for Research Bob Nave, the panel discussed obstacles to effective school leadership; ways to attract and retain high-quality teachers; professional development for principals; how to get the most from teachers; and principal autonomy.
People are Fleeing High-Tax States for Florida and Bringing High Incomes with Them
BlogFlorida has a history of trying to woo people and businesses to move to the Sunshine State, and it appears to be working. In addition to its many other selling points, Florida has also had the reputation of being a low-tax state. Recent federal tax law changes have made our state even more attractive from a tax standpoint to many Americans.
Florida TaxWatch Releases 2019 Budget Watch Report
Press ReleasesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released the 2019 Budget Watch Report, following the Wednesday, August 14 General Revenue (GR) Estimating Conference, which met to develop a new revenue forecast for the state. The FTW report provides an independent analysis of the top issues discussed: Indian gaming revenue, Florida’s weaker economic forecast and the impact of the corporate income tax (CIT) reimbursements.
Budget Watch–General Revenue Estimates Reduced Slightly
Budget & Appropriations, ResearchThe General Revenue (GR) Estimating Conference met on August 14 to develop a new revenue forecast for Florida. It was a challenging and complex conference for the state’s economists. The uncertainty surrounding corporate income tax collections, the loss of Indian gaming revenue, a weaker economic forecast, and the impact of Hurricane Michael were some of the factors they were dealing with.
