Press Releases

Palm Bay, Fla. – Today, Wed., March 23, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Rachel Roberts, immediate past principal of Columbia Elementary School in Brevard County, is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Roberts – who now serves as Director of Elementary Leading and Learning with Brevard Public Schools – has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.  The award and scholarship will be presented to Roberts and the student at a ceremony on the Columbia Elementary School campus at 9 a.m. today. Local media are invited to attend and asked to contact Aly Coleman via email at aly@on3pr.com or by phone at 850.391.5040.

Hialeah Gardens, Fla. – Today, Fri., March 18, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) will proudly announce that Jose “Tiger” Nunez, immediate past principal of Mater Academy Charter High School in Miami-Dade County, is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Nunez has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Dania Beach, Fla. – Today, Thurs., March 17, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) proudly announced that Principal Lewis Jackson of Dania Elementary School in Broward County is among the nine winners of the Florida TaxWatch 2021-22 Principal Leadership Awards (PLA). Through the program, Principal Jackson has also identified one deserving student to receive a full two-year Florida College Scholarship.

Tallahassee, Fla. – As the Florida Legislature begins budget negotiations this week, Florida TaxWatch is presenting a proposal that would accelerate the replenishment of the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund (UCTF) while also repealing the onerous and nationally unique Business Rent Tax (BRT) by October 1, 2022.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a Session Spotlight report entitled The Impacts of Consumer Data Privacy on Florida’s Economy. In the report, FTW analyzes HB 9 and SB 1864, proposed legislation that would enact consumer data privacy and provide sweeping changes to how certain Florida businesses interact with their customers’ personal information. The taxpayer research institute builds on an October 2021 report, Who Knows What? An Independent Analysis of the Potential Effects of Consumer Data Privacy Legislation in Florida, and incorporates recent empirical findings to present potential impacts of these bills.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing an economic commentary entitled Wage Growth and Talent Attraction in the Pandemic Labor Market. The report presents wage growth as a result of companies’ recent efforts to attract and retain talent and analyzes the economic complexities surrounding this economic trend.  

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing A River (No Longer) Runs Through It: Ocklawaha River Restoration, a report wherein the government watchdog examines the recreational, economic, and environmental impacts of full retention and partial restoration of the Ocklawaha River, which flows north from central Florida until it joins the St. Johns River near Palatka. 

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released a comprehensive briefing on Florida’s child welfare case manager retention crisis, A System in Crisis: Stabilizing Florida’s Child Welfare Workforce, wherein FTW presents factors contributing to high attrition rates and considerations for stabilizing this critical sector of the state’s workforce.   

Tallahassee, Fla. – The following statement is to be attributed to Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch on the passage of SB 7014: COVID-19-Related Claims Against Health Care Providers.

Florida’s taxation of government-owned property when it is leased by a non-government entity is complex and conflicting and falls well short of the goals for good tax policy, including fairness, simplicity, transparency, and ease of administration. It has been shaped more by the courts than the Legislature.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier independent, nonpartisan policy research institute, is releasing a report entitled Manufacturing a Transformational Shift: Expanding Florida’s Workforce Development Through Sector Strategies. It features a comprehensive summary of the 2021 MakeMore Manufacturing Summit, which included a series of four events (three virtual and one in-person) from June through October 2021, bringing together thought leaders such as Associated Industries of Florida, CareerSource Florida, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Florida, and FloridaMakes to elevate the importance of the Manufacturing industry in Florida and identify ways to strengthen and advance Florida’s economy by improving the competitiveness, productivity, and technological performance of its Manufacturing sector.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a Session Spotlight report entitled The Impacts of Lawsuits Against Local Governments for Business Damages. In the report, FTW analyzes four pieces of legislation, SB 620, CS/HB 569, CS/SB 280, and HB 403, which will impact the process of passing local ordinances and provide additional rights to businesses and residents wishing to challenge those ordinances. The government watchdog also presents considerations for the unintended consequences and secondary fiscal effects of the bills.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the opportunity- and the need- to make telehealth as accessible as practicable. Telehealth helps reach audiences that may otherwise be unable to access care and provides the opportunity to improve patient care, treatment, education, and services, and ultimately bend the cost curve.

One only needs to look at the experience of other states that have reduced or eliminated their tourism marketing efforts to understand what will happen if VISIT FLORIDA is eliminated. States like Colorado and Washington that have drastically cut or eliminated their investment in travel promotion have experienced immediate and long-term negative economic impacts. Destinations that fail to invest consistently in travel promotion will see visitors, jobs, and tax revenues go elsewhere. Should Florida choose to follow suit, tourism and the economic activity and taxes it generates will certainly decline.

My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit, taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for more than 40 years, has worked hard to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Florida government and promote a fair and equitable system of taxation.

Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) is releasing a comprehensive assessment of broadband access in Florida, as well as proposed strategies for expansion in unserved areas. In the report, entitled Closing the Digital Divide: The Expansion of Broadband Internet Service to Unserved Areas of the State, the trusted taxpayer research institute for over 40 years also emphasizes the need for fast, reliable, and affordable broadband Internet service in Floridians’ daily lives.

The pandemic is not over. The strain on Florida’s health care system has lessened but it is still significant. The appearance of COVID-19 variants further highlights the need for an extension. The potential still exists for runaway litigation would have a devastating impact on Floridians across the board but especially our health care providers. Safeguards are essential to ensure that healthcare providers that are working hard to comply with public health directives or protective measures are protected from civil liability.