OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
CONTACT: Christina Johnson
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its report, Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Florida Goodwill Association – FY 2024, at a Florida Capitol press conference in Tallahassee, during Florida Goodwill Day at the Capitol. This is a follow up report to FTW’s 2024 briefing, More Than a Store: The Fiscal and Economic Impacts of Goodwill in Florida.
Goodwill has been operating in Florida for more than 50 years, and the organization continues to expand and adapt its business model to meet the needs of local communities while providing numerous benefits to Floridians statewide. The job placement programs throughout the state last year placed 4,694 individuals and added $146.37 million in personal income growth. In 2024, more than 161,000 individuals were served throughout the state. In addition, 384.5 million pounds of recycled material was sold or diverted from landfills across each of the territories.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, “Goodwill is a national organization that has immersed itself in Florida’s economy through workforce development programs, community service, housing services, re-entry services, and veteran and youth programs that provide critical resources, programs, and services to program enrollees. These investments by Goodwill have a direct effect on thousands of Florida’s families and communities, with an economic impact of an estimated $1.5 billion for 2024.”
Florida TaxWatch Executive Vice President and General Counsel Jeff Kottkamp said, “The Florida Goodwill Association and its nine territories throughout the state focus on providing mission-driven and impactful programs and services that enhance Florida’s workforce and help stimulate the economy. The savvy business model used by Goodwill — utilizing the sale of donated goods to fund community programs — highlights the meaning and emphasis behind Goodwill’s important work.”
The nine established territories include the Big Bend, Central Florida, Gulf Coast, Gulfstream, Manasota, North Florida, South Florida, Southwest, and Suncoast. Each of these territories provides critical services and programs that are focused on the direct needs of each community and contribute to the collective statewide impacts in 2024 as outlined below. Please go to the report here for specific statistics within each territory.
2024 Statewide Economic Impacts:
- Provided an estimated $1.5 billion in economic impact;
- Contributed $893.9 million to Florida’s GDP;
- Supported 21,471 jobs statewide; and
- Added $593.8 million in personal income growth across the state.
Fiscal Impacts:
- Collected more than $31.4 million in local and state sales tax; and
- Paid a total of $72.9 million in direct and indirect tax dollars to the state.
Jobs Created and Job Placements:
- One in 27 job placements in the State of Florida for the year 2024 is accredited to Goodwill;
- Employed more than 11,000 individuals within Goodwill’s organization; and
- Placed more than 4,600 individuals in jobs within their local communities.
President and CEO, Goodwill Manasota, and Chair, Florida Goodwill Association, Donn Githens said, “The Florida Goodwill Association wanted to measure our economic impact and there is no better organization than Florida TaxWatch to provide the information needed. Florida Goodwill Association consists of nine territories that are independently run and governed by their own local volunteer board of directors, and this study collectively shows the tremendous economic impact we have across the state serving our local communities.”
State Senator Tracie Davis (D-Jacksonville) said, “I am proud to know that every dollar spent in the North Florida Goodwill stores, 90 cents is reinvested back into the programs offered. In fact, the Take Stock in Children initiative, a statewide program that provides mentoring services and scholarship opportunities for students seeking higher education, continues to be a success with more than 450 program participants and providing better access to higher education opportunities to individuals in need.”
Goodwill program offerings are grouped into seven categories with each having numerous subcategories customized for each territory’s needs, including career services/readiness, community services, housing services, re-entry services, veteran services, youth services, and other. Ninety percent of the dollars earned by Goodwill territories in Florida go directly to program activities. This is significantly higher than the 65 percent minimum established by the Better Business Bureau’s Standards for Charity Accountability.
About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for more than 45 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
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