The new Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives wants to shake things up. Richard Corcoran began his new role with a bang, bringing forward new House rules that include changes aimed at limiting the influence of lobbyists on the legislative process.
Like beauty, the attractiveness of a state’s business climate is in the eye of the beholder. There are many measures of states’ tax and business climates.
The omnipresence of smartphones has encouraged start-up companies to take advantage of the power of the mobile app. The IRS estimates that the federal government misses out on $194 billion in tax revenues a year from companies like Uber and others like it.
Florida continues to receive far less than its fair share of federal grant dollars, according to the latest Florida TaxWatch report. Florida ranks last in in the nation in per capita federal grants, receiving about $22.8 billion in federal grants in FY2014-15 or about $1,125 for each Floridian. The report also found that Florida pays $1.58 in federal taxes for every $1.00 returned in aid, second highest in the nation.
This guide compares the revenue and expenditure profiles of Florida’s 67 counties to give taxpayers an overview of how their local government stacks up with the rest of the state.
Florida’s elected lawmakers put fewer secret spending projects into the budget in the waning days of this Legislative session, but improvements are still needed to guarantee taxpayers have full openness, transparency and accountability when lawmakers spend their money.
Too few Floridians have the time to keep an eye on Tallahassee to make sure lawmakers are making prudent decisions with your money. That’s why Florida TaxWatch – the state’s premier independent government watchdog group – is on the job. It is part of our mission is to ensure that your money is invested wisely in schools, transportation and many other areas while protecting the public’s right to know.
Florida’s thriving tourism industry provides extraordinary opportunities for economic growth. Increasing investment in the Sunshine State’s tourism industry has a direct impact on job creation in the state, and the economic impact can be felt throughout many of Florida’s other industries.
Limited health care resources combined with an increased demand for quality care in Florida has led to essential innovations in our current health care delivery system. Telemedicine is one such innovation that Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare has implemented to expand access to care and extend the reach and impact of health care providers.
A more than $4 billion dollar difference between the House and Senate budget proposals is detailed in the latest Budget Watch from Florida TaxWatch. The nonpartisan taxpayer watchdog group’s annual analysis of the initial budgets shows that the largest point of contention between the chambers is in funding the health and human services portion of the budget.
For over 45 years, donor support has made Florida TaxWatch the state’s leading independent voice for taxpayer accountability. There are many ways to support our mission.
