Since January 2025, the federal interest rate has remained unchanged at 4.25 to 4.5 percent. The rates have been steady in hopes of curbing inflation and bringing it down to two percent, as unemployment numbers were not concerning until now. The latest revision data, however, will likely push the Federal Reserve to cut rates in their next meeting this month to 4.00 to 4.25 percent.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 CONTACT: Christina Johnson, christina@on3pr.com, 850.391.5040 Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released a report, More States Are Using State-Level Tax Credits to
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch – the renowned taxpayer research institute and trusted government watchdog for more than 40 years – announced a roster of new hires and staff promotions.
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Florida’s Housing Market: Trends of Supply and Demand. This commentary analyzes the increasing cost of buying a house due to supply and demand issues in Florida, building upon FTW’s January 2023 report, Economic Commentary: An Update on Florida’s Housing Rental Market, which evaluated Florida’s challenges with the ever-rising cost of rent. In this report, the taxpayer research institute examines the slowly developing supply of housing units, the growing and evolving demand for housing stock, and the consequences of the high housing and rental prices.
On Wednesday, August 31, Florida TaxWatch hosted a webinar “Demographic Data for Businesses & the Census” to discuss Florida’s population undercount in the 2020 Census, the impact this has on the business community, and efforts to secure more accurate data. During our webinar, we were joined by Mary Jo Hoeksema, Co-director of the Census Project; Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan, Founder and Director of Census Legacies; Susan Racher, Vice President and CFO of Wallace H. Coulter Foundation; and Ashley Dietz, President and CEO of Florida Philanthropic Network.
Patt Maney is a retired brigadier general and former county court judge who has represented District 4 (Part of Okaloosa) in the Florida House of Representatives since 2020. Reforming Florida’s civil commitment laws was one of his primary motivators for seeking legislative office because as a judge, he presided over Baker Act hearings and witnessed the law’s various shortcomings.
Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) announced the appointment of Tony Carvajal as Executive Vice President. Mr. Carvajal succeeds Robert Weissert who is moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue the next chapter of his career after 14 great years with the taxpayer research institute. Along with Mr. Carvajal, TaxWatch also welcomes Carolyn Gosselin as Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, Tanya Bechtold as Director of Investor Relations, and Kat Dunn as Digital Content Manager. Florida TaxWatch is also announcing the promotions of Kurt Wenner and Bob Nave to Senior Vice Presidents of Research and Chris Barry to Vice President of Communications.
Whether purchasing a car, picking up coffee, or paying a contractor, consumers play an important role in the U.S. economy, where personal consumption represents around 70 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. It comes by no surprise, then, that consumer optimism acts as an important indicator for the overall strength of the economy.
Last month’s historic achievement does more than simply showcase human ingenuity and exploration; for residents on Florida’s Space Coast, the SpaceX mission signifies an economic rebound ten years in the making. For a local economy once devastated by the Space Shuttle Program’s end and the Great Recession, achievements in the private space industry have promoted a revitalized economy that continues to display an upward trajectory.
Reaction and explanation of SCOTUS decision from Robert Weissert, Esq. and Kurt Wenner
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