Monday, April 20 Florida TaxWatch celebrates Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2015: the day Floridians are finally earning money for themselves and not for the tax collector. This symbolic date assumes that every dollar earned since January 1 goes to pay federal, state, and local tax obligations. In 2015, for the average Florida household, paying its taxes takes 110 out of 365 days, or more than three and a half months.
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.
Florida’s state agencies are requesting $75.602 billion from the Legislature in 2015, a modest increase of $660.8 million. Eighteen of the state’s agencies are asking for more money in the upcoming budget year, while twelve agencies have proposed reducing their funding levels.
This report projects another year of economic growth and recovery in 2015, reporting that Florida’s economy will grow faster than the nation and Florida employment is expected to outpace the nation again in 2015.
For millions of Floridians, the defining economic question of the mid-2020s isn’t about growth or GDP — it’s about whether they can still afford to stay.
Florida has proven ideas, demonstrated wins, and active tools; now it needs permanence. By embedding efficiency into the annual budget cycle—backed by transparent tracking and regular reporting—the state can convert sporadic initiatives into sustained savings and better service delivery for taxpayers.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tues., Feb. 25, 2025 CONTACT: Christina Johnson, christina@on3pr.com, 850.391.5040 Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released Enhancing Lives, Ensuring Accountability: The Value of Florida’s Behavioral Health Managing Entities report,
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released The Continuing Decline of Florida’s Citrus Industry. As of 2021, Florida’s citrus industry had an impact of $7
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch released Social Determinants of Health: Health Care Access and Quality, the first economic commentary in a series that will
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released Florida Voters Continue to Say Yes to Proposed Tax Increases, a briefing examining the trend of Florida voters approving tax increases at the local level. This report builds on FTW’s February 2021 analysis, A Decade of Self-Taxing, which found that Floridians increased their own taxes 142 times since 2010. The new report focuses on voting patterns in the 2021 and 2022 elections, including voters’ propensity for authorizing county-wide sales and property tax increases, and more.
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