Principals are critical leaders in the education system. They are effective managers, role models and are the face of the school to families and taxpayers. For these reasons and many more, Florida TaxWatch, the independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit public policy research institute, is proud to have established the Principal Leadership Awards program in 2013 to identify Florida’s most effective principals in K-12 public schools. This year’s top performing principals who have helped students achieve in Florida’s high-risk public schools were recognized on Thursday, November 17th, at the 4th Annual Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando.

After a debilitating recession from 2007 to 2009 that cost thousands of people their jobs, Florida is again among the national leaders in job creation at the halfway mark of 2016, according to the latest Economic Commentary by Florida TaxWatch.

Floridians’ tax burden remains lower than most states, despite local government taxes that are higher than average, according to the 2016 edition of Florida TaxWatch’s How Florida Compares: Taxes . The report helps Floridians understand how state revenues stack up against the rest of the nation.