Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch today announced five taxpayer priorities for the 2021 Legislative Session, which will begin on March 2 and adjourn on April 30.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) announced the appointment of its Executive Officers for the 2021 Board of Trustees and named former U.S. Senator George S. LeMieux as Chairman of the Board.
Panama City, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with leaders from Panama City and Bay County highlighted the need for community participation in the 2020 Census. As the third largest and fourth fastest growing state in the country, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. Federal grant programs distribute $700 billion using census data. If Florida is under-represented by the count, it could cost the state millions, or even billions, of dollars. Florida’s state and local officials need to immediately start ensuring the accuracy of the count by participating in existing intergovernmental processes to verify addresses and residences.
As of 2010, there were 2.5 million Floridians in their 50s, 2.1 million Floridians in their 60s, 1.4 million Floridians in their 70s and almost 1 million Floridians in their 80s and above. There is every reason to believe that these numbers will continue to rise. Recent estimates predict that Florida’s 65 and older population will represent 24.1 percent of Florida’s overall population by the year 2030. As Florida’s population continues to age, the elderly population will require vastly different and more costly forms of health care, such as long-term care for chronic conditions, more frequent examinations and follow-ups, and services and care for cognitive and mental impairments.
State corrections wish a spoonful of sugar would help this medicine’s price go down.
The Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Health and Human Services learned just how expensive getting old is, particularly when nursing home care is required.
As the nation focuses on making criminal justice reform a reality, Florida continues to make strides in ensuring that Floridians who make mistakes are given a second chance to change their lives, receive a quality education and find a job. Today, Governor Rick Scott signed HB 439 into law, joining HB 1149 and HB 293, which were signed yesterday. These bills will not only save taxpayer dollars, but also slow the flow of Floridians into a cycle that has too often kept them imprisoned rather than provide them with the help they desperately need.
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