Sarasota, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with elected leaders from the City of Sarasota 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.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with elected leaders from Leon County and the City of Tallahassee 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 the third largest state in the country and one of the fastest growing, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. If Florida is under-represented by the decennial population count, it could cost the state billions of dollars. Although most people think of the 2020 Census as a long way off, 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.