Local groups concerned about city leaders’ decision on spending the money of hard-working Tallahassee residents released a poll showing city taxpayers want a property tax cut.

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.

Florida’s elected lawmakers put fewer secret spending projects into the budget in the waning days of this Legislative session, but improvements are still needed to guarantee taxpayers have full openness, transparency and accountability when lawmakers spend their money.

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.

This week, President Obama announced the commutation of 46 nonviolent federal offenders, offering them a second chance. Eleven of these offenders who will be released early from their prison sentences are Floridians who have a unique opportunity to re-assimilate into their communities and become productive taxpaying citizens in the Sunshine State.