The latest Florida TaxWatch Economic Commentary reports that the United States’s bee population has fallen from about 6 million colonies in the 1947 to just 2.5 million today. Because more than a third of the world’s diet relies on pollinated crops, this dramatic population decline has already stung the food supply chain.
We appreciate and support House Speaker-Designate Richard Corcoran’s efforts to recover taxpayer money provided to Sanford Burnham. The California-based institute received $350 million in incentives from local and state taxpayers yet failed to create all the jobs it promised before announcing earlier this year that it was withdrawing from the state. This includes nearly $155 million in incentives funded by state taxpayers.
For years now, Florida TaxWatch has been a leader in calling for the expansion of telehealth in Florida. In addition to releasing numerous high-quality research reports on telehealth, TaxWatch has presented our research to the Legislature, spoken with elected officials and held summits featuring world-class speakers on this issue.
Today, Florida TaxWatch announced this year’s top performing principals, who help students achieve in Florida’s high-risk public schools. These nine principals will be recognized on November 17th, 2016 at the 4th Annual Florida TaxWatch Principal Leadership Awards in Orlando. At this ceremony, three will take home top honors and an additional cash prize for their work with Florida students.
Enhancing our mission of providing the citizens and public officials of Florida with high quality, independent research and analysis, Florida TaxWatch is proud to announce the debut of a policy- and research-based blog.
Florida continues to receive far less than its fair share of federal grant dollars, according to the latest Florida TaxWatch report. Florida ranks last in in the nation in per capita federal grants, receiving about $22.8 billion in federal grants in FY2014-15 or about $1,125 for each Floridian. The report also found that Florida pays $1.58 in federal taxes for every $1.00 returned in aid, second highest in the nation.
Mitchell is the owner and president of The Mitchell Group in West Palm Beach. In her role with Florida TaxWatch, she will be a leader in continuing the non-profit research institute’s growth and success by expanding membership statewide.
Tough on crime laws of the 1980s and ‘90s have put a significant strain on Florida taxpayers. These policies, especially mandatory minimum sentences, have forced judges to place low-risk, nonviolent offenders behind bars when many pose little or no risk to public safety and have cost taxpayers millions of dollars in a state whose corrections system is already facing understaffing and funding issues.
Lawmakers will have to be a bit more frugal with the money of the hard-working taxpayers of Florida during the upcoming Legislative Session. The latest budget forecast shows the state will have a surplus of only $7.5 million during the 2017-18 fiscal year. In order to craft a balanced budget while funding some of their priorities, lawmakers must consider changes that will save the state significant money.
Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier non-profit, non-partisan government watchdog, highlights how performance-based contracting, or pay-for-performance, can increase efficiency and create successful outcomes in public sector contracting in its August 2016 Economic Commentary. Evidence shows that when applied correctly, performance-based contracting can minimize the risk to the taxpayer while maximizing project outcomes.
The latest Florida TaxWatch report analyzes our state’s juvenile pre-arrest diversion (JPAD) programs and finds these programs are crucial to keeping juveniles from deeper involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems, leading to a decrease in recidivism and improved odds of success in their adult lives. These programs also save significant taxpayer dollars that can be better invested elsewhere.
Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute and government watchdog, has always committed itself to educating and informing Florida voters on critical policy issues affecting them. As part of this critical mission, we have released the 2016 Florida Primary Voter Guide, featuring an in-depth analysis of Amendment 4 that will assist voters in making an informed decision on August 30th.
Today, Governor Rick Scott announced the latest tourism numbers and Florida continues to be a premier destination for visitors around the globe. The Sunshine State welcomed 27.3 million tourists to our great state in the second quarter of 2016 and 57.4 million over the first six months of 2016, which stands as the highest number of tourists in any six month time frame in Florida history.
Allison is a perfect fit for our world-class research team on health care topics including telehealth, expanding the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, and other issues that affect the future of everyone in the Sunshine State .
Florida TaxWatch is proud to announce the opening of our first office in South Florida. “For nearly 40 years, Florida TaxWatch has been the leading non-partisan voice for taxpayers throughout the state,” said Dominic M. Calabro, president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “This physical expansion in Miami will allow us to better serve all Floridians with valuable proximity to this international hub of business and tourism.”
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.
Florida’s prison population is among the largest in the United States and is expected to continue growing in the coming years. This problem is not going away: Roughly one-quarter of Florida inmates reoffend within three years of being released. As these offenders cycle in and out of state and local facilities, they build upon the already crippling corrections costs incurred by taxpayers.
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.
Yesterday, the Florida Government Efficiency Task Force (GETF) approved its final report, which outlines 29 recommendations that would improve government operations while saving hard-working Florida taxpayers’ money. The potential cost-savings the state could realize if these recommendations were implemented could exceed $2 billion annually.
The latest Florida TaxWatch Economic Commentary finds that a raise in the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour would likely harm Florida businesses and the job market. Florida TaxWatch estimated that businesses employing minimum wage workers in the state of Florida could see a nearly $2 billion increase in labor costs. This conservative estimate only accounts for workers currently making minimum wage, but an increase of the minimum wage to $15 an hour would raise the cost of wages for nearly half of Florida’s workforce.
For over 45 years, donor support has made Florida TaxWatch the state’s leading independent voice for taxpayer accountability. There are many ways to support our mission.
