Press Releases

Florida state employees received well-deserved recognition at a luncheon honoring winners of Florida TaxWatch’s 2016 Prudential Productivity Awards at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Wednesday. The 28th annual awards ceremony highlights state employees who innovatively reduce costs and improve services for Florida taxpayers. The Prudential Productivity Awards is the only program in the state that celebrates these dedicated state employees who work tirelessly to ensure a more efficient state government for Floridians.

Publix Super Markets has long been a Florida treasure. Known for its commitment to its employees and customers, the grocery chain has been serving Florida families since 1930. Today, Fortune announced its annual Fortune 500 list for 2016 and Florida TaxWatch wants to congratulate Publix for moving into the Fortune 100.

Florida TaxWatch has long championed smart justice options that protect taxpayers’ safety and wallets. A new report proposes solutions on how Florida deals with non-violent offenders to reduce costly and unnecessary strain on the state corrections budget and facilities. The report – Lower Costs & Less Crime: Criminal and Juvenile Justice Reform Options for Florida – recommends numerous policy initiatives to promote smarter sentencing, reduce recidivism and save tax dollars, while ensuring a safer Sunshine State.

On April 20th, Floridians will celebrate Taxpayer Independence Day 2016, the first day of the year where taxpayers are no longer working to pay off their tax bill but are working for themselves. This symbolic date, calculated by Florida TaxWatch, assumes that every dollar earned from the start of 2016 went to pay taxes at all levels of government.

Today, Florida TaxWatch announced the 2016 Prudential Productivity Award winners at its Tallahassee office. The program, founded by Florida TaxWatch, has been honoring dedicated state employees since 1989. The Prudential Productivity Awards program recognizes and rewards hard-working state employees who develop and implement innovative cost-saving and efficient improvements.

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 unemployment rate is down almost half from the peak of 11.1 percent during the Great Recession. While the state’s current unemployment rate of 5 percent is good news, the number doesn’t tell the whole story. An underlying factor that determines whether the job market is truly positive is the labor force participation rate (LFPR). The LFPR is the percentage of able-bodied adults aged 16 and over who are either employed or looking for a job. It is considered a more accurate representation of what really is occurring in the job market.

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.

With the traditional hanky drop, the 2016 Legislative session has officially come to a close. The Legislature avoided a Special Session this year, approving the $82.349 billion state budget, which will fund various state agencies and critical needs for all Floridians.

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.

With the release of the fiscal year 2016-17 budget, lawmakers now have 72 hours to read the final proposed budget prior to voting. The Tax and Budget Reform Commission, with the urging of Florida TaxWatch, was instrumental in enacting the constitutionally required 72 hour “cooling off” period, ensuring that the public, press and all legislators have a chance to examine the budget before a vote is cast. The $82.349 billion state budget will fund various state agencies and critical needs for all Floridians.

Florida TaxWatch has long committed itself to making Florida’s state government more cost-efficient for taxpayers and understands the best way to achieve this goal is to have highly proficient and dedicated public servants who create tremendous value for all Floridians.

Earlier today, the Florida House passed Senate Bill 12. This legislation aligns with Florida TaxWatch recommendations that call for Florida’s behavioral health managing entities to be continuously and properly funded. SB 12 aims to improve behavioral health processes around the state through the creation of a coordinated system of care for those suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, or co-occurring disorders.

This morning, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a tax cut package, moving it to consideration by the full Senate. The tax package is a Senate-amended version of House Bill 7099 and totals $129 million in tax cuts for hard-working Floridians. The package also benefits various industries in the state, encouraging economic growth and boosting job prospects for Floridians.

Today, the Senate Appropriations committee approved Senate Bill 1250, marking a significant step for expanding scope of practice for advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in the state. Florida TaxWatch has long advocated for this common sense change to help Floridians save money and live healthier lives.

To continue our mission of sharing high-quality, independent research and analysis with Florida’s taxpayers and public officials, Florida TaxWatch is proud to announce Dr. Robert D. Cruz has joined our team as our Chief Economist.

As gas prices have plummeted, consumers are seeing more of their hard earned cash back in their pockets. According to Florida TaxWatch’s February Economic Commentary, Americans will realize savings upwards of $140 billion as a result of tumbling prices at the pump. With the extra money, consumers have improved purchasing power that can be spent in other sectors of the economy.

With a record-smashing 105 million visitors visiting the Sunshine State in 2015, tourism has made an incredible impact on Florida’s economy. In fact, one job is supported by every 85 visitors to our state. However, competition for tourism dollars is fierce and the Sunshine State must fight to maintain its status as the world’s premier tourism destination. A new report by Florida TaxWatch finds that investing more in international tourism will significantly boost the state’s tourism numbers and strengthen the economy.

Florida TaxWatch, the state’s premier government watchdog group, today released a report calling for the Legislature to invest in the state’s economic incentive programs to continue to grow the economy and create key jobs for Floridians. The analysis finds that Florida’s competitive tax climate and welcoming weather entice businesses to our state, but Florida must provide targeted incentive packages that will help create high-paying jobs in the Sunshine State as we compete with other states for domestic and global business.

“With the Department of Corrections facing terrible funding issues that have put hard-working officers in dangerous situations, it is critical that lawmakers and the public have every opportunity to scrutinize how every taxpayer dollar is being spent ,” said Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro.