Research

Every year, Florida TaxWatch produces numerous independent, objective and sound public policy research publications in a variety of formats--in-depth Research Reports, concise Briefings and updates, budget-related Budget Watch, Special Reports, Economic Commentaries on Florida′s economy, and our public forum/opinion opportunity, Ideas in Action--all designed to keep Florida TaxWatch members informed.

What's Hot In Research

• Smart Justice Poll Results, January 2012
• Economic Commentary: Florida's Economic Year in Review, December 2011
• Findings of the Florida TaxWatch Center for Smart Justice: Review of Criminal Justice Data, December 2011
• Reducing the Concentration of Risk in Florida's Property Insurance System, December 2011
• Economic Commentary: Angel and Venture Capital in Florida, November 2011
• Report and Recommendations of the Florida Tangible Personal Property Tax Task Force, November 2011
• Ideas in Action - Will Florida's Hurricane Insurance Plan Blow Us Away?, November 2011
• Expanding the Scope of Practice for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants Would Generate Fiscal Savings While Enhancing High Quality Medical Care, November 2011
• Risk & Reform: A Florida TaxWatch Analysis of Florida's Property Insurance System, November 2011
• Economic Commentary: Florida's Business Incubators, October 2011
• How Florida Counties Compare, October 2011
• How Does Your County Compare? (an interactive website), October 2011
• Economic Commentary: Florida's Universities and Technology Transfer, September 2011
• Report and Recommendations of the Florida TaxWatch Government Cost Savings Task Force for Fiscal Year 2012-13, September 2011
• Roadmap to Sustainable Government Transformation: Why Government Transformation Efforts Often Fail and How to Fix It, September 2011
• Analysis of Unreserved Funds, Debt, and Property Utilization in Palm Beach County, September 2011
• 'Continuous Process Improvement:' Reducing the Costs of Doing Business in Florida by Creating 'World Class' Regulatory Processes, August 2011
• Estimated Job Growth in Florida Previous recoveries offer clues for next 12 months - 150,000 jobs estimate, August 2011
• Ideas in Action: Increasing the Quality of VPK, August 2011
• Economic Commentary: Florida Retains 'AAA' Rating while Outlook Improves to 'Stable', Despite U.S. Downgrade, August 2011
• Manufacturing: An Economic Driver for Jobs and Florida's Future, August 2011
• Economic Commentary: Florida and the Financial Situation in Europe, July 2011
• 2011 Prudential Financial - Davis Productivity Awards Magazine, June 2011
• Economic Commentary: Florida's Business Cycle, June 2011
• 2011-12 Florida TaxWatch Turkey (with Governor's vetoes noted), May 2011
• The 2011 Florida TaxWatch Turkey Watch Report, May 2011
• 2011-12 Florida TaxWatch Turkey List, May 2011
• 2011-12 Florida TaxWatch Turkey List by County, May 2011
• Florida TaxWatch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability Public Education Capital Outlay, May 2011
• Economic Commentary: U.S. Dollar Index at 3-Year Low, May 2011
• Florida Taxpayers Spend Millions Annually on Communications and Legislative Affairs Staff in State Agencies, April 2011
• Expansion of Civil Citation Programs Statewide Would Save Money and Improve Public Safety, April 2011
• Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2011, April 2011
• A Billion Dollars and Growing: Why Prison Bonding is Tougher on Florida's Taxpayers Than on Crime, April 2011
• Summary of the Florida TaxWatch April 2011 Briefing "Benefits of the Sunshine State's Investment in the Solar Renewable Energy Sector", April 2011
• Benefits of the Sunshine State's Investment in the Solar Renewable Energy Sector, April 2011
• State Competitiveness Indices & Rankings: What National Rankings Tell Us about Florida's Competitiveness, March 2011
• Mitigating Unemployment Comp Tax Increases Facing Employers Using Cost Saving Recommendations to Help Pay Federal Loan Obligations and Enacting Reforms Can Help, March 2011
• The Governor's Budget Recommendations for FY 2011-12 First Proposed Budget a Bold Plan for Spending Cuts, Tax Relief, February 2011
• Florida Remains a Donor State Even Through The Great Recession, January 2011
• Briefing: Corrections 2.0: A Proposal to Create a Continuum of Care in Corrections through Public-Private Partnerships, January 2011
• The Inaugural Speech of Governor Rick Scott, January 2011

For your convenience, the latest in research at Florida TaxWatch is made available to you in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Please follow the link if you need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader free of charge.

2010 Research

• Fiscal Responsibility:The Key to a Safer, Smarter, and Stronger Juvenile Justice System, December 2010
• Governor's Transition Decision Handbook, December 2010
• Analysis of the Impact on Retail Sales in NW Florida from the Gulf Oil Spill, December 2010
• Report and Recommendations of the Government Cost Savings Task Force for FY2011-12, December 2010
• Florida TaxWatch Annual Report, November 2010
• Florida Statewide Survey on Renewable Energy, November 2010
• Presentation: the Florida Statewide Survey on Renewable Energy, November 2010
• Amendments 5 & 6 Deserve Voter Scrutiny, October 2010
• Florida's Next Governor's Views on Education: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Gubernatorial Candidates Rick Scott and Alex Sink, October 2010
• Land Use Planning by Referendum: The Economic Consequences of Amendment 4, October 2010
• What if Government Ran Like a Business? The 2007 Solution, October 2010
• In Addition to Devastating Impacts on the Economy and Jobs, Amendment 4 Will Increase Costs to Taxpayers through Added Elections and Increased Litigation Against Local Governments, October 2010
• Ensuring that Florida's university-bound high school graduates are STEM-ready - prepared for undergraduate programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, September 2010
• Voter Guide to the Proposed Constitutional Amendments on the November 2, 2010 Ballot, September 2010
• Estimating Conferences Project More Money for the 2011 Legislature, August 2010
• Economic and Caseload Estimating Conferences Provide More Information for Next Year's Budget Shortfall Forecast, August 2010
• Next Year’s Budget Outlook Begins to Take Shape through a Series of Estimating Conferences, August 2010
• Amendment 8 is the Right Investment for Florida: Evidence Shows Modifying the Class Size Reduction Amendment Will Save Billions for Florida Taxpayers, July 2010
• Florida TaxWatch Presentation: Preliminary Findings on the Economic Impact of Solar Energy in Florida, July 2010
• The 2010 Florida TaxWatch Turkey Watch Report, May 2010
• 2010-11 Florida TaxWatch Turkey List, May 2010
• Florida Taxation and Budgeting Workshop (presentation by Director of Tax Research Kurt Wenner), April 2010
• The People First Contract Reassignment Florida should renegotiate to enhance taxpayer value before consenting to assignment, April 2010
• Federal Debt and Florida's Future, April 2010
• Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2010! Independence Comes Five Days Later Than Last Year, April 2010
• 2010 Legislative Briefing: Education Personnel Reforms, April 2010
• Florida's Financial Exposure from Its "Self-Insurance" Programs: The Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, April 2010
• How Independent Are Florida Inspectors General?, April 2010
• Modernizing Process of Estimating Fiscal Impact of Legislation Benefits Florida, March 2010
• When Good Policies Go Bad: Unintended Economic Consequences of Assessment Cap, March 2010
• Strengthening the Role of the Office of the Inspector General Will Improve State Operations by Reducing the Cost of Services, March 2010
• Report and Recommendations of the Florida TaxWatch Government Cost Savings Task Force to Save More Than $3 Billion, March 2010
• Borrowing Short-Term Federal Money to Pay Unemployment Benefits Will Help Boost Florida's Economy and Generate Jobs, March 2010
• Recap of "Five Good Things About Florida's Economy" Forum, February 2010
• It's Not About the Amount of Money in the Budget. It Is About the Measurable Value Added to Florida and Floridians, February 2010
• Five or Even Six Good Things About Florida's Economy (Presentation), February 2010
• Preparing Florida's Students to Close the Talent Gap for an Innovation Economy, February 2010
• Governor Crist Releases "Optimistic" $69.2 Billion Spending Plan, January 2010
• Florida Tax Credit Scholarship: Let the evidence speak for the scholarship for low-income students, January 2010
• Recommendations for Boosting Investment, Economic Growth, and Job Creation in Florida, January 2010

Archived Research