Recent TaxWatch Reports

Florida's manufacturing sector is a $86.6 billion industry that ranks sixth in the nation in the value of exported manufactured goods, employs more than 434,000 workers, and contributes 4.62 percent of the state's GDP — quietly outpacing both tourism and agriculture. Anchored by aerospace, defense, and space manufacturing firms along the Space Coast corridor, including global names like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SpaceX, and Raytheon, the industry also produces medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage products, and recreational boats. The sector offers high wages with low educational barriers: eleven of the fifteen largest manufacturing occupations require only a high school diploma or equivalent, with an average annual salary of $87,000. Modernized working conditions — built around computer-based tasks and precision environments — have made manufacturing jobs increasingly comparable to traditional white-collar work.

Friday, April 17 is Florida Taxpayer Independence Day 2026 — the symbolic date when the average Florida household has earned enough to satisfy all federal, state, and local tax obligations for the year. In 2026, that takes 106 out of 365 days, or just over three and a half months. On a daily basis, Floridians' Taxpayer Independence Time falls at 11:19 a.m. each workday.

To remain competitive and sustain Florida’s share of the U.S. tourism market, Florida must continue to invest in tourism marketing and promotion to make sure that when tourists begin to plan their next vacation, they think first of Florida. Florida TaxWatch recommends the Legislature not approve any legislation that permits local governments divert the use of TDT-generated revenue from tourism marketing to support other activities.

For millions of Floridians, the defining economic question of the mid-2020s isn't about growth or GDP — it's about whether they can still afford to stay.