Press Releases

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its 2019 edition of the How Florida Counties Compare report which compares the revenue and expenditure profiles of Florida’s 67 counties to give taxpayers an overview of how their local government stacks up with the rest of the state. With the release of the 2019 How Florida Counties Compare report, FTW has also relaunched an interactive online tool allowing users to compare two counties side-by-side.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its review of the Broward County School District’s SMART Program in its report Monitoring and Oversight of General Obligation Bonds to Improve Broward County Schools: SMART Program Quarterly Report Review for the quarter ending September 30, 2019 . The report includes six recommendations which will be presented and discussed by Florida TaxWatch Vice President of Research Bob Nave at the Broward County Bond Oversight Committee’s Monday, December 16, 2019 meeting.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW), joined by Florida State Senator Bill Montford (D-Tallahassee) and education leaders, announced the 2019-20 Principal Leadership Award (PLA) winners and recognized nine of Florida’s most effective leaders in high-risk K-12 public schools. This year’s winning principals, three each from elementary, middle and high schools, are from Broward, Collier, Duval, Lafayette, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, and Orange counties. Florida TaxWatch established the PLA program in 2014 to recognize and reward the work of principals and promote their unique practices throughout the state.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW), joined by Senator Debbie Mayfield (R-Melbourne), CareerSource Florida, the Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Chamber Foundation, and the Florida Manufacturing & Logistics Council, today released its latest report, From Grease & Grime to Technology & Talent , summarizing the findings of the second annual FloridaMakes 2019 Florida MakeMore Manufacturing Summit which was held on May 31 in Orlando, Florida. The report highlights the state’s manufacturing industry and its impact on the economy, details industry challenges and strategies proposed to confront them, and presents policy and business recommendations for continued manufacturing growth and prosperity in Florida.

Sarasota, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with elected leaders from the City of Sarasota highlighted the need for community participation in the 2020 Census. As the third largest and fourth fastest growing state in the country, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. Federal grant programs distribute $700 billion using census data. If Florida is under-represented by the count, it could cost the state millions, or even billions, of dollars. Florida’s state and local officials need to immediately start ensuring the accuracy of the count by participating in existing intergovernmental processes to verify addresses and residences.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its latest report, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) , which finds that participants in this innovative program enjoy a higher quality of care, improved quality of life, and consume services at a lower cost than that of other comparable Medicaid and Medicare programs. PACE is a comprehensive, long-term care program where a single provider is responsible for all primary, acute, and long-term care services, as well as all appropriate social, restorative, and supportive services for adults 55 or older at home or in health care facilities who are certified as needing nursing home level of care.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released its 2019 edition of the How Florida Compares: Taxes report. The FTW How Florida Compares: Taxes report is an easy-to-use guide to help Floridians better understand their state through comparing Florida’s taxes to those that are levied across the nation. The report, which is part of FTW’s larger How Florida Compares series, provides nonpartisan information on where Florida ranks and contains nearly 40 tables, graphs, and charts that provide a comprehensive look at tax collections and other government revenues for all 50 states.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this afternoon awarded more than 130 state employees based throughout Central Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at the Lone Palm Golf Club in Lakeland. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this afternoon awarded more than 150 state employees based throughout South Florida with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at The Westin Fort Lauderdale. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) this evening awarded more than 200 state employees with TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA) during a ceremony held at FSU’s Turnbull Center in Tallahassee. The TPA program is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication of the state’s workforce who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies, and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards were presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released its Education Leadership Roundtable Summary Report, which explores ways to improve the overall quality of Pre-K – 12 education by examining the “best practices” of some of the state’s most effective public-school principals. The summary report includes key strategies for success discussed during the Friday, May 24 FTW Education Roundtable in Orlando, along with supporting research and key takeaways.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today released the 2019 Budget Watch Report, following the Wednesday, August 14 General Revenue (GR) Estimating Conference, which met to develop a new revenue forecast for the state. The FTW report provides an independent analysis of the top issues discussed: Indian gaming revenue, Florida’s weaker economic forecast and the impact of the corporate income tax (CIT) reimbursements.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today announced the winners of the 2019 TaxWatch Productivity Awards (TPA), which is celebrating 30 years of recognizing and rewarding the dedication and hard work of state employees who find ways to improve services, increase efficiencies and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The awards program is presented by Kyra Solutions, Inc.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) along with elected leaders from Leon County and the City of Tallahassee highlighted the need for community participation in the 2020 Census. As the third largest and fourth fastest growing state in the country, the upcoming Federal Census count will be more important to the Sunshine State than nearly any other state. Federal grant programs distribute $700 billion using census data. If Florida is under-represented by the count, it could cost the state millions, or even billions, of dollars. Florida’s state and local officials need to immediately start ensuring the accuracy of the count by participating in existing intergovernmental processes to verify addresses and residences.

The following statement is to be attributed to Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro, relating to today’s release of Governor DeSantis’ Budget Vetoes.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) released the Budget Turkey Watch Report, its annual independent review of the state’s FY2019-20 budget. The report promotes additional oversight and integrity in Florida’s budgeting process and is based on the principle that because money appropriated by the Legislature belongs to the taxpayers of Florida, the process must be transparent and accountable, and every appropriation should receive proper deliberation and public debate.