(The Center Square) – As the Florida legislature convenes today for its 2024 session, a nonprofit taxpayer group has released its list of 24 priorities ranging from reducing the corporate income tax to increasing property tax exemptions.
“Florida continues to be the most envied of states due to its economic viability, business-friendly incentives, high quality education, and health care priorities, truly making the Sunshine State the best place to live, work, vacation, and raise a family,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said in a statement. “That’s why, as the ‘eyes and ears’ of taxpayers, Florida TaxWatch has once again proudly identified several taxpayer priorities.”
The overall priorities include a “fair and equitable system of taxation” along with increasing government efficiency, health care reforms, education, and workforce and economic development, the group said.
Economic development priorities include property insurance reform, film industry incentives and short-term rental reform, the organization said.
Criminal and civil justice goals are to “protect the public by deterring and preventing crime, punishing offenders, and reintroducing those who have served their time back into the community.”
An adequate housing supply and “allowing people to live closer to where they work” is also a goal of the group.
Looking ahead to 2030, Florida TaxWatch wants to make sure Florida’s population is not undercounted. Health care goals include increasing the use of telehealth and telemedicine, reducing the cost of prescription drugs and addressing the shortage of physicians and other critical health care workers.
In education, the organization wants to address the teacher shortage, increase vouchers and opportunity scholarships and extend the state’s group insurance program to college system employees.
“Thanks to the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, House Speaker Paul Renner, and their respective chambers’ commitment in addressing our unique opportunities and challenges on behalf of Florida’s nearly 23 million residents, Florida TaxWatch is proud to share its 24 taxpayer priorities that we will be closely monitoring as a trusted, go-to resource for leaders, policymakers, staff, and media throughout the next 60 days and beyond,” Calabro said.
For now, the state remains fiscally envied, the group said.
“Florida has been on an incredible fiscal run over the last three years, and revenue collections continue to beat the state’s estimates,” the group said in a release. “The Legislature has an estimated budget surplus of at least $7 billion this year. However, significant spending increases and tax relief have caused that surplus to fall considerably, and continuing the current level of recurring spending will dry up the rest over the next few years.”
