[Stern-Wheeler Arriving at Silver Springs, Florida, after an Overnight Run up the St. Johns, Oklawaha, & Silver Rivers]
DeVoe Moore Center Economic Development, Economics, Environment, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government Performance, Jobs, Land Use, Politics, Protected Land, Taxes, Tourism, Water

Protecting North Florida’s Springs

By Jad Kabbani North Florida's springs are highly valued environmental resources, known for their water quality and recreational appeal. The region, along with Central Florida, is home to the densest concentration of freshwater springs in the world. Consequentially, North Florida's economy heavily depends on this abundant natural resource as visitors and locals take advantage of … Continue reading Protecting North Florida’s Springs

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economic Development, Economics, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government Spending, Politics, Tax Policy, Taxes

Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions

Recessions can be trying times for city and county governments. They typically experience a fall in revenue from two primary sources:  1) a shrinking property tax base because of falling property values and 2) lower intergovernmental transfers—grants and other payments received from the state and federal governments—because of cutbacks made at these higher levels of … Continue reading Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions

DeVoe Moore Center Economics, Entrepreneurship, Fiscal Policy, Government oversight, Land Use, Politics, Special Districts, Tax Policy, Taxes, Urban Development

Special District Spending Priorities and Political Entrepreneurship

By Matt Kelly and Tyler Worthington Special districts are small local governments created by state statute or local ordinance to fulfill a particular purpose in a specified geographic area. Some special districts control the mosquito population in an area, while others are in charge of things like fire protection, library administration, or utility services. Unlike … Continue reading Special District Spending Priorities and Political Entrepreneurship

DeVoe Moore Center Economics, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government oversight, Land Use, Local Government Consolidation, Politics, Special Districts, Tax Policy, Taxes

Special Districts in Florida

By: Matt Kelly and Tyler Worthington Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Tip O’Neil once said, “all politics is local,” meaning that politicians must appeal to local constituents to succeed. Yet political economy is arguably most opaque and complex at local levels. Local governments have grown as numerous as they are multifaceted. Over … Continue reading Special Districts in Florida

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economic Growth, Economics, Education, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government Spending, Healthcare, Land Use, Medicaid, Politics, Tax Policy, Taxes, Urban Development

Health Care and Education Departments Spend the Most of Florida’s State Budget

By: Nick Hyder and Tian Ma With 2015 behind us, it’s worthwhile to take stock of last year’s spending by state government. A state’s spending says a lot about its priorities, and accountability to taxpayers is an important component of a democracy. The Agency for Health Care Administration tops the list of spending by state … Continue reading Health Care and Education Departments Spend the Most of Florida’s State Budget

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economic Growth, Economics, Fiscal Policy, Government Performance, Government Spending, Politics, Tax Policy, Taxes, Urban Development

The Top 10 Highest Earning Counties in Florida

By: Igor Lukashevich and Nadia James The top six Florida counties for revenue intake per capita are as follows: Duval, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Franklin, Charlotte, and Collier. Total revenues for counties follow very closely with total expenditures, as the same six counties also topped the list for expenditures per capita. This relationship makes sense because the … Continue reading The Top 10 Highest Earning Counties in Florida

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economic Growth, Economics, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government Performance, Politics, Tallahassee

Florida’s Frugal Government

By Randall G. Holcombe, Ph.D. Living in Tallahassee, I often hear people complain about Florida’s frugal state government.  It is true that Florida is among the most frugal states. According to this article Florida is second from the bottom among states in per capita state government expenditures, and this article says Florida is also second … Continue reading Florida’s Frugal Government

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economics, Environment, Fiscal Policy, Florida, Government Performance, Government Spending, Politics, Tax Policy, Taxes

Duval county tops spending per person, followed by some of Florida’s smallest counties

By: Nick Hyder, Tian Ma, Igor Lukashevich, and Nadia James Out of the 67 counties in the state of Florida, Duval County spends the most per capita. Duval County is home to Florida’s most populous city, Jacksonville, which has a population over twice as large as Miami, Florida’s second most populous city. In 2014, Duval … Continue reading Duval county tops spending per person, followed by some of Florida’s smallest counties

DeVoe Moore Center DeVoe Moore Center, Economic Growth, Economics, Environment, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Policy, Government Performance, Politics, Regulation

Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index

By Matt Kelly Defining freedom can be a difficult endeavor, yet the ability to compare relative economic and social liberties among countries is of significant importance for economic research. With that aim in mind, Florida State University professor and DeVoe Moore scholar James Gwartney and Robert Lawson of Southern Methodist University, have compiled the Economic … Continue reading Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index