By: Ethan Forberg Florida parents and students now have more control over where they want to attend school. The March 2023 signing of House Bill 1 (HB-1) means more families have access to school vouchers and fewer families will be constrained to traditional school district boundaries. Specifically, HB-1 eliminated the income requirements for school vouchers, … Continue reading School Choice and Charter Schools: Are Florida Children Prepared for their Futures?
Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Public Schools in STEM Subjects
By: Lauren Winslow The availability of school options in a given location significantly influences home purchases. In 2021, approximately 13% of all homebuyers in Florida reported that the quality of the school district was a factor in choosing the location of their future home. The passing of House Bill 1 (HB-1) expanded school choice to … Continue reading Charter Schools Outperform Traditional Public Schools in STEM Subjects
Effects of Increased Competition on School Efficiency
By Andrea Medici In addition to spurring competition between school districts, school choice policies attempt to introduce competition within school districts by changing the competitive landscape of local education markets. The introduction of private and charter schools, as well as virtual learning programs, are all attempts to incentivize public schools to be more efficient and … Continue reading Effects of Increased Competition on School Efficiency
Is Open Enrollment Effective Market-Based Education Reform?
By Andrea Medici Since the 1950s school choice has been implemented in many forms to support the education system in the United States. Open enrollment is one such approach that requires school districts to enroll students who reside in other districts. This is a particularly pertinent subject to Florida as the 2017-18 school year marked … Continue reading Is Open Enrollment Effective Market-Based Education Reform?
Regulation of Ride Sharing Services Unnecessary Based on Evidence
By Justin Langford The emergence of ridesharing has revolutionized the transportation industry. By providing an online interface to connect passengers to drivers nearby, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft offer an inexpensive and convenient alternative to traditional taxi services. The rise of TNCs, however, has brought about criticism among legislators and attempts … Continue reading Regulation of Ride Sharing Services Unnecessary Based on Evidence
Middle Eastern Entrepreneurs Face Regulatory Hurdles
By Kristen Carpenter and Giovanna da Silva Entrepreneurship often serves as a means to achieve social change. In the Middle East, social enterprises such as Glowork foster advancement by providing the disenfranchised with empowerment and professional development opportunities. Many entrepreneurs and employment seekers in the area, however, face regulatory hurdles to starting their own business. … Continue reading Middle Eastern Entrepreneurs Face Regulatory Hurdles
Tallahassee’s Local Permitting Process Reviewed
By Benjamin Peterson, Colin Cook, and Scott Williams One of the core issues of the DeVoe Moore Center (DMC) is regulatory streamlining and reform. Previous reports on local permitting have considered particular development types, including shopping centers and telecommunications towers. The DMC’s Data Analytics Group continues to examine the permitting process and most recently began … Continue reading Tallahassee’s Local Permitting Process Reviewed
Preparing Florida’s Government Policy for The Next Big Hurricane
by Chad Thomas Political and economic conditions in New Orleans before 2005 left the city unprepared for Hurricane Katrina. The government bureaucracies responsible for levee maintenance were mismanaged and corrupt officials diverted needed funds. Weak economic performance before Katrina also set up affected areas for slow recovery afterward. New Orleans’ experience shows how government can … Continue reading Preparing Florida’s Government Policy for The Next Big Hurricane
Targeted Industry Tax Incentives in Florida
By Marisa Lupica Tax incentives are a significant but ineffective part of states’ economic development policy. As of 2012 states spent an estimated $80.4 billion annually on tax incentives for businesses. Yet, most economic research on the subject finds that targeted tax incentives are ineffective at attracting businesses, creating jobs, or improving a state’s economic … Continue reading Targeted Industry Tax Incentives in Florida
Decision-making in a Community Redevelopment Agency
By Casey Barr As discussed in a previous blog post, Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) are a form of special district government that funds local redevelopment projects with taxpayer subsidies. But how are spending and organizational decisions made in a CRA? (Source: City of Tallahassee. Available at: https://www.talgov.com/cra/CRAHome.aspx) CRAs can only be established when two governmental units, such … Continue reading Decision-making in a Community Redevelopment Agency
New Report Analyzes Tallahassee’s Permitting Process
By Matt Kelly An efficient regulatory process is essential to the business development strategies of cities like Tallahassee, Florida. Regulations that are too cumbersome or unnecessary increase the cost of doing business without serving the public interest. The growth and negative impact of regulatory accumulation at the federal level has been well documented, but local … Continue reading New Report Analyzes Tallahassee’s Permitting Process
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
Transit and Tourism in Tampa’s Heritage Streetcar’s
By Santiago Arango Heritage streetcars are built both to provide transportation services and to preserve the history of rail transit, a history that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. As of late 2012, seven U.S cities have running heritage streetcars. The Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Line Streetcar System is one example. The Florida Department … Continue reading Transit and Tourism in Tampa’s Heritage Streetcar’s