By Giovanna Da Silva Tallahassee’s public bus transportation system, Starmetro, has been the subject of criticism among community members who use the buses. With a 3.0 star rating (out of five) on Google reviews, many complain about the poor quality of service, lack of cleanliness, tardiness, and limited bus routes and times. Complaints about public … Continue reading Time to Revisit Private History of Mass Transit
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
New Study Explores Crony Capitalism in Florida
A new study published by The James Madison Institute by DeVoe L. Moore Center Policy Analyst Matthew Kelly and Center Director Samuel Staley explores two examples of crony capitalism in Florida's government policy: sports stadium subsidies and film tax incentives. The authors urge Floridians to remain vigilant over the spending of their tax dollars by government … Continue reading New Study Explores Crony Capitalism in Florida
Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses
By Benjamin Petersen and Matthew Laird Revenue collected by Florida’s local governments has grown dramatically in the last few decades, raising the importance that Floridians have an accurate understanding of how our governments raise and spend taxdollars. Revenue collected by local governments from permits, fees, and licenses is of particular importance for Florida’s business and … Continue reading Local Government Revenue Indicates Sluggish Recovery for Florida’s Businesses
Top 2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession
By: Igor Lukashevich In 2014, the world was abuzz with talk of Thomas Piketty’s treatise on global economic inequality, Capital in the Twenty-First Century. The rising global disparity of income, the author argued, will inevitably result in social and economic instability across the world. It is interesting to note that income inequality also exists, and … Continue reading Top 2% of state employees see faster rise in income than bottom 98% since the Great Recession
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
The Current State of Pensions in Florida
By Matt Kelly With their swampy humidity and world famous theme parks, Florida’s cities seem a world away from the frigid cold and automotive factories of Detroit, Michigan. Yet the two states have at least one commonality: underfunded pension liabilities. Such liabilities can potentially put a state or municipality into budgetary crisis, even bankruptcy. Reforming … Continue reading The Current State of Pensions in Florida
Florida Workers Would Suffer from Minimum Wage Increase
Original post date: September 10, 2014 Article by: Matt Kelly 6/9/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. As Floridians nurse their Labor Day sunburns, it’s worth remembering the twentieth century labor movement’s legacies. Chief among them is the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, a federal law that established the … Continue reading Florida Workers Would Suffer from Minimum Wage Increase
Housing Formation in a Recession
Post date: June 27, 2013 Article by: Gary Chong-Qui In past years, a stigma seems to have followed people moving back in with their parents after college. Most undergrads think they’ll have their lives sorted out by the time graduation day comes, or at the very least have some direction for moving on. The statistics … Continue reading Housing Formation in a Recession
Buildings Don’t Create Permanent Jobs
Original post date: March 22, 2013 Article by: Sam Staley 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer compatible have been fixed. Gaines Street is the "it" place for Tallahassee's economic redevelopment initiatives, skirting the northern edge of the southern border of the Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment Area. With large new projects going up along the … Continue reading Buildings Don’t Create Permanent Jobs
Florida’s Public Pension Funding #1
Original post date: November 29, 2012 Article by: Anonymous Despite all of the controversy surrounding the soundness of Florida’s public pension programs, a report by Jagadeesh Gokhale at the Cato Institute recognizes Florida as the number one state in terms of public pension plan health. This may be surprising due to all of the scrutiny Florida’s … Continue reading Florida’s Public Pension Funding #1
Is Florida Headed for a Seller’s Market?
Original Post date: July 10, 2012 Article by: Anonymous The subtitle of a recent Miami Herald Business Monday (6/18/2012) article read: “South Florida's real estate market suffers from depressed prices and low inventory [emphasis added].” With an average decrease of 49% in real estate values from the housing peak in 2006, perhaps suffering is an … Continue reading Is Florida Headed for a Seller’s Market?