Report: Governments statewide spend $80B annually in collected taxes

Florida, of course, scores major points for not having a state income tax. But on the flip side, more than half of all Florida government revenue, 53.1%, is raised at the local level. That’s one of the highest shares in the nation, according to Florida TaxWatch, in its 2019 edition of How Florida Counties Compare.

All told, Florida’s 66 county governments, including Jacksonville’s consolidated government, more than 400 municipal governments and approximately 1,000 independent special districts spend nearly $80 billion annually. “The spending and taxing decisions of county governments have major impacts on the daily lives of every family across our state and it is important for all Floridians to understand where their hard-earned dollars are being spent,” says Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro in the report.