The Late, Great State of Florida?
Beware The Storms Of New …
Sitting on the other side of my desk, the legendary Lawton Chiles once wisely suggested to me that Florida should be handled one issue and one constituent at a time.
My desk was consumed by thousands of letters to the Senator from Floridians fighting various issues with what they perceived to be their failing federal or state government. Admittedly, I was feeling quite overwhelmed by my job as the Senator’s staff assistant on these pending matters.
The fatherly and experienced statesman that he was just smiled at me knowingly.
“When I get overwhelmed, and the number of political problems confronting me seem impossible to deal with, I prioritize my opportunities and tackle them one at a time,” the also then-powerful United States Senate Budget Committee chairman said.
“Florida is a big state. We have a lot of people to serve. But if you take Florida one person at a time, one issue at a time, even though there are more than 13 million of us, eventually you will whittle your plate of problems down to a more manageable level,” he said.
“The trick is to tackle something and get going. If you take your most pressing issues and confront them, then eventually, you make progress and then the government does not look so ineffective and people seem to be a little more satisfied that they are being duly respected for their citizenship.”
It was startling to me that Lawton (he always asked us to call him that) saw these crushing matters as “opportunities” and not simply as “problems.” It struck me that his philosophy in conducting public service was both brilliant and sage without being complicated and coarse.
I have admired Lawton’s approach for the 38 years since he first eased my anxiety about the political issues confronting my attention. And even though Lawton Chiles is no longer with us physically his recommendation is timeless nonetheless.
Today, four decades later, Florida has a population of 21.5 million people. The fiscal year budget for the Sunshine State is $90.98 billion. The per capita state tax burden for our citizens is $1,822, the second lowest per capita state tax burden in the nation.
Florida’s constitution prohibits a personal income tax, and probably always will because the average citizen is not going to want to take on that financial liability. Only seven states in the nation do not have a personal income tax.
Not surprisingly, property taxes in the state are among the highest in the nation, in part to help make up for the revenue missed by not having a personal income tax. The state’s reserve budget is currently $5.4 billion, or about six percent of the annual budget.
The single largest revenue source for Florida comes from general revenue, 83.8 percent. Transaction taxes, such as sales tax, are higher than in most other states. Florida also relies very heavily on local revenue to fund state government than any other state in the union.
Florida’s total state and local revenue total is 54.9 percent. Ad valorem taxes represented $46 billion in the most recent budget. Social insurance taxes generated $21 billion. Business and other taxes generated another $10 billion. Fees and other charges represent $9 billion, and corporate income taxes account for $3 billion in annual revenue.
Over 330,000 people are moving to Florida every year now. That is some 900 people per day. Or as many people who currently live in Orlando, Florida proper today.
The average salary in Florida is $57,000 and the average hourly salary is $16.50 per hour.
Florida does have some bright spots to report.
The Florida Retirement System is one of the better retirement systems in the country funded at about 84 percent of its $186 billion actuarial liability.
More than 100 million people visited the Sunshine State in the immediate past year.
Florida’s international airports are among the best in the nation, as are some of our key seaports.
Military bases and personnel, who are paid by the federal government, abound in Florida, helping to greatly diversify the state’s population and employment source.
However, Florida has several extremely significant challenges facing it in the decade or decades ahead. Challenges, that without proper and timely planning, or going to make Florida a very unpopular place to live.
