Florida Policy Institute

06/19/2026

Today we celebrate Juneteenth, a holiday commemorating the day in 1865 that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached enslaved people in Galveston, TX.

Florida celebrates this day on May 20, as on this day in 1865, emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee.

Learning about our shared policy past equips us with the knowledge we need to shape a better future – one in which every person can truly thrive.

Read more on how historical laws & regs continue impacting current-day policies at The Florida Timeline ⬇️

About The Florida Timeline The Initiative The Research The Vision The Initiative The Florida Timeline (the timeline) is an ongoing initiative to draw awareness to the systemic racism that has permeated historical laws in Florida and continues to reverberate in modern-day policy. The initiative was l...

06/18/2026

ICYMI: H.R. 1, the federal reconciliation bill enacted on July 4, 2025, includes deep cuts to food assistance.

Between July and December 2025, participation in SNAP fell by roughly 10% in Florida — or over a quarter million people (277,513).

https://www.floridapolicy.org/posts/participation-in-snap-falls-sharply-across-florida-after-congress-makes-drastic-program-cuts

06/11/2026

NEW: Just five months after the federal reconciliation bill (H.R. 1) was enacted, participation in Florida’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) fell by roughly 10 percent — or over a quarter million people (277,513). The highest rate of decline was in Monroe County (14.1 percent) and Collier County (13.9 percent).

H.R. 1 includes drastic cuts to SNAP, totaling $187 billion over a decade.

Read the latest by FPI's Cindy Huddleston ⬇️

The highest rate of decline occurred in Monroe and Collier counties.

06/08/2026

How are children and families faring in Florida? The 2026 KIDS COUNT® Data Book from Annie E. Casey Foundation provides a trusted snapshot of child well-being across four areas: economic well-being, education, health and family and community factors.

This year’s enhanced index helps better illustrate how outcomes for kids are changing over time — giving communities and leaders better tools to understand the progress that has been made and identify where more action is needed. Explore the data: https://bit.ly/26DataBook-FB

06/05/2026

Early bird tickets for FPI's 2026 Florida Policy Summit are ending soon!

The last day to register for tickets at the early bird rate is June 14.

Starting June 15, tickets for the summit will be $100.

Register now at FloridaPolicySummit.org

06/05/2026

The Florida Legislature has advanced a measure that would increase the state's homestead exemption and require lawmakers to put forth a schedule for the full elimination of non-school property taxes on homesteads. The proposed amendment to Florida's state constitution will now go before voters in November 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal:
"Local governments would have to find other ways to pay for essential services, such as adding fees or drawing more revenue from non-homestead properties, said Esteban Santis, director of research at the Florida Policy Institute, a research and advocacy organization that opposes the proposed amendment.

Considering that Florida already lacks a personal income tax and the amendment creates a pathway to eliminating far more property taxes, Santis said, 'This is the most radical property-tax-cut proposal in the country in modern times.'"

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/florida-lawmakers-add-property-tax-cut-to-november-ballot-3e3ca885

05/29/2026

NEW:

The Governor released his proposal for a $250,000 homestead exemption, leading to a complete elimination. He is calling the Legislature into session Monday, June 1, to press for his proposal.

FPI crunched the numbers on impacts locally for each county government and school district. (Cities not included at this time).

-The resolution’s $250,000 homestead exemption alone would cost school districts an average of at least $5 billion annually — the revenue loss would increase to $8.59 billion annually if lawmakers eliminate homestead property taxes by FY 2030-31.

-Additionally, under the resolution’s $250,000 homestead exemption, counties would lose an average of at least $4.8 billion annually, which could increase to $8.65 billion with full homestead elimination by FY 2030-31.

-In many rural fiscally constrained counties, due to the assessed value of properties, the cost of a $250,000 homestead exemption is close to the cost of full elimination.

-This analysis does not include fiscal impacts to cities or the proposal’s assessment cap changes, which would erode local funding further.

Check out the impacts in your county:

SJR 2-F would adversely impact counties, school districts, municipalities, and special districts.

05/21/2026

NEW: FPI's latest blog post from Tachana Joseph:

"In Florida, where a 'tough-on-crime' approach continues to shape much of the policy landscape, the path forward calls for a more balanced vision, one that recognizes that public safety is strengthened, not weakened, when people returning home have real access to employment, housing, and stability."

Read more below 👇

05/20/2026

ICYMI: FPI found that a statewide paid leave program would benefit between 194,000 and 366,000 Floridians, depending on leave length and type.

Read more in FPI's latest report 👇

A statewide paid family leave program could benefit between 194,000 and 366,000 Floridians.