Florida TaxWatch, an independent think tank, released a report indicating Florida is set to receive shy of $20 billion from the President Joe Biden-signed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). However, TaxWatch suggests Florida is not receiving near its fair share of funding, based on population and contribution to the national economy.
“The total amount of Florida’s share is not yet known, but for the allocations that have been determined, Florida will receive approximately $19.1 billion over five years of the $425 billion got which allocations have estimated,” the report said. “While this is certainly a lot of money, it appears Florida—as has historically been the case—will not receive anything close to its fair share.”
Most of the report was broken down into how Florida’s portion will be distributed across the spectrum of infrastructure including: $1.6 million toward water infrastructure, $16.1 million toward transportation, and $1.2 billion for airport improvements.
However, the analysis projects that if the funding was proportional to population size, Florida would receive approximately $8.6 billion more than currently allocated. TaxWatch also included the ramifications for Florida not receiving its fair share.
“When Florida does not get its fair share of federal assistance, our tax money goes to subsidize programs in other states,” the analysis said. “That is exactly what has been happening in Florida for many, many years. Florida TaxWatch has produced several reports showing that Florida receives far less than its fair share of federal aid relative to other states, consistently ranking near the bottom in terms of per capita grants and grants as a percentage of federal taxes paid.”
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro said this issue is not new for Florida.
“This isn’t a new issue, as Florida has historically been a donor state for federal aid, with our hard-earned tax dollars going to subsidize programs across the country,” said Calabro. “And while inequitable grant distribution formulas have proven hard to change, as more are developed for the infrastructure bill, our Congressional delegation should work to improve Florida’s return, while also aggressively pursuing grant opportunities created by the legislation.”
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) hinted that Florida would be getting shortchanged to provide more funding to states with governors and policies sympathetic to the Biden Administration.
“One of the things that I am concerned about,” DeSantis said. “It seems like there is a disproportionate amount of money that is going to, like, New York and New Jersey. And that Florida’s not getting really a significant share. Out of like a trillion dollars, I mean, they’re saying we’re going to get like $20 billion? That’s not a lot compared to how big the state is.”
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Grant Holcomb is a reporter at The Florida Capital Star and The Star News Network. Follow Grant on Twitter and direct message tips.
Photo “Florida State Capitol” by David Wilson CC BY 2.0.
