A year ago, Ricardo Schneider — then president of Danfoss Turbocor, one of the few Tallahassee companies expanding at real scale — set a deadline: if the region didn’t land at least two new business commitments within 12 months, it would be a “community failure.” That deadline has now passed. No new businesses have been secured, and Schneider isn’t backing off.
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When Red Tape Florida asked the City of Tallahassee to show how its voluntary buyout program would save more than $8 million a year, the city’s response was remarkable: there was no spreadsheet, no financial model, and no position-by-position analysis supporting the claim. […]
At Tiger Bay a few weeks ago, I talked about what I believe drives successful communities. Economic development isn’t the responsibility of one organization. It’s a four-legged stool.[…]
The Florida Legislature made a clear decision this year. The government shouldn’t get paid for work it didn’t do.[…]
Red Tape Florida’s recent piece on Austin’s successful efforts to tackle affordable housing had a lot of important themes: […]
By Skip Foster, Red Tape Florida Regardless of what Floridians think about Austin, Texas, consider these four facts: The answer was yes. Those four facts deserve more than a passing glance. For years, the national debate over housing affordability has followed a familiar script. One side blames developers. Another blames zoning. Others point to interest rates,[…]
Florida has spent the last several years telling local governments to get out of the way. Gov. Ron DeSantis has made cutting bureaucracy a cornerstone of his administration. The Legislature has repeatedly strengthened Florida’s private-provider law, most recently through HB 803, to speed permitting and prevent local governments from inventing new obstacles.[…]
For more than a year, Red Tape Florida has documented a pattern playing out across the state. The Legislature passes laws to reduce bureaucracy. Some local governments respond by creating new bureaucracy.[…]
Employment, wages, population, bankruptcy all headed in wrong direction; instead of lining up paid apologists, maybe local officials should take action? […]
City Hall claims $8.46 million in buyout savings. But when Red Tape Florida asked to see the records behind the number, the City said: There aren’t any. […]