By N'namdi Green Today, faith-based organizations continue to influence communities beyond the religious realm. Bethel Missionary Baptist Church of Tallahassee is a prime example of a faith-based organization inserting itself into non-conventional fields. Bethel has been at the forefront of economic development within the Frenchtown community in Tallahassee for almost 30 years. This includes past … Continue reading Bethel Church Vital to Frenchtown Community Redevelopment
Bethel Church: Visions of a Frenchtown Renaissance
N'namdi Green Since its official inception in 1870, Bethel Missionary Church has been a staple within the greater downtown area of Tallahassee. Throughout the years, Bethel Church has created and maintained a strong presence in the Frenchtown area by serving not only as a religious hub, but also as an epicenter for social engagement within … Continue reading Bethel Church: Visions of a Frenchtown Renaissance
Government Consolidation Rarely Lives Up to Promises
By Matt Kelly Government consolidation is an often-touted solution to economic and social problems in American cities. Several initiatives to combine local governments have resulted in conjoined regional governments, including Indianapolis-Marion County (IN), Athens-Clarke County (GA), and Jacksonville-Duval County (FL). Tallahassee and Leon County have seen six campaigns for consolidation over 50 years, all of … Continue reading Government Consolidation Rarely Lives Up to Promises
Economic Freedom Key to Cities’ Success
By Matt Kelly Economic freedom is the unrestricted ability of people in a country to associate and transact with one another. Measuring economic freedom has become a growing area of academic research. Probably the best known measure is the index constructed for the “Economic Freedom of the World” annual report on 159 countries published by … Continue reading Economic Freedom Key to Cities’ Success
Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions
Recessions can be trying times for city and county governments. They typically experience a fall in revenue from two primary sources: 1) a shrinking property tax base because of falling property values and 2) lower intergovernmental transfers—grants and other payments received from the state and federal governments—because of cutbacks made at these higher levels of … Continue reading Study Explores Local Government Response to Recessions
Defunding Florida’s Film Industry Incentives was Example of Evidence-Based Policy
By Marisa Lupica and Matt Kelly States have been competing fiercely for movie productions with tax incentives since the early 2000s. Such incentives include cash grants, income tax credits, sales tax rebates, or payroll tax credits. Today, 37 states offer tax incentives for film productions. However, recent economic research shows that film tax incentives fail … Continue reading Defunding Florida’s Film Industry Incentives was Example of Evidence-Based Policy
New Policy Brief Critical of Florida’s Economic Development System
By Matt Kelly A new DeVoe L. Moore Center policy brief criticizes Florida's economic development system. Targeted industry incentives have played a prominent role in the economic development strategies of state governments for decades. In the late 1970s and 1980s, enterprise zones and tax incentives were seen as an appealing “market-oriented” alternative to New Deal … Continue reading New Policy Brief Critical of Florida’s Economic Development System
Targeted Industry Tax Incentives in Florida
By Marisa Lupica Tax incentives are a significant but ineffective part of states’ economic development policy. As of 2012 states spent an estimated $80.4 billion annually on tax incentives for businesses. Yet, most economic research on the subject finds that targeted tax incentives are ineffective at attracting businesses, creating jobs, or improving a state’s economic … Continue reading Targeted Industry Tax Incentives in Florida
Decision-making in a Community Redevelopment Agency
By Casey Barr As discussed in a previous blog post, Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) are a form of special district government that funds local redevelopment projects with taxpayer subsidies. But how are spending and organizational decisions made in a CRA? (Source: City of Tallahassee. Available at: https://www.talgov.com/cra/CRAHome.aspx) CRAs can only be established when two governmental units, such … Continue reading Decision-making in a Community Redevelopment Agency
New Report Analyzes Tallahassee’s Permitting Process
By Matt Kelly An efficient regulatory process is essential to the business development strategies of cities like Tallahassee, Florida. Regulations that are too cumbersome or unnecessary increase the cost of doing business without serving the public interest. The growth and negative impact of regulatory accumulation at the federal level has been well documented, but local … Continue reading New Report Analyzes Tallahassee’s Permitting Process
Community Redevelopment Agencies
By Casey Barr Local governments face the perennial dilemma of obtaining money to fund community redevelopment projects. Requesting state or federal funds can be an arduous bureaucratic process, and these funds are often awarded to larger, more prominent cities, ignoring smaller towns where need is arguably greater. Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) allow local governments to … Continue reading Community Redevelopment Agencies
EPA’s W.O.T.U.S. rule would affect much of Florida
By Tyler Worthington On June 29, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers added a new rule that redefined “Waters of the United States” (W.O.T.U.S.) to the Federal Register and broadened what streams, rivers, ponds, wetlands, ditches, and waterways are subject to federal regulations under the Clean Water Act. This rule marks … Continue reading EPA’s W.O.T.U.S. rule would affect much of Florida
Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index
By Matt Kelly Defining freedom can be a difficult endeavor, yet the ability to compare relative economic and social liberties among countries is of significant importance for economic research. With that aim in mind, Florida State University professor and DeVoe Moore scholar James Gwartney and Robert Lawson of Southern Methodist University, have compiled the Economic … Continue reading Measuring Liberty: The Economic Freedom of the World Index
Transit and Tourism in Tampa’s Heritage Streetcar’s
By Santiago Arango Heritage streetcars are built both to provide transportation services and to preserve the history of rail transit, a history that dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. As of late 2012, seven U.S cities have running heritage streetcars. The Tampa Electric Company (TECO) Line Streetcar System is one example. The Florida Department … Continue reading Transit and Tourism in Tampa’s Heritage Streetcar’s
Business Incubator Helps Spur Student Entrepreneurs
By Joanna Douglas Florida State University students with a passion for social change are benefiting from partnerships beyond the campus to inspire their ideas for start-ups that address pressing social issues. The Tallahassee-based business incubator Domi Station continued its support of the university’s Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative with a special opportunity for students to … Continue reading Business Incubator Helps Spur Student Entrepreneurs
Taxes, Inequality, and Business Climate
Original post date: September 19, 2014 Article by: Dan Davy Today, states are left with a difficult choice between maintaining revenue growth and providing a competitive business climate. Taxes that promote the most competitive business climates tend to be less progressive and have lower growth rates. Standard and Poor’s (S&P) released a new report finding that states … Continue reading Taxes, Inequality, and Business Climate
Obamacare Opens Up New Opportunities for Profit
Original post date: December 03, 2013 Article by: Anonymous The Affordable Care Act has many flaws and critics, but entrepreneurial individuals have found a way to profit from the law, and investors are eager to take advantage of these openings. With new online exchanges, new policies and regulations, and millions of individuals affected, several service … Continue reading Obamacare Opens Up New Opportunities for Profit
Why Illegal Drug Money Doesn’t Promote Economic Development
Original post date: August 21, 2013 Article by: Sam Staley 5/10/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. Sandra Avila Beltran, the woman he reached the pinnacle of the Colombian-Mexican drug cartel as the "Queen of the Pacific," has been extradited back to Mexico. Her tale is a complicated one, and … Continue reading Why Illegal Drug Money Doesn’t Promote Economic Development
Florida Does Not Need More Corporate Welfare
Original post date: March 27, 2013 Article by: Anonymous 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. Even amongst fiscal conservatives, the argument is often made that the public funding of sports stadiums is justified because of the economic benefits they bring to their communities. According to TBO, the state senate … Continue reading Florida Does Not Need More Corporate Welfare
Buildings Don’t Create Permanent Jobs
Original post date: March 22, 2013 Article by: Sam Staley 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer compatible have been fixed. Gaines Street is the "it" place for Tallahassee's economic redevelopment initiatives, skirting the northern edge of the southern border of the Frenchtown/Southside Community Redevelopment Area. With large new projects going up along the … Continue reading Buildings Don’t Create Permanent Jobs
The Pope, Entrepreneurship, and Human Dignity
Original post date: March 20, 2013 Article by: Sam Staley 5/8/2023 Edits: Some links that were no longer working have been fixed. The new Pope may be more sympathetic to entrepreneurship as a way to alleviate poverty than previous pontiffs. He seems to understand that individual freedom and liberty are essential to creating wealth, and … Continue reading The Pope, Entrepreneurship, and Human Dignity