Government entities are some of the largest employers in 51 of 67 counties in Florida, according to a new analysis released today by Florida TaxWatch. Additionally, 57 counties have at least 3 public entities in the top ten, and five counties have at least six public entities in their top ten.
“This analysis shows that public entities are a major employer in nearly every county in Florida,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President & CEO of Florida TaxWatch. “Often, we think of counties with large public institutions—such as prisons, military bases, and universities—as the main government-supported parts of the state, but as this research shows, a significant amount of the public entities in the list of top ten employers are local government entities that touch Floridians each and every day.”
Go here for the full report from Florida TaxWatch. Here are some highlights:
“-There is not a single county in Florida where at least one of the top five largest employers is not a government entity.
-In Bay County - Seven of the top ten employers are government entities
-In Calhoun, Glades, and Levy, just one government entity appears on their
respective top ten lists.
-Public education, government administration/law enforcement, and
health care tend to dominate the top employers of every county. These sectors all involve significant amounts of both government involvement and
funding.
-In every county in Florida, the district school board is one of the ten largest employers, accounting for more than 250,000 employees statewide—nearly 1
out of every 30 employed Floridians.”
