Florida’s Dirty Dozen

Too often, legislators attempt to help businesses by enacting laws. But it is better for businesses if the government simply gets out of the way. In this report, IJ argues that Florida legislators should make Florida more business friendly by repealing laws and gives 12 examples of laws whose repeal would help small businesses.

This report suggests removal of a “dirty dozen” laws by repealer bills. Repealer bills, or simply “repealers,” are used to remove statutes that are outdated, redundant, or otherwise unwanted. Repealers remove text from, and cannot add any text to, the state’s statutes. Importantly, they do not count toward representatives’ six-bill-per-session limit. These bills are traditionally used to remove obsolete laws, but IJ’s study suggests they can also be used to advance business in the state.

What follows in this report are but 12 among countless anticompetitive, senseless, and arbitrary restrictions that hold back businesses in Florida. If Florida legislators are serious about helping jumpstart new business and helping small businesses thrive, they should start employing the tools they have available and use repealers to cut away the red tape that is binding Florida businesses.