Florida Government Information Resources

The Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) provides data, evaluative research, and objective analyses to assist legislative budget and policy deliberations. OPPAGA conducts research as directed by state law, the presiding officers, or the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and publishes the following reports:

Policy Analysis and Performance Reviews. OPPAGA conducts policy research on the performance of state programs and provides information and recommendations to the Legislature.

List of Legislative Recommendations. Yearly, OPPAGA produces a list of recommendations and a summary of recommendations that would produce savings or other positive fiscal impacts.

Privatization. Reports that address privatization as a major focus of the study, or that suggest privatization as a policy option.

Some of the reports are also presented as PolicyCasts (audiovisual representations) on the OPPAGA Web Site.

The OPPAGA Web Site also hosts a searchable and interactive tool called Government Program Summaries (GPS), a directory that is updated annually, and which contains descriptions and analysis of over 200 major state government programs, including the program's purpose, funding sources, and issues.

Transparency Florida was created to provide the public with access to state government spending information by posting Florida’s operating budget and associated expenditure records online.

Data on the site is updated nightly and includes:
  • Operating Budget (appropriations, vetoes, budget amendments and other items that impact funding)
  • Expenditures (vendor payments written for goods/service and funds transferred between budget categories)
  • Personnel data (Agency personnel data is updated weekly. Legislative personnel data is updated monthly)

PolicyNotes is a weekly OPPAGA e-newsletter highlighting publications and other policy resources.  A subscription is required to view the issues, but it is free and easy to sign up.

The Florida House of Representatives Web site posts documents called Committee Meeting Packets which include, among other information, a legislative staff analysis and economic impact report for bills under consideration by the Committee.  To access the Meeting Packets:

1.  Select "Committees" from the links across the top of the screen.

2.  Select the legislative term

3.  From the list, select the Committee/Subcommittee that is considering the bill you're researching.

4.  On the Committee/Subcommittee page, there is a section titled "Information" on the right side of the screen.  Click on the link to Meeting Packets, if there is one, or look under "Documents" for the Meeting Packets.

Office of Economic and Demographic Research (EDR) is "a research arm of the Legislature principally concerned with forecasting economic and social trends that affect policy making, revenues, and appropriations."  EDR provides forecasting capabilities to the Legislature, conducts impact assessments of proposed policy changes, undertakes research projects on a variety of topics at the request of legislative committees, and provides other research support and services to the committees.

The National Conference of State Legislatures has a bill tracking database by topic at https://www.ncsl.org/research/telecommunications-and-information-technology/ncsl-50-state-searchable-bill-tracking-databases.aspx