New state website informs taxpayers about government spending

To educate Floridians about their own local government income and spending, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink recently announced the launch of "Your Local Government Dollars and Cents," found on her Web site, www.myfloridacfo. com.

"Your Local Government Dollars and Cents" is a new tool that provides Floridians easy access to their local government's revenues and expenditures.

With greater information about the finances of Florida's local governments and Tuesday's passage of the property tax amendment, Sink is encouraging Floridians to work with their local governments in determining local priorities and ways to streamline services.

At "Your Local Government Dollars and Cents," Floridians can search by city, county or special district for a variety of revenue information, including: ad valorem taxes, grants, fees, fines and more. They can also look up their local government's expenditure information, including amounts spent on schools, transportation, public safety, general government and more. Floridians can create reports comparing governments, revenues and expenditures, and electronic data is available by year from 1993 through 2007.