The heat and bugs may get to you sometimes, and your paycheck may not be as big as you'd like... but at least you know you're free in Florida.
A report from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, says Florida is the freest of the 50 states, because of its low taxes, lack of a state income tax, low state government spending, and school choice. It also gets good marks for its right to work law and limited regulations on land use. Even the "Live Free or Die" state, New Hampshire, could only make it to number two.
But in terms of freedom to work Florida's only 46th because our state requires many professions to have occupational licenses. The study's co-author, Dr. William Ruger, says Florida's leaders should work on getting rid of those regulations while resisting calls to increase spending or taxes.
Ruger's report says our state is mediocre at best on gun rights... with almost no open carry... and gun laws tightened a bit after the Parkland massacre.
California, Hawaii and New York make up the bottom three.
The last time Cato ran this survey in 2016, Florida ranked #8.