Fla. TaxWatch Names OAG Agency of the Year

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Florida TaxWatch is naming Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office the State Agency of the Year. As part of the announcement, TaxWatch presented Attorney General Moody with the TaxWatch Productivity Award. Attorney General Moody accepted the distinguished recognition on behalf of the entire agency and thanked OAG team members for dedicated service to Floridians—resulting in billions of dollars in recoveries for the state.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This is such a prestigious honor for our agency, and I am grateful for all of our hard-working public servants who wake up every day ready to fight to protect Floridians. We strive to serve the public and be good stewards of taxpayer funds. I hope this award reaffirms to all Floridians that we take this role very seriously and will always work to do the most good with the state resources entrusted to our agency.”

Florida TaxWatch Board Chairman Senator George S. LeMieux said, “The 2022 TaxWatch Productivity Award winners—and Attorney General Ashley Moody in particular—have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to their jobs, colleagues, and the success of the Sunshine State. On behalf of Florida TaxWatch, we thank them for their innovative solutions to some of state governments’ toughest and most persistent problems.”

Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic M. Calabro said, “As a trusted government watchdog and the ‘eyes and ears’ of taxpayers for over 40 years, Florida TaxWatch understands the value of highly productive state employees and managers better than most. We recognize that, without them, critical functions of government would certainly falter, taxpayers would pay the price, and ultimately, the greatness of Florida would be diminished. For that reason, we are extremely grateful to Attorney General Ashley Moody and the many other 2022 Florida TaxWatch Productivity Award winners, and we congratulate them for all they have done and continue to do to bring about real, lasting improvements in our great state. You cannot have a great workforce without great leadership!”

The Florida Attorney General’s Office works hard to protect consumers, defend state laws and recover funds for Florida and victims of unfair trade practices whenever possible.

Since Attorney General Moody took the oath of office in 2019:

• The Consumer Protection Division recovered more than $469 million;
• The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit obtained more than $160 million in settlements and judgments;
• Attorney General Moody’s legal team secured more than $3 billion for Florida through the state’s historic litigation holding major opioid manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.
• The Antitrust Division recovered more than $3.4 billion on behalf of Florida’s citizens, taxpayers and state and local entities as a result of its enforcement efforts.

For more than 30 years, the TaxWatch Productivity Award program has recognized and rewarded the hard work and dedication of state employees who have taken the initiative to improve services and increase efficiencies, while serving as good stewards of tax dollars. The Agency of the Year award is given to the agency that has improved the quality of life or delivery of service to a significant number of Floridians.