Florida TaxWatch’s Census Institute has appointed an eight-member advisory board and a seasoned economic expert to lead the state’s preparation for the upcoming 2030 Census. The mobilization comes as Florida attempts to reverse a trend of population undercounts that have historically drained billions of dollars in federal funding and weakened the state’s political influence in Washington.
During the 2020 Census, Florida missed an estimated 750,000 residents, representing a 3.48 percent undercount that placed it among just six states with statistically significant misses. State analysts project this gap will cost Florida at least $11 billion in federal money by 2030, a figure that could jump to $21 billion if the state faces major crises like natural disasters or pandemics. The undercount also restricted Florida’s political growth; while the state gained one congressional seat in 2021, data shows a complete count would have likely secured a second.
To address these gaps, the institute has named Clyde Diao, PhD, as its Special Advisor. Diao, a co-founder of Regional Economic Consulting and former deputy policy coordinator for the Governor’s office, previously served as Florida’s gubernatorial liaison for the 2010 Census.
“The Census count is crucial as it determines funding Florida will receive from the federal government over the next 10 years,” Diao said. “This funding supports essential services like schools, hospitals, roads, and emergency response, directly impacting our quality of life. We need to reach out to everyone, particularly those who are harder to count, to maximize participation.”
The newly formed advisory board will be chaired by Rachel Walter, senior innovation catalyst at Lee Health. Joining her on the board are Herman Castro of EY, Kathryn Horton of Kathryn A. Horton CPA PA, Albert Kaminsky of Spectrum, Andrea Keiser of Keiser Legal, Ryan Patel of Kyra Solutions, Spencer Pylant of TECO, and Lexie Savedge of SalterMitchell PR.
The group’s primary mandate is to mobilize businesses and local communities well ahead of the 2030 deadline to ensure every resident is counted. Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp emphasized that early action is critical for the state’s financial and political future.
“Florida has a history of census undercounts, which cost the state billions in federal funding,” Kottkamp said. “An accurate and complete count in 2030 is vital to secure Florida’s fair share of federal dollars. In addition, a census undercount has diminished our state’s political power in Congress.”
Because census data directly feeds into the American Community Survey—which both private businesses and public agencies use to make long-term investment decisions—an inaccurate baseline count causes a ripple effect of flawed data across the entire decade. Meg Cannan, Director of the Florida TaxWatch Census Institute, said the organization remains focused on analyzing what went wrong in 2020 to prevent a repeat.
“This undercount sets our state back in both representation and funding for the decade of 2020-2030 by tens of billions of dollars, which Florida’s accurate census would otherwise provide,” Cannan said. “Through Florida TaxWatch’s Census Institute, we continue to remain hyper-focused on delivering data-driven analysis of the 2020 Census undercount to ensure every Floridian is accurately counted and represented in 2030.”
The newly appointed advisory board is scheduled to hold its first official meeting on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Tallahassee to map out its outreach and public data strategy.
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