Florida TaxWatch’s gathering in Orlando closed not with a major keynote speech, but with a dinner honoring longtime President and CEO Dominic Calabro .

At a ballroom at the Four Seasons Walt Disney World, a series of speeches and submitted videos from past chairs of the organization spotlighted the influence of the nonprofit leader.

Calabro, who has worked at the organization since 1980, has long stood as the face of TaxWatch.

He started the work as a Ways and Means staffer in the Florida Legislature, but by 24 years old had been tapped as executive director of what would soon be named Florida TaxWatch.

Calabro coined the term “ budget turkey ,” rebranded the group from its original name of the Citizens Council for Budget Research, and grew an operating budget 24-fold from abou

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