Florida TaxWatch recognizes money-savers at luncheon

The watchdog group Florida TaxWatch recognized state employees who have come up with ideas to make government run more smoothly and potentially save taxpayer money.

Tim Rhymes was one of the people who was recognized at the luncheon on Thursday at Lone Palm Golf and Country Club in Lakeland.

Rhymes works for the Florida Department of Transportation installing signs. 

"If it has a hole in it, they want you to take it down and get a new one," he explained to FOX 13. "Three hundred fifty to four hundred dollars."

Rhymes used some good old-fashioned sense and put colored tape over the holes instead, and it worked. Instead of spending hundreds of taxpayer dollars for a new sign, he figured out a way to get the job done for pennies.

There were dozens of other people who came up with creative ideas which addressed everyday problems or inefficiencies.

"They notice there is an inefficiency, that may not need to spend money on, and the come up with a better way to do it," said Chris Barry, a Florida TaxWatch spokesman.

TaxWatch says the people who have received their productivity awards have saved taxpayers more than ten billion dollars since the inception of the program three decades ago.