TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County commissioners are trying to figure out what to do after a judge struck down a sales tax referendum slated for the November 8 ballot.
The referendum would’ve allowed people to vote on whether or not they wanted to see a 1% sales tax increase.
Commissioners said that money would’ve gone toward fixing and improving the county’s transportation infrastructure.
“Hillsborough County is projected to add hundreds of thousands of new residents in the coming years,” said Commissioner Harry Cohen.
He said our transportation infrastructure, as it is right now, is nowhere near where it needs to be to absorb our growing population.
“An awful lot was projected to be able to be done with this money if the voters were to have approved it,” Cohen continued.
Commissioners said they wanted to put the voters to decide if they wanted a 1% sales tax increase in order to fix roads, intersections, public transportation and sidewalks.
Commissioner Gwen Myers said the judge’s decision was “a devastating blow to the people of Hillsborough County" because they’ve been trying to successfully instate this tax since 2018.
However, the person who brought the lawsuit against the county said the language of the referendum is vague and misleading.
Their attorney sent us this statement, in part, reading, “The county chose ballot language that led voters to think they were voting for things like new and wider roads in places like Brandon and Tampa. Unfortunately, it didn’t choose that language because it is true. The County chose it because the County wanted people to vote for the tax and this language polled well.”
“The language of it was very clear. Even a first grader could’ve understood the language,” said Myers.
Cohen said, “I don’t think that the language in the referendum is vague and confusing at all. It proposed a very straightforward question to the voters of Hillsborough County: Do you want to tax yourself in order to remedy these transportation problems?”
County Commissioners will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday at 5 p.m. to talk about some possible alternatives they can take to put this referendum on the November 8 ballot.
