Pasco County voters casting a ballot in the Nov. 8 General Election will decide the fate of a proposed 1-cent sales tax to pay for local projects.
Proceeds from the tax would be divided between Pasco County, Pasco County Schools and the county’s six municipalities.
The county and school district each would receive 45% . The municipalities would split the remaining 10%.
This is the third time Pasco residents have been asked to support the Penny for Pasco local government surtax.
Voters initially approved the tax in 2004, which took effect on Jan. 1, 2005 and lasted through Dec. 31, 2014. Voters renewed the tax for 10 more years, from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2024.
This time, voters are being asked to extend the tax for 15 years.
If approved, it would be in effect from Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2039.
The Pasco County School Board has identified a list of projects the tax extension would support.
The school board’s list includes new schools, school expansions, school renovations, additional technology, school safety enhancements, athletic facility improvements, improvements in the driver pickup areas at schools, and other projects.
Pasco County also identified how it will divide the revenues among categories of spending. The county would allocate its portion this way: 40% for transportation, 20% for economic development, 20% for public safety; and, 20% for environmental lands and parks infrastructure.
Spending a portion of the proceeds for parks equipment is new, but county officials said the idea is to enable equipping the parks more quickly for the public’s enjoyment.
Economic development funds would be spent on attracting new companies to boost job opportunities, expanding opportunities for existing companies, stimulating redevelopment of blighted areas and helping in workforce development, among other things.
The funds will also support business incubators and provide small business assistance to locally owned companies.
In general, the economic development funds are intended to help businesses of all sizes to be successful, to generate more high-paying jobs in the county and to broaden Pasco’s tax base.
A portion of the county’s proceeds also will be used to acquire environmentally sensitive lands. Officials estimate 3,000 acres to 3,700 acres could be acquired with future Penny for Pasco revenue.
The funds also will support infrastructure projects at Baillies Bluff Wilderness Park and at the Len Angeline Wilderness and Recreation Park.
The county’s allocation also includes 20% for public safety.
Fire Rescue would receive boats, life-saving emergency response equipment, in-vehicle computers, facility upgrades and new vehicles, including utility terrain vehicles.
The sheriff’s office would receive new vehicles and in-vehicle computers and equipment.
Transportation and engineering services would receive 40% of the county’s share of the proceeds.
Tax proceeds also will go to a wide array of projects in specific areas around the county, including sidewalks, multi-use paths, bicycle lanes, intersection improvements and roundabouts.
The school district has identified a number of new schools supported by the 15-year extension of the tax. The district also uses state funds and impact fees to help pay for new school construction.
One school that would be supported through Penny for Pasco funds would be built near the Bexley development, off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.
A K-8 school would be built in the State Road 52 corridor, in an area known as the Central Pasco Employment Village, also in Land O’ Lakes.
Another K-8 would be built on the State Road 54 corridor, in the Ballantrae area.
Plus, in the Villages of Pasadena Hills — between Wesley Chapel and Dade City — the school district is expected to be building a K-8, or whatever is needed there.
But those are just some of the projects that would be built with Penny proceeds.
The school district also would use the tax revenues to add computers in schools, upgrade the district’s computer network, fortify the safety on its campuses, upgrade athletic facilities and improve safety at driver pickup locations at schools, among other things.
For more information about projects that have been completed using Penny for Pasco proceeds, as well as proposed projects, visit Pasco County Schools’ website at Pasco.k12.fl.us, and click on the Penny for Pasco tab. That also includes a link to Pasco County’s website, which also has information about the proposed tax.
Hillsborough 1-cent surtax for transportation
In Hillsborough County, meanwhile, a proposed 1-cent surtax to support transportation projects has been nullified by a circuit court judge, but remains on the ballot because of an appeal filed by the Hillsborough County Commission.
That tax would last 30 years and would pay for transportation improvements throughout the county, including unincorporated areas and Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace, Brandon, Riverview, Carrollwood and Town ’N Country.
Projects, according to the ballot language, would include build and widen roads, fix roads and bridges, expand transit options, fix potholes, enhance bus services, improve intersections, and make walking and biking safer.
If approved, the funds would be deposited in an audited trust fund, which would have citizen oversight, according to the ballot language.
Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer’s office issued a news release on Oct. 19, reporting: “The Circuit Court issued a judgment yesterday removing the Hillsborough County surtax referendum from the 2022 General Election ballot. Because the County then filed a Notice of Appeal of the judgment, the judgment is stayed pending review or until further notice from the Courts. Votes for and against this measure continue to be tabulated. The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office will continue to follow any and all orders of the Circuit and Appellate Courts.”
Published October 26, 2022
