ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Mayor Jerry Demings is asking commissioners in Orange County to consider putting a transportation sales tax back on the ballot in 2024.
At a meeting Tuesday, commissioners heard from county staff what needs to happen if they want voters to decide in November. The discussion follows a memo sent to commissioners by Demings last month to see if there is any interest.
“Quite frankly, if we as a major metropolitan community do not come up with other alternatives to moving people around this growing community, we are going to continue to see the traffic congestion worsening,” Demings said.
For years, Demings has advocated for a one-cent sales tax increase to fund road improvements, mass transit options, and expand SunRail and the LYNX bus service.
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In 2020, he started the effort to place a referendum on the ballot, but then the pandemic happened. Then in 2022, the board did place a transportation sales tax on the ballot, but it did not receive the 50% plus 1 threshold to pass. Only 42% of voters approved of increasing the county’s sales tax to 7.5%.
Demings wrote in his memo to the Board that the penny sales tax plan failed due to inflation, significant increases in housing costs, and the impact of Hurricane Ian.
Tuesday, News 6 asked the mayor how he would convince the public now that this would benefit them.
“We have to make sure the members of the public see themselves benefiting in some way,” Demings said. “If we want to be successful in passing it, then we have to do a better job of listening to the members of the public, making those adjustments, to make sure our plan address the overwhelming majority of our residents.”
Commissioners agreed that there is a need for transportation improvements, but they want to be sure the discussion is different this time around.
“I think we all agreed we want to see more information, but I think it was pretty clear that if its the same as it was two years ago, we’re going to have the same result,” said District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe.
Commissioner Mayra Uribe brought up the lack of support in her district in 2022, and the rising cost of food, rent, and other expenses since then. District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson echoed those concerns.
“In 2022, people were really clear,” Wilson said. “The rent stabilization passed, you know, sailed right through, but this sales tax failed, and I think it’s because people are struggling.”
Wilson said she believes the county needs to be clear about what they are proposing and how it would help people in order to be successful.
“I even propose that we go back and look at our millage. People’s property taxes have been going up, but not because our millage has gone up, but because their property value has gone up. Can we help offset what they’re feeling at home by coming down on that millage rate? Because if we can, I believe we have a more compelling argument.”
Demings said he is optimistic about the discussion moving forward.
“No rarely means no forever, it just means no for a point in time,” he said.
Commissioners have two months to keep the discussion going in their districts, with local municipalities, and with county staff.
A decision must be made in April, if they want to put this matter on the ballot for voters to decide in November.
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