TAMPA, Fla. — More than $569 million you paid in sales taxes is still stuck in limbo, and on Wednesday the conversation over what to do with the money collected from the short-lived transportation sales tax continued in Hillsborough County.
At a meeting Wednesday morning, the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners submitted their "wishlist" of sorts to the Florida legislature on how they suggest using the money collected from the invalidated tax.
The board voted 4-2 in favor of "Option A" with one commissioner abstaining. Option A includes using $170 million to repave roads and repair sidewalks in the county, $103 million on specific projects to reduce congestion and $9 million to build trails.
The additional money making up the difference is proposed to go back to Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City.
The option doesn't include money earmarked for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' request for the money to be returned to taxpayers.
The saga over how to handle the collected funds has been going on for years. It started in 2021 when the Florida Supreme Court struck down the county’s 1% transportation sales tax, but it happened two years after the tax was put in place with the county collecting more than half a billion dollars.
In DeSantis' budget proposal for next year, he says the department of revenue should work with a third-party claims administrator to refund it. There are still no other details on how it would work, how much money would be returned or how people could prove they are owed the money. The governor also requested that the money is not used for public transit systems. Option A does not include money for public transit.
“I think that we should prioritize projects that are shovel-ready, that can have an immediate impact, and that can have the biggest impact on improving our residents' quality of life,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said.
After DeSantis' request, the county says it's unclear how much money will be set aside for projects in Hillsborough. Ultimately, the state Legislature will determine how the money is spent at their legislative session next month.
Commissioners are awaiting how the refund process will appear, but those in favor of the proposal hope the state doesn't redirect funding outside of Hillsborough County.
Commissioner Gwen Myers said the leftover funds would benefit local taxpayers due to improvements in road conditions along with safety in congested areas.
"This will help us. It's a dent, but it's a huge dent," Myers said.
Meanwhile, those opposing either option believe the legislature and the governor have the best interest of taxpayers in mind in their hands.