TAMPA, Fla. — After what seemed like a never-ending back-and-forth over the Hillsborough County Transportation tax proposal that ended up on the November ballot, the referendum failed Tuesday night, unofficial results show.
Hillsborough County voters said no to the 1% transportation tax referendum, which would have approved the raising of sales tax in Hillsborough County from 7.5% to 8.5% and allowed transportation officials to have the funds to make roads safer by adding bike lanes, lights and paving roads.
All for Transportation co-chairs Tyler Hudson and Christina Barker said the fight is not over for the future of transportation in Hillsborough County.
"All for Transportation started with one simple mission – to give the residents of Hillsborough County a voice in the future of their community," Hudson and Barker said in a statement released Tuesday night. "Voters used that voice in 2018 to resoundingly demand action and many worked tirelessly alongside us to keep fighting toward our common goal – a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and equitable.
"We cannot say what is next for this fight, but our passion is not diminished. The prospects for a better transportation future are not defeated but only deferred."
Something very similar was passed in 2018. Around half a billion tax dollars were collected. That referendum was ruled unconstitutional because voters decided how the money was spent.
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However, supporters of the new transportation tax said that this time is different because county commissioners decided to put it on the November ballot.