Community disagrees on the future of All for Transportation tax dollars

May 09, 2023

TAMPA, Fla. — If you ask pretty much anyone in Hillsborough County about the state of our roads and overall transportation—and they'll agree something's got to be done.

And when it comes to the $570 million in All for Transportation tax dollars currently sitting in limbo, the sentiment is the same.

Though what should be done differs depending on who you ask.

If you ask the folks at Tampa's Chamber of Commerce, they say the state should return the money so the county can use it for its intended purpose.

"So we think the funding should come back as soon as possible to address the ongoing needs in transportation as our population continues to grow because this is a state where people want to live," said the chamber President & CEO Dr. Bob Rohrlack.

And Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers agreed.

"Hillsborough County wants every dollar back plus interest," she said.

Myers said the county has billions of dollars in transportation projects waiting to be funded.

And she added that a recent state proposal to try and refund that tax money doesn't make sense.

"People would come up with all kind[s] of ideas of how they should get the money back without a receipt," said Commissioner Myers.

Karen Jaroch is a transportation advocate who opposed that tax from the beginning. And while she agreed that a direct refund would be impossible, she said there is a way to pay people back.

"The next best thing would be a sales tax holiday," she said, "It would be a one percent sales tax relief for two plus years."

And she claimed the county already has the money to start working on its transportation issues.

"They funded nice 'wants' like butterfly gardens and splash pads, but they aren't prioritizing our roads," said Jaroch.

In the meantime, that tax money will sit in escrow at the state level until the legislature takes up this issue again in 2024.

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