ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County voters could see a question about a new type of sales tax pop up on their November ballot.
Called a local government infrastructure surtax by county officials, it would generate funding for a variety of local issues, including transportation, affordable housing, land conservation, water quality and parks.
What You Need To Know
Orange County commissioners are holding work session Monday to discuss a potential infrastructure sales tax that would generate funding for variety of issues
Those issues include transportation, affordable housing, land conservation, water quality and parks
If approved by voters, up to 15% of the funds collected could be used for capital projects connected to economic development, like the Sunshine Corridor
The Orange County Board of County Commissioners still needs to define where exactly the money would be spent and vote by the end of April in order to put it on the November ballot
The proposal is based on a one-cent sales tax, meaning that for every dollar spent, one extra cent would go toward the sales tax.
If approved, the tax would be in effect for the next 20 years and is expected to draw an estimated $757 million for the county.
On Monday, county leaders were scheduled to discuss the potential sales tax during a work session.
District 5 Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad said it is a creative way for commissioners to fund infrastructure that voters would like to support.
For instance, up to 15% of the funds that are collected can be used for capital projects used for economic development, like the Sunshine Corridor.
Also, up to 30% of the tax could also be divided up within the cities of Orange County.
But this infrastructure tax already has some Orange County residents split.
“Isn’t that what our taxes should do already? I don’t see another tax adding value to that,” says Orange County resident Bill Rubino.
On the other hand, Orange County resident Rosalie White said she could see the benefit of raising funds for infrastructure improvements.
“I would like to see any money that I am putting towards this increased sales tax towards pedestrian safety,” she said.
Meanwhile, Eric Grimmer, the chair of the Orange County Transportation and Mobility Advisory Commission, said the return on investment of this sales tax would be well worth it in the long run.
“Increasing those services is the only way we are going to get ourselves out of our traffic congestion issues here in Central Florida,” Grimmer said. “It’s to provide more options and this would allow us to give some more options.”
As for what comes next, Orange County commissioners will hear a presentation from the national nonprofit Trust for Public Land on Monday to learn more about their findings regarding the community’s priorities and overall sentiment of this potential surtax.
The commissioners’ feedback will determine next steps, including whether the surtax will be placed on the November 2026 ballot. They have until the end of April to make a final decision.
Monday’s work session will take place at 1 p.m. at the Orange County Administration Center.