FORT PIERCE \u2014 With Vice Chairman Larry Leet absent and the remaining four St. Lucie County commissioners split evenly on when to schedule a referendum to renew the county\u2019s half-cent infrastructure sales tax, the board voted unanimously July 21 to postpone the decision until its Aug. 4 meeting.<\/p>\n
The voter-approved tax expires in December 2028 after its 10-year authorization. Commissioners must decide whether to ask voters to extend it in 2026 or wait until 2028. If they wait and voters approve it then, it would be considered a new tax rather than a continuation.<\/p>\n
Before the commission\u2019s discussion, three Port St. Lucie officials urged the board to place the referendum on the 2026 ballot.<\/p>\n
Port St. Lucie Public Works Director Colt Schwerdt said the tax has funded road, sidewalk, stormwater and water-quality improvements that have benefited city residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur request is to let the residents decide whether or not to continue the sales tax referendum,\u201d Schwerdt said. \u201cProviding for the sales tax referendum provides for long-term planning. We\u2019d like you to continue allowing us to make needed progress on infrastructure projects throughout the county.\u201d<\/p>\n
Utility Systems Director Kevin Matyjaszek echoed that message.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a direct correlation between infrastructure and quality of life,\u201d he said. \u201cNot allowing residents to vote on extending this sales tax is a disservice. They\u2019re already going to the polls, so let them decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
Communications Director Sarah Prohaska read a letter from Kenneth Kroll, chairman of both the county and Port St. Lucie Sales Tax Oversight committees, who urged commissioners to act this year.<\/p>\n
Kroll said approving the referendum in 2026 would provide certainty for long-range planning, allow time for public education and ensure continued investment in transportation, stormwater, public safety and environmental projects.<\/p>\n
Deputy County Administrator Mayte Santamaria reminded commissioners they had already approved an ordinance in March scheduling the referendum for November 2026. Keeping that date requires no action, while delaying it until 2028 would require rescinding the ordinance and adopting a new one.<\/p>\n
Chairwoman Jamie Fowler asked whether a failed 2026 referendum could be brought back in 2028.<\/p>\n
Santamaria said it could, although it would be treated as a new infrastructure sales tax rather than a continuation.<\/p>\n
Commissioner James Clasby opposed placing the measure on the 2026 ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want it on the 2026 ballot because there\u2019s Amendment 3 on it and there\u2019s the School Board tax,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a smart idea to put a tax on a ballot where people are being asked to basically eliminate taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Erin Lowry agreed, saying many residents are struggling financially and may reject the measure simply because it includes the word \u201ctax.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t feel people understand it\u2019s a continuation and not a new tax,\u201d Lowry said. \u201cIt\u2019s not that we don\u2019t support it \u2014 we just want a better opportunity to make sure that it continues.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fowler argued the county would have two opportunities if the measure were placed on the 2026 ballot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I get two chances to win, I\u2019m going to take two chances over one,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we wait until 2028 and it doesn\u2019t pass, we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Commissioner Cathy Townsend agreed and moved to keep the referendum on the 2026 ballot, but the motion failed on a 2-2 vote. Clasby\u2019s motion to delay it until 2028 also failed 2-2.<\/p>\n
With the commission deadlocked, members voted 4-0 to continue the item until Aug. 4, when Leet is expected to return and cast the deciding vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT PIERCE \u2014 With Vice Chairman Larry Leet absent and the remaining four St. Lucie County commissioners split…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":353431,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172,563],"class_list":["post-353430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news","tag-st_lucie"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=353430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/353430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/353431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=353430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=353430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=353430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}