Half penny sales tax on the ballot

So Hillsborough County voters are going to decide tomorrow whether or not to renew this half-cent tax for the entire school district. It initially passed eight years ago and it's funded more than a billion dollars in projects. But it is set to expire, so district leaders and advocates are hoping that voters will approve the funding for at least another decade. Our Fox 13's Aaron Mesmer joining us now live. So Aaron, take us back to 2018. Why did the district say that this tax Tax was needed back then. Well, Ali, at the time, the district said it was about $1 billion behind on maintenance projects, with AC Systems being the biggest need. Now, voters agreed and approved the referendum eight years ago. District leaders say since then, the tax has funded more than 1,000 completed projects and another 200-plus that are in progress. And advocates are hoping that voters agree that this revenue needs to continue and say yes to the referendum on the ballot tomorrow. This funding is strictly for facility improvements. Those projects include replacing about 180 air conditioning systems, replacing more than 60 roofs, upgrading nearly 140 athletic fields and dozens of playgrounds. All told, that's roughly a $1.5 billion district-wide investment. And we're told there are more than 1,700 additional projects that need to be addressed over the next decade or so. Advocates talked with us about why they believe it's critical for this funding to continue. We would have been in deep trouble because there was desperate cry for air conditioning, for roofing, for technology. The loudest cry was for air conditioning. So we have been able to, we have completed over 1,000 projects since it started in 2019. And we have about 200 more to go. And it's just nonstop. And that's why we can't go backwards. District officials estimate a renewal would generate between $121 million and $131 million each year. The funding is also used for safety projects, including security, fire systems, and perimeter fencing. Last year, voters approved an additional tax for teacher and staff salary increases. That money cannot be used for facilities and capital improvements, and that's why we're told this is why this money would be used to fund capital improvements. So, Aaron, do we know roughly how much this will end up costing families each year? Yeah, the district estimates that the tax could cost the average family about $86 a year. Deputy Superintendent Chris Farkas has acknowledged there could be affordability concerns, but he says he believes it's a small price to pay for the investment in the community, in his opinion, Allie. Well, we shall know more tomorrow night. All right, Aaron Mesmer, live tonight. Aaron, thanks.