A recount of the votes for a property tax increase for Hillsborough County Schools failed to change the outcome.
Though the margin of defeat for the referendum narrowed a bit since election night, it still failed to pass by 590 votes, or .26%. There were 110,486 votes for the tax and 111,076 votes against it.
Florida law required that the 221,562 votes go through a machine recount because the margin of defeat was less than .5%. Had the margin fell to .25%, state law would require a manual recount.
The measure would have raised property taxes by $1 for every $1,000 dollars of assessed value. The school district wanted to use the money to pay for teacher and staff salaries and other expenses.
A recount in the race for County Court Judge Group 14 also did not change the outcome. Melissa Black and Mike Isaak are headed to a runoff in the November General Election.
The primary election results and the post-election audit will be certified by the Canvassing Board when it meets at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at 2514 N. Falkenburg Rd. in Tampa. The meeting is open to the public.
