Residents in several Tampa Bay area counties are voting on referendums that would financially support their public schools.
While counties like Sarasota, Manatee, Hernando and Pinellas are voting on renewing their property tax millage referendums, Hillsborough County will be voting on implementing one. This issue has been a point of contention in the county this year, after failing to pass in 2022.
Sarasota, Manatee and Hernando counties will be voting to continue the current property tax of $1 for every $1000 (1 mill) worth of property, while Pinellas is looking to double their rate (.5 mill) to match them.
Supporters of the proposals argue that the benefits far outweigh the costs. They emphasize that investing in education is a long-term investment in the future of Florida.
Joshua Scacco, the Director of the Center of Sustainable Democracy at the University of South Florida, said this kind of measure helps schools retain quality educators.
"Shortages in school districts across the state is a persistent issue that districts are trying to confront. One of the ways in which they're looking at this is by increasing pay,” said Scacco.
Not only will teachers see an increase in pay from the funding, but so will support staff, like nurses, bus drivers and cafeteria workers.
Some of these measures were first implemented more than 20 years ago.
Beth Rawlins is a member of Citizens for Pinellas Schools and has been in support of the millage since it was first approved in 2004. She pointed to what the school district did during Hurricane Milton as a reason why.
“The Pinellas County School system housed and fed and sheltered and kept 12,000 people safe during this storm. What the school system does for our community goes so far beyond education,” said Rawlins.
And some school officials are concerned that voters will miss the proposal all together.
"It is the very last item on the ballot, and it is a very, very long ballot," said Terry Connor, Sarasota County Schools Superintendent. "We just want to make sure that people get all the way to the very end, which is the fourth page for most people's ballots, and actually make sure they turn the page to get there and actually vote on it."
Alongside the millage renewal, Hernando County citizens will also be voting to continue a half-cent sales tax that would provide funding toward projects such as school construction, expansion, remodeling and maintenance.
READ MORE: Why having two tax referendums on the same ballot isn't Hillsborough's ideal situation
Here is a list of the specifics by county:
Pinellas County
- What are they asking? Pinellas County voters will decide whether or not to increase the current rate of .5 mill to 1 mill in property taxes to help fund public schools. If it does not pass, the current tax of .5 mill will go away entirely.
- How much? The increase would make it so property owners are taxed $1 for every $1000 of property owned.
- How long? If passed, it would begin July 1, 2025 and end June 30, 2029.
- What has it been used for in the past? First put into place in 2004, the tax referendum has been approved each time it’s been a ballot item at the .5 rate. The 2022-2023 referendum annual report showed $44.4 million went towards teacher salaries ($5,743 per teacher), and $11.1 million went towards reading, art and technology programs.
Sarasota County
- What are they asking? Sarasota County voters will decide whether to continue the 1 mill tax.
- How much? Property owners would continue to be taxed $1 for every $1000 of property owned.
- How long? The one mill tax would be continued from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030.
- What has it been used for in the past? Originally approved in 2002 and renewed five times since in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. The Sarasota County public school operating budget for 2023-2024 shows 18.5% of funding came from that referendum revenue — $104 million out of an overall $562 million budget. These funds went towards teacher salaries, school safety measures, arts programs and technology upgrades.
Hernando County
- What are they asking? Hernando County voters will see two ballot items that impact public schools: the one mill property tax and the half-cent sales tax.
- How much? For the millage item, property owners will continue to be taxed $1 for every $1000 of property owned. For the half-cent sales tax, voters will decide whether or not to continue the .5% sales surtax.
- How long? The millage property tax would continue another 4 years before being voted on again. The half-cent sales tax would continue for another 10 years.
- What has it been used for in the past? In regard to the millage referendum, Hernando County officials reported an approximate annual amount of $17,224,022 for 2023. That was divided into subjections that focused on salaries and school positions (50%), mental health and safety (25%), technology (15%) and academic programs (10%).
In regard to the half-cent tax, the district has collected $107 million since it was approved in 2015. That money has gone to complete 1,161 projects, according to the school district.
Manatee County
- What are they asking? Manatee County voters will decide whether to continue the 1 mill tax.
- How much? Property owners will continue to be taxed $1 for every $1,000 of property owned.
- How long? The property tax would be in place for another 4 years.
- What has it been used for in the past? Manatee County voters first approved a one mill tax in 2018. Some of the successes linked to the referendum include increased teacher pay, from $38,892 in 2017-2018 to $57,572 in 2023-2024. The district said student testing scores improved across the board since the property tax was put into place.
