Pinellas County voters on Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved an extension to its 1-cent sales tax, known as Penny for Pinellas.
According to the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, 83 percent of county voters agreed to continue supporting the tax that is designed to spend money on countywide projects and improvements in 24 municipalities.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said his city’s portion of the estimated $2 billion in revenue will make major improvements.
“For St. Pete that means $90 million we can invest into our sewer system, $15 million we can invest into affordable housing,” he said. “We planned on investing somewhere around 75 to 80 percent of the total penny into infrastructure, which is something we’ve never done before.”
Penny for Pinellas was first approved by voters in 1990. Tuesday’s vote means it will continue through 2030.
