Joe Henderson: Tampa transportation group makes petition push

Florida lawmakers seem to be convinced that any problem where the solution is a tax increase is a problem worth ignoring.

According to WalletHub, Florida is the ninth-lowest state for taxes. Since we rank third-highest in population, that means something has to give. Actually, a lot of things have been cast aside as either unimportant (Medicaid expansion, for instance), or at least underfunded (public education).

But few things are more glaring than Florida’s inadequate transportation system, and in Tampa, that problem is bad and getting worse. A 2016 study showed Tampa drivers spent more than 27 hours stuck in traffic that year, with a loss of $923 per driver.

That ranked 31st in the U.S. for worst congestion.

With projections that show about 600,000 new residents expected in Hillsborough County alone in the next 30 years, doing nothing is not an option.

That explains why we could be in for a showdown between an acute need for a better way to move people around, and the dug-in heels who have never met a tax they believe is worth paying.

A Hillsborough citizens group called All for Transportation has been out for several weeks trying to gain enough certified signatures on a petition to put a one-cent sales tax hike on the ballot this November. They need more than 48,000 signatures by July 27, and as now they are well short.

William March of the Tampa Bay Times reported Sunday that as of late last week, just 8,437 petitions were turned in to the Supervisor of Elections office — although Committee Chairman Tyler Hudson they have more than 12,000 others they haven’t yet submitted.

Hudson estimates the tax would generate $280 million next year, which would be divided among the Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit for more buses, and the city, county, Temple Terrace and Plant City for various transportation needs — things like road and bridge repairs, sidewalks, and so on.

There is so far no mention of rail.

Opponents have proved adept at beating these kinds of initiatives. A 2010 referendum that included light rail was trounced, and in 2016 the Republican-controlled County Commission wouldn’t even let a proposal called Go Hillsborough on the ballot.

Hudson’s initiative, backed by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, would be an end-run around the Commission by allowing voters to make this part of the county’s charter.

It won’t be easy.

Hillsborough public schools have also floated the idea of going after a sales-tax referendum to help pay for more than $1 billion in current capital needs along with the need to build more schools and hire more teachers to keep up.

School funding, of course, will be a major campaign issue this fall in the Governor’s race, so it’s possible for school officials to hope/pray that they get some relief from Tallahassee after years of being a political chew toy.

A new $892 million stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays will not be a major election issue, but the team has already made it clear that it will not pay anywhere close to the full cost of the project.

Backers will concentrate on cobbling enough tourist tax and other outside revenue streams that don’t hit local residents, but you know how that goes. Hearing the word “tax” too many times, no matter the source, can have a negative impact on convincing locals to dig deeper.

But there is a reason to believe local commuters have enough of gridlock and don’t see a way to improve their lives by simply building more roads. That’s the best thing this potential referendum has going.

First, though, they have to round up about 28,000 more signatures in a short amount of time. You’ll probably see volunteers out around the area — assuming they can get through the traffic to their destinations.