Citrus County backs away from November sales tax referendum

A Citrus County sales tax plan that seemed promising just five months ago is now dead in the water.

Commissioners agreed to drop the referendum this year after a poll showed questionable support for a 1% sales tax bump.

Commissioners said citizens have little interest in voting for a tax.

“My inbox is not being filled with people asking me to put this on the ballot,” Commissioner Jeff Kinnard said.

Citrus is the only Florida county without a voter-approved local sales tax. Collier’s tax sunset after reaching its goals.

The Board in October reached consensus to place a local-option sales tax referendum on the November ballot to raise money for road resurfacing. A report shows the county has a $700 million backlog in repaving county roads.

Kinnard, at that meeting, encouraged simplicity.

“My hope is we don’t overthink it,” he said then.

A 1% sales tax would bring in about $25 million annually. Officials say tourists would account for a quarter of the revenue.

Commissioners considered a four-year tax, allowing the county to establish a track record of success before asking voters for a longer commitment.

The consensus never made it to a formal vote. Commissioner Holly Davis steered the conversation into a different direction, bringing in the North Florida Land Trust to conduct a “greenprinting” study of Citrus County, followed by the Trust for Public Land conducting a poll to determine voter interest in a referendum.

The poll of 506 likely voters showed 51% support for a referendum that combined roads with land conservation. A referendum for roads alone scored lower.

Commissioners said the rising cost of gas, uncertainty over a property tax constitutional amendment on the ballot, and a question of public trust suggest the timing isn’t right.

“My feeling is this is great data,” Davis said. “If we weren’t seeing all these price spikes the last few weeks, we’d be ready to push forward.”

Commissioner Janet Barek continued to urge a referendum for residential road resurfacing, rather than waiting until 2028 or beyond.

“There has to be a point where we give it to the voters. If they say no, fine,” Barek said. “We need the roads fixed. Our roads need to be done. If it fails, it fails. We need to give the citizens an opportunity to say yes.”