St. Lucie County officials are preparing to ask voters this fall whether to extend the county’s half-cent sales tax, a funding source that has supported dozens of local infrastructure projects over the past eight years.
“We are finalizing the language of the ballot measure. The goal was to have it placed on the ballot in November,” said Erick Gill, the county’s communications director.
The current half-cent sales tax was approved by voters in 2018 for a 10-year term and is set to expire in 2028. County leaders say moving now allows time to avoid any interruption in funding for ongoing and future projects.
“Currently we have a 10-year half-cent sales tax that was approved by 56% of the voters in 2018. That doesn't expire until 2028. The idea is we'll get on the ballot early and then that way there's no gap in services or collections of revenue to make sure we can tackle these infrastructure projects,” Gill said.
County officials emphasized that the proposal would not raise the tax rate but would instead continue the existing levy.
“This would just be an extension of the existing half-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2018. So we're not asking voters to pay any more than what they've already been paying for the last eight years or seven and a half,” Gill said. “You also look at the surrounding counties. Everybody's already at 7%. It isn't like we're driving sales to our neighboring counties because our sales tax is higher.”
Since the tax took effect, the county and its municipalities have completed more than 40 projects, with about 20 more underway. Gill pointed to road improvements and stormwater infrastructure as examples of how the money has been used.
“We've done resurfacing in Prima Vista. We have added several stormwater retention areas. There's one on Melville Avenue. There's one in Citrus Avenue,” he said. “And a lot of those really, even though they're stormwater, they tie back into the roads and ultimately public safety.”
Revenue from the tax has exceeded early expectations. Initial projections estimated about $9 million a year, but collections have averaged closer to $12 million annually, Gill said.
“It's really been closer to about $12 million we have generated in the annual sales tax,” he said. “On top of that, we're able to leverage those dollars with state and federal grants and almost get a three-to-one return.”
Over the next decade, Gill said, total revenue from the tax is expected to reach about $31.8 million for the county and its cities combined.
“That breaks down to about $15.4 million for the Board of County Commissioners, $13.6 million for the City of Port St. Lucie, $2.8 million for Fort Pierce, and about $3,600 for St. Lucie Village,” he said.
Officials also note that a portion of the revenue comes from visitors and nonresidents, helping reduce reliance on property taxes.
“Roughly 20 percent of that revenue comes from non-county residents,” Gill said. “Maybe snowbirds here for a few months. It may be just somebody driving up through Miami that stops on their way to Orlando and spends money at one of our retail stores.”
Even as the county looks ahead to a possible extension, projects will continue under the current tax for the next two years. Among the areas being discussed for future funding are improvements to Glades Cut-Off Road and Walton Road.
“Looking ahead in the future, again, that list is still being finalized, but Glades Cut-Off is certainly one that we realize needs some improvement,” Gill said. “There was discussion Jan. 14 at the joint meeting between our board and the City of PSL about trying to use half-cent sales tax for Walton Road improvements.”
With rapid growth continuing across the county, Gill said the tax remains a key tool for keeping pace with infrastructure demands.
“This infrastructure sales tax creates revenue for us to play, catch up, and hopefully get ahead of the curve on that growth,” he said.