ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A proposal to extend St. Lucie County's existing half-cent infrastructure sales tax may not appear on the November ballot after county commissioners deadlocked on whether to move forward, delaying a final decision until just one day before the filing deadline.
The county currently collects a half-cent infrastructure sales tax that voters approved in 2018. The tax remains in effect through 2028 and has funded dozens of infrastructure projects across the county over the past eight years.
County leaders had hoped to ask voters to renew the tax before it expires to avoid any gap between the current surtax ending and a new one taking effect. If commissioners choose not to pursue a 2026 referendum, the next opportunity would be the November 2028 election.
Deputy County Administrator Mayte Santamaria said that option would require the county to reverse course on its current plan.
"If you choose to extend that to the November 2028 date, we would go through the actions of rescinding this ordinance and then adopting the next appropriate ordinance for that new date. Again, if you choose to go to the November 2028 date, it's one month before the lapse of the existing infrastructure sales tax," she said.
Supporters of keeping the measure on this year's ballot also pointed to uncertainty over future state policy.
County Communications Manager Erick Gill said local officials are concerned that future legislative action or a new governor could affect the availability of local infrastructure sales taxes.
"One of the concerns that was brought up about waiting is we don't know what the state legislature might do next year and whether or not infrastructure sales taxes will be allowed. There's some people running for governor who want to do away with local sales tax options," he said. "So again, it's an unknown, and I think that's kind of the reason the city wanted to continue the path forward with keeping it on the ballot this year."
Not all commissioners opposed the surtax itself. Instead, some questioned whether this year's election is the right time to ask voters to approve a tax measure.
Commissioner James Clasby said placing the referendum on the same ballot as a proposed property tax amendment could hurt its chances.
"I don't want it on the 2026 ballot because there's Amendment Three on it. There's the school board. I don't care what their survey sample size of 400 people said," he said. "I don't think it's a smart idea to put a tax on a ballot where people are being asked to basically eliminate taxes."
Commissioner Erin Lowry echoed those concerns, saying many voters may not distinguish between a continuation of an existing tax and a new one.
"Tax just has a negative feeling no matter what it is. And I don't feel like enough people understand that it's a continuation and not a new tax. And residents are hurting and they're going to see the word tax and they're going to vote against it," she said.
Commissioners Cathy Townsend and Jamie Fowler took the opposite position, arguing that waiting carries its own risks.
Fowler said recent legislative changes demonstrate how quickly local governments can lose authority over issues they previously controlled.
"We saw how in one legislative session, in a blink of an eye, we can't change our comprehensive plan and our land development code. So there's nothing stopping one legislative session from us not being able to do something with our sales tax," she said.
With Commissioner Larry Leet absent, the remaining four commissioners split evenly on the issue, preventing the measure from advancing.
The commission is expected to revisit the proposal at its Aug. 4 meeting, one day before the deadline to submit the measure to the supervisor of elections for the November ballot.