The Orange County Board of County Commissioners got an update from County staff on the status of the Orange County Transportation Initiative (take a shot every time we say “county” in this piece).
At the 2019 State of the County address, Mayor Demings announced that he would be pursuing a transportation sales tax referendum in November 2020. While the sales tax referendum still needs to go before the Board of County Commissioners for a vote, Orange County has launched a research and development phase for how those funds could be used if approved.
Orange County Mayor Demings launched a Transportation Initiative survey in January asking county residents to provide feedback on topics like commuting times, expanding public transit, and improving pedestrian and cyclist safety. Roughly 11,000 people took part in that survey with the following results:
Orange County needs…
- To improve and repair existing roads
- To improve the SunRail system
- To widen existing roads
- Build a Mass Transit System
Priorities addressed for Lynx by survey participants included:
- Service from home to work
- Service connecting to SunRail system
- Increase frequency
- More express service with fewer stops
- Service from home to airport
Priorities addressed for SunRail by survey participants included:
- Evening and weekend service
- Service from home to airport
- Service from home to work
- Longer service hours
- Increased frequency
If passed, the sales tax initiative is estimated to be able to generate $596 million annually, with 51 percent of that number being paid by tourists and non-residents. The tax would not apply to essential grocery items, prescription drugs, utilities, or medical supplies.
You can watch the presentation of the survey results to the Orange County Commission by clicking HERE.
