Orange County voters made it clear on Tuesday, November 8 that they were not in favor of a proposed once-cent “penny sales tax” that would have funded local transportation projects.
There is currently no dedicated funding source for Orange County transportation projects but if it had passed, the tax could have collected an estimated $600 million a year to fund transit projects, roads, safety measures, and new technology infrastructure related to transportation.
At the time of this post, roughly 58.5% of voters were not in favor of the tax moving forward.
“My friends, I am sad to report that the 1-penny sales surtax for transportation did not garner enough votes for passage. I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to get the measure on the ballot and those who hit the campaign trail. Despite this outcome, Orange County is and will always be a great place to live, work and play.”
– ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR JERRY DEMINGS
Mayor Demings tried back in 2019 to push the sales tax before benching the initiative due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Funding was earmarked to help add more buses to the LYNX fleet, expand SunRail and have it operate on the weekends, and increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
