Orange County (Florida) district seeks renewal of sales tax that would bring in billions for facility upgrades
A half-cent sales tax that helps pay for billions of dollars in facility improvements in the Orange County (Florida) School District is up for a 10-year renewal next month.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the tax brings in about $350 million a year to support a capital improvement program that has renovated 136 old schools and built 65 new ones since it began more than 20 years ago.
Unless voters renew the tax on Nov. 5, it will expire at the end of 2025. The district says that if voters do not approve, the district’s construction budget would be about $4 billion short in the next 10 years.
Voters have approved the tax twice before. In 2014, about 64% of voters voted for it and in 2002, more than 59% supported it.
Half of the revenue generated from the half-cent tax is paid by tourists and visitors, officials say.
The sales tax pays for more than 45% of the Orange County district’s capital funding; local property taxes cover about 42%, and impact fees paid by developers of new homes providing about 10%, according to the district’s 2023-24 budget.
Since the tax was imposed in 2002, the average age of a school building in the district has decreased from 33 to 13 years. The tax also has made it possible for the district to reduce its reliance on portable classrooms. Orange County Public Schools used about 1,200 portable classrooms in 2023 compared with about 3,600 in 2002.
About the Author
Mike Kennedy
Senior Editor
Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.