Though the primary election is weeks away – the end of August – Port St. Lucie city leaders are warily eying November’s general. And not because there is a seat on the council that voters will decide. Instead, their concern lies in the proposed half-cent sales tax on the ballot.
If approved, and which council members have personally said they support, the half-cent sales tax would generate millions of dollars in revenue for the City of Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, the City of Fort Pierce and St. Lucie Village.
Estimated revenue over the 10-year period is $217 million countywide. By the end of 10 years, Port St. Lucie would collect $88 million while the county would receive $108 million. Fort Pierce would get $21 million and St. Lucie Village would get $300,000.
If it doesn’t get the voters’ approval, however, long-sought improvement projects will remain just that – long-sought.
“It is a very fine line,” said Interim City Attorney Jim Stokes, referencing the City Council’s role to educate the public, but not to advocate for or against ballot measures.
His office has been involved in creating published materials and other informational items, ensuring the city stays on the right side of that line.
Mayor Gregory Oravec said during a meeting last month that elected officials are allowed their private speech and can advocate individually, but not on behalf of the city or with the city’s money.
“The plan is critical,” he said of making sure the word gets out. “And we’re running out of time.”
City officials plan to meet with various homeowners associations and other organizations to discuss the ballot referendum and address their questions. But scheduling those meetings has proven challenging as many HOAs are home to seasonal residents.
“If we were playing golf, we’d say, ‘we’re running out of holes to get that score (down),’” said Councilman John Carvelli.
The City of Port St. Lucie has ponied up $40,000 from its general fund budget to help cover the costs associated with educational materials – a city website, www.pslhalfcent.com, brochures and hand-outs, to name a few.
In all, $100,000 countywide has been budgeted for the educational campaign, with Fort Pierce and the county splitting the remaining $60,000 cost.
Currently, the sales tax rate in St. Lucie County is 6.5 percent. If the referendum were to pass, the rate would go to 7 percent – matching that of neighboring counties.
The sales tax would be assessed on purchases up to $5,000.
A government-appointed citizen board would be tasked with overseeing the half-cent revenues, ensuring that the proceeds would be used for identified projects.
Such projects include building sidewalks along neighborhood streets, rebuilding roads and improving traffic flow on other roadways.
To that end, St. Lucie West could benefit greatly from the sales tax increase. Plans call for widening California Boulevard between St. Lucie West Boulevard and Del Rio Boulevard.
Southbound right turn and thru lanes could be added to the intersection at Bayshore Boulevard. And other improvements could be made to the intersections at Peacock Boulevard, at California, and at Cashmere.