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Politics

State officials split on Penny

By WILL VAN SANT
Published March 10, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT Special Report: Penny for Pinellas A question of cost vs. benefit State officials split on Penny Two sides of the Penny tax Resources: What is Penny for Pinellas? Past and future projects Pinellas County Web site The financial underpinning of Bayside Bridge was voter approval of the Penny for Pinellas tax in 1989. [Times photo: Skip O'Rourke] [Times photo: Douglass Clifford] Women inmates housed in 2C4, Central Division, gather for lunch in their pod at the Pinellas County Jail in November. If it passes, about $225-million of expected Penny revenue will be earmarked for jail expansion and court improvements. [Times file photo (2004)] A cyclist rides on an overpass that crosses the intersection of Tyrone and Bay Pines boulevards. The tax has been used to expand the trail. If approved, it will continue to fund improvements. [Times photo: Willie J. Allen Jr.] The county wants to spend about $7-million in future Penny funds for camping upgrades, improvements to the fort structure, dune walkovers and various facility renovations and improvements at Fort De Soto.

The Penny for Pinellas sales tax has taken a beating in the past week. The area's top Catholic leader has implied he'll vote "no" Tuesday when the electorate decides whether to extend the 1-cent per dollar tax from 2010 to 2020; Gov. Charlie Crist, a Pinellas voter, also bashed the tax.

Pinellas County and city officials are expected to vote for the tax extension, which would generate up to $2-billion over the decade for infrastructure needs. But what about Pinellas' other elected leaders, the 10 state legislators registered to vote in the county?

According to a St. Petersburg Times survey, the Penny wins among them. Here's a breakdown:

- Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin: No. "I've gotten so many calls from people about taxes. We've had this for 20 years, and we've done a lot of good things. But I think it's time we took a break."

- Rep. Jim Frishe, R-St. Petersburg: No. "People are not happy, and taxes have gotten out of hand. You cannot tell me they don't have adequate resources given the increase in property taxes we have seen."

- Rep. Bill Heller, D-St. Petersburg: Yes. "If you look around and see what it has done for the county, whether it's parks or roads, it provides an awful lot of resources. A lot of what we have wouldn't be possible without the Penny."

- Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater: Yes, he cast his ballot in early voting. "I believe it's an extraordinary bang for the buck. All you have to do is read a list of everything that has been built by the Penny. It's amazing."

- Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg: Yes. "There are too many needs from an infrastructure standpoint. ... If the funding didn't come from the Penny, it would come from somewhere else."

- Rep. Janet Long, D-Seminole: Undecided. She is wary of supporting the Penny and adding to the sales tax burden if the Legislature increases it and does away with property tax. "It certainly isn't my style to be evasive. It's just that there is so much here that's undecided."

- Rep. Peter Nehr, R-Tarpon Springs: Yes. "I personally think it has been used to fund good local projects."

- Rep. Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg: Yes. "It has done so much good over the years. We want to continue that momentum."

- Sen. Dennis Jones, R-Seminole: Yes, has already voted by absentee ballot. "I have always thought it was a good way to enhance some of the amenities of our county. And unlike most other taxes, all of it that's collected stays in the county."

- Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg: Leaning yes. "The Penny has been spent on many good projects. So I'm inclined to support it."

[Last modified March 10, 2007, 01:51:14]