"The Florida Legislature adjourned Sine Die today as lawmakers concluded their business in the 2024 Legislative Session, voting on the budget and a few legislative items. The $117.5 billion budget funds a variety of state programs, including areas of education, healthcare, economic development and more. We are also pleased to see a number of Tampa Bay Chamber-supported bills pass the finish line this session, including the legislation component of the Live Healthy initiative, the creation of the GATE Program and policy changes to reduce the burden on Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
The budget also determined the fate of the 2018 Hillsborough County transportation sales tax referendum funds that your Tampa Bay Chamber has been fighting to be returned.
The Florida Legislature appropriated $256 million to be set aside for transportation projects. That's less than half of the available funds collected. Another $171 million would pay out attorney fees related to the referendum lawsuit and assist in the refund of those dollars to those with valid refund claims. Lastly, $162 million would be used for a sales tax holiday to redistribute taxpayer money to residents and non-residents alike who purchase a taxable item during the holiday.
The Tampa Bay Chamber appreciates the efforts of those who fought for the return of your transportation dollars, advocates both in the Florida Legislature and among our membership. While we are thankful for the return of more than $256 million of those funds for the purpose of transportation projects, the decision to appropriate more than $330 million for a sales tax holiday and attorneys fees to benefit lawyers who fought against the will of Hillsborough taxpayers is an absolute disappointment."
Bob Rohrlack, President & CEO, Tampa Bay Chamber