Let’s call this “penny” sales tax what it really is—a one percent sales tax. A penny sounds like small change, but stretched over 20 years? The folks behind this tax want us to believe it’s just a drop in the bucket, but it’s a bucket that’s been leaking for years.
Our schools are falling apart – literally. Air conditioning? Some of our schools can barely keep the lights on, let alone cool the classrooms.
Zero dollars in public school impact fees for 15 years — are you kidding me? Some of our school buildings can’t even keep the air conditioning running, and many elementary schools don’t even have playgrounds! Where’s the outrage over that?
Have you driven on our roads lately? Potholes galore, and when they do fill them, it looks like someone just threw in a handful of gravel and called it a day. The medians? They get mowed so infrequently that they’re ing to look more like jungles than lawns. Is this what we’re supposed to be paying for?
With all the new houses going up, there should be plenty of revenue. We should have some of the nicest roads and schools in the entire state of Florida. What has happened here is a travesty.
So here’s my advice: don’t be fooled by the penny pitch. Vote NO on this sales tax, and let’s stop footing the bill for developers who’ve been making bank while our county falls apart.
Marge Thompson
Fed Up in Ocala
