State legislators holding final discussions on Hillsborough County transportation tax

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - After years of in-fighting, time is running out for legislators to decide how to spend nearly $600,000,000 collected from the now defunct Hillsborough Transportation Surtax. 

After the State Supreme Court eliminated the 1% tax, Hillsborough County leaders couldn't decide how and where to spend the over $570,000,000 they had collected in the two years that the tax was active. 

READ: Hillsborough commissioners approve plan for transportation tax money to send to Tallahassee

Final decisions on how to spend the money are now in the hands of state legislators, who are expected to have their final discussions on Tuesday. 

The spending plan is expected to be a part of the 2024/2025 Budget, but to observe the mandatory 72-hour "cooling period" before a final vote, state leaders need to wrap up talks by the end-of-day on Tuesday.

Here's the breakdown of the latest proposal for spending:

• $256,402,280 for resurfacing projects in Hillsborough County
• $170,934,853 for costs associated with processing tax refunds, including attorney's fees for plaintiffs who brought suits against the now-defunct tax
• $161,911,105 for another sales tax holiday

The legislative session will come to an end this Friday. The new fiscal year is scheduled to start July 1st.