Mass Transit Tax Tough Sell for Retirees

Panelists for - at left - and against the mass transit initiative at Sun City Center

It's been called one of the most important ballot issues to be placed before Hillsborough County voters in years. A one-cent sales tax would revamp the mass transit system, double the number of buses and create the region's first light rail line. But backers may have a tough time selling it to the public.

If the sales tax has a chance of passing, voters like the retirees of Sun City Center will first have to be persuaded it's worth it.

"This place has got a 65 and older age restriction. So they're not going to be around. But they're being asked to pay for it, just as if they were 25 and lived in Tampa," said Tom Kaye, was one of about 60 people who showed up for a recent debate on the mass transit referendum.

For backers of the sales tax, it was like a journey into the lion's den - they're advocating another tax on people living on a fixed income.

"Right now, if I wanted to go to Tampa and not drive, it takes me three hours on the bus," said Kaye. "So unless somebody sits down and explains how these systems are going to work and how efficient they're going to be for me, and the local people here, it doesn't make a lot of sense."

Backers of the plan ticked off a list of new bus routes and road improvements in the South County. County Commissioner Kevin Beckner directly appealed to the retirees - even mentioning new golf cart lanes that would be built.

"This isn't about you, this isn't about me, this is about we," said Beckner. "This is about building a Hillsborough County for the future that we all could be proud of. Not just today, but for our kids, our grandkids, and for generations to come."

Chalk up Jim Hosler in the "not convinced" category.

"Stick your head outside and smell the Great Recession," he said. "Is this a good time to raise sales taxes for anybody?"

The planner is running for Hillsborough County Commission, and took the "anti" position at the Sun City Center forum. Hosler calls rail an outdated technology, and says the future belongs to energy-efficient cars and buses. He also sums up part of his opposition with one line:

"Do you trust county government with this money forever?" he asked.

At least one retiree essentially said "yes" to that question. Joy Gasser says she's not "in love" with the plan, but the cost of doing nothing is higher.

"They're not looking at how much it costs us to continue to maintain highways," she said. "They ask the question, "is ridership going to pay for this?" No transportation system has ever paid for itself or ever will, OK?"

Kaye grew up riding the rails in his native England. So you'd think he'd be the perfect target audience. But, not so fast...

"There's a lot of rail services in the world that are self-supporting," he said. "We automatically assume that the riders are not going to pay for it. - you're going to pay for it. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

After the forum, Carol Ramsey of the Kings Point subdivision said she still hasn't made up her mind.

"I feel much better informed, and I don't know if my opinion was changed," said Ramsey. "But I have a lot more information to work with to make a decision about how I'll vote."

But she's running out of time. Election Day is less than a month away.