Three county questions and three amendments on Riverview's Nov. 3 ballot

Editorial graphic by Riverview Community Website. Illustrative blurred community background: Wesley Chapel, Florida (August 2024), LittleT889 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo source · License

Riverview voters face six questions on the Nov. 3 general election ballot: three Hillsborough County referendums and three proposed changes to the Florida Constitution. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and the deadline to register for this election is Oct. 5, according to the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

The margin needed differs by question. The Osprey Observer's ballot explainer notes the three statewide amendments require at least 60 percent approval, while the county questions pass with a simple majority.

Referendum 3: continuing the half-cent school tax

The question with the most direct effect on school buildings is Referendum 3. Voters approved a half-cent school capital outlay surtax in 2018, and it is scheduled to expire in 2028. Referendum 3 asks whether to continue it for a 10-year levy beginning Jan. 1, 2029 — not create a new tax or change the rate. Ballot language says the money funds air conditioning replacement and repairs, capital improvements and construction of schools, security enhancements and other maintenance.

The Half-Penny Promise campaign supporting renewal estimates the surtax costs about $86 per household a year, or under $8 a month, with groceries and prescription drugs exempt and large purchases taxed only on the first $5,000. The campaign also says the tax has collected $1.5 billion since 2019, funded more than 1,088 completed projects with at least $500,000 spent at every school, and has 205-plus projects still to finish before the end of 2028.

According to the campaign, collections are tracked by a six-member Citizen Oversight Committee made up of citizens with no district affiliation and no financial stake in funded projects, and referendum finances are independently audited and publicly reported.

Residents who want to ask questions directly have one scheduled session left: a virtual town hall on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 6 to 7 p.m. over Microsoft Teams. Earlier in-person sessions included Newsome High School on Sept. 22, Gaither High on Sept. 29 and Hillsborough High on Oct. 1.

The other two county questions

Referendum 1 would change how the school district is led. The School Board now hires the superintendent who runs the district; a yes vote would instead fill the job in a partisan election, with candidates running as Republicans, Democrats or other parties. The first such election would be in November 2028, for a four-year term.

Referendum 2 would reshape who represents fast-growing south county at the commission table. Of the seven commissioners now serving, four are elected by voters in their own districts and three are elected countywide. A yes vote would expand the board to nine members, rising to 11 once the county's population reaches 2.5 million, and every seat would be chosen only by voters living in that district, ending countywide seats.

The statewide amendments

Amendment 3 is the broadest for homeowners. It would raise the homestead exemption to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028, then index it to inflation; the larger exemption applies to city, county and other local taxes but not school taxes. It would also lower the annual cap on taxable-value increases for rental homes, second homes and business property from 10 percent to 5 percent.

Amendment 1 would raise the cap on the state's Budget Stabilization Fund from 10 percent of general tax collections to 25 percent. Amendment 2 would bar counties from taxing qualifying equipment and personal property kept on farmland, such as tractors and machinery, beginning with the 2027 tax year.

How to vote

Vote-by-mail requests must be submitted by 5 p.m. Oct. 22, and voted mail ballots must reach the elections office no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day. The office says 27 early voting sites will be open for two weeks. Personalized sample ballots and Election Day precinct assignments are available through the Voter Information Lookup at votehillsborough.gov.