Orange County mayor continues to prioritize transportation safety despite sales tax hike rejection
Orange County's mayor says transportation safety and improvements will continue to be a priority despite commissioners having voted against a sales tax hike to help pay for those enhancements.
It would have pumped $20 billion into solving traffic and transportation needs for the next two decades, improving motorist and pedestrian safety, extending SunRail tracks and operating hours, and adding more buses and routes for Lynx riders.
But seeing little support and running out of time, Mayor Jerry Demings called for a vote last week to remove it from consideration.
However, the mayor says he's not giving up hope of putting the measure on the ballot in 2026, his last year in office.
"Well, there's no good time to tell people that you are going to have to pay more taxes or more taxes are needed," said Demings. "And at some point, our community will have the tolerance to say, 'Hey, we're going to have to pony up some additional dollars in order to have the kind of desired results that we are looking for.'"
Until then, Demings points to an interim plan called the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program.
Over the next five years, the county will spend $100 million on 246 projects, with $45 million going to Lynx.
The other $55 million will be divided this way: $25 million for sidewalks, $15 million for traffic calming, and $15 million for lighting.
You can go online to the county website and click on the map or district by district to track the progress of construction projects in your neighborhoods.
Commissioners have already approved spending $4.3 million to replace or add 264 new shelters for Lynx bus stops.
Traffic calming devices will include the addition of roundabouts and speed bumps in some neighborhoods where cut-through traffic is endangering pedestrians and bicyclists.
Money for the accelerated transportation safety program will come from general revenues, boosted by taxes paid on increased property values.
To access the Accelerated Transportation safety program projects, click here.