Hillsborough looks at focusing taxes to fight blight
TAMPA — If you live in Brandon, the money you pay in property taxes each year can go to fill potholes in Westchase or toward part of the salary of a firefighter based in Apollo Beach.
Those tax dollars flow into a general pot and county commissioners decide where they’re needed most.
But in more than a half-dozen places in the city of Tampa, a portion of residents’ tax payments stays in their neighborhood. City officials decided at some point that those area, including Ybor City and Drew Park, deserved special attention to fight blight.
Hillsborough County commissioners are now considering a similar approach of retaining tax dollars in specific, struggling neighborhoods in the name of promoting economic development. The money could go toward widening or repaving roads, fixing flooding problems and making the selected places more attractive for people looking to build a home or business.