Tampa Palms, Westchase, Carrollwood and Tampa Bay Real Estate News From Jeanne Prigitano

In this week’s blog post, I run the risk of alienating all my wonderful clients, family and friends. I know that I am supposed to remain somewhat neutral in order to appeal to the masses. I’m supposed to never talk politics, sports, or religion. Well, this week, I will be talking about 2 out of 3. Remember, you can comment on my post and I welcome different ideas and a lively discussion.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went to visit family and friends up North. We stayed in Connecticut but decided to take in a Yankee game. That’s the sports part. Yes, I am an avid Yankee fan and want to congratulate all the Ray’s fans on the Tampa Bay Ray’s division win. Anyway, we decided to take the train to Yankee Stadium. We parked at a commuter lot and boarded the train in Connecticut. What struck me was the number of people in Yankee gear along with people in business suits going to work. So, I guess you can see where this is going. I’m getting to the political part.

On our November ballot, you will be able to vote to increase our sales tax by 1% in order to fund transportation initiatives, including light rail, buses, and roads. I know that in this economy, any increase in taxes is horrible. I also know that we need much better transportation in the Tampa Bay area. When I lived in Connecticut, any housing near the commuter line was more expensive because it enabled people to take trains and busses to their jobs. I was a member of Leadership Tampa Bay’s Class of 2010. In all of our sessions a common thread in stimulating the economy by attracting businesses to the area and major events, was the need for better transportation. In studies that have been conducted, Tampa Bay area ranks very high in all areas except transportation. It has deterred businesses and individuals from relocating. If Tampa had better transportation, it would rank so much higher on the best places to live.

I don’t know if the 1% tax is the answer. Tampa Bay residents, who have lived here longer than I, say that they have seen our taxes increase before to support initiatives that never materialized. I just think that our transportation needs improvement. The high speed rail is coming. That’s a Federal program. What good is having high speed rail from Orlando and Miami to Tampa if you can’t get around Tampa once you are here.

Maybe there is a better way. Let’s start the discussion. Just get out and vote and be part of the solution. Today, October 4, is your last chance to register.