ORLANDO, Fla. — Another campaign for the proposed penny sales tax hike has kicked off. In 2022, Orange County voters rejected that idea.

It was meant to help pay for transportation improvements throughout the county. Now, Orange County Major Jerry Demings is taking the issue to the public once again. 

There’s still a lot of work to be done and that is why the county is engaging with the community, so they can see what’s next. 

Orange County leaders say over the years they have gathered 19,000 transportation surveys and have had around 300 community engagement meetings. 

According to the last survey completed in 2022, challenges the county still faces include traffic congestion, transit needs, and bicycle and pedestrian safety. 

Those issues resonated with some of the people at Wednesday night’s meeting. 

“It makes me feel like we’re being heard as citizens and I’m optimistic about the future,” Orange County resident Kevin Joralemon said. 

Last year, Orange County and LYNX collaborated to create The Accelerated Transportation Safety Program. It is meant to use the current sales tax to fund transportation projects in the county. 

As they make headway, the county does not want to fall behind. 

Just this week, LYNX has proposed an operational plan to enhance route frequency, cut down on wait times, and increase bus shelters. 

In terms of SunRail, Demings sees potential expansion as an opportunity for growth. 

“Our plan is to expand SunRail east and west, not just north and south but also to expand the frequency, the hours of operation, and the days of operation,” Demings said. 

While there was a lot of support for these transportation projects, voters still defeated it the last time it was on the ballot. 

Demings hopes to build more support through these community meetings. 

There’s a handful of these transportation meetings left, the next one is set for April 1.

If residents can’t make it to any of the meetings, the county has a survey they can fill out.