About 60 percent of those surveyed support the property tax hike, which would pay to raise teacher salaries.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN
Published October 21, 2004
In early March, Pinellas school officials had serious doubts that a property tax referendum for education would succeed.
They feared the public wasn't ready, and there was little time to develop the prolonged campaign that many thought would be necessary. But they put aside their concerns and placed the measure on the Nov. 2 ballot.
More than seven months later, a consistent majority of Pinellas voters appears ready to approve it.
Nearly 60 percent say they "support" or "strongly support" the measure, according to a new poll commissioned by the Pinellas Realtor Organization, a 7,000-member group of Realtors, lawyers, title companies and other real estate professionals.
The poll shows little change from the group's August survey, which put support at just over 60 percent.
The referendum asks voters to increase property taxes by 50 cents for every $1,000 of taxable value. For a home valued at $150,000 with a $25,000 homestead exemption, the tax would cost an extra $62.50 a year, or $5.21 a month.
It would generate an estimated $26-million a year, $21-million of which would be used to bring teacher salaries closer to the national average.
One-third of Pinellas' 8,200 teachers earn less than $35,000 a year. Twenty-seven percent earn more than $50,000. The average salary of $41,000 is higher than many school districts in Florida but well below the national average of about $49,000.
Pinellas officials say they need to raise salaries to compete nationally for a limited pool of teachers.
The remaining $5-million a year in new tax money would be spent on art, music and reading programs and to add textbooks and technology. A citizens panel would oversee how the money is spent.
The Realtors' poll sampled 469 registered voters in Pinellas. Forty-two percent were Republicans, 35 percent were Democrats and 23 percent were members of other parties or had no affiliation. Fifty-two percent were men.
The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.52 percent. It was conducted Oct. 17 and 18 by Data Targeting Inc., a Gainesville firm.
The Realtor organization commissioned the poll as part of a stepped-up public affairs effort, said Mike Mayo, the group's director of strategic relations. However, the group is torn over the measure and will not take a stand, he said.
Members respect the role of teachers but are concerned about the rising cost of home ownership, Mayo said, citing insurance and interest rates that are sure to rise in the coming months.
Pollsters asked voters about the measure four times.
Two of the questions summarized the issue while a third contained the actual language on the ballot. Those three questions elicited supportive responses from 58 or 59 percent of those polled.
But voters seemed thrown by a fourth question that included an example of the tax's impact on a home valued at $172,500 - the median sale price of a single-family residence in Pinellas. For that home, the increase would come to about $74 a year.
The question also went a step further, mentioning that the owner of that home would pay $1,250 a year in property taxes "for schools alone."
When voters were read the question, support dropped to 47 percent.
Beth Rawlins, a parent of two children in public schools and a political consultant working on the referendum campaign, said a more representative home value might be the median taxable value for all homes, not just those recently sold.
That number was not immediately available Wednesday from the Pinellas Property Appraiser's office. The office said the average taxable value for a single family home is about $102,000.
The measure would add $38.50 to the tax bill of such a home.
Rawlins said she noticed that only 7 percent of voters were undecided when pollsters read them the ballot language. "Not only is it a very strong show of support," she said, "but almost everybody has weighed in. People have heard about the issue and have thought about it."
School Board chairwoman Jane Gallucci said voters have indicated to her that they see a connection between good schools, jobs and the county's quality of life.
"They really want a quality school system," she said, "and I've said for years that people would be willing to pay for it."
The poll also asked voters whose endorsements they heeded most in making election decisions.
On that score, 47 percent said they trusted the firefighters union - the highest rating of all groups listed. The teachers union and the American Association of Retired Persons followed with more than 40 percent support.
The St. Petersburg Times came in fourth with 38 percent.
