The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s REMI model was incorporated into this study to estimate the benefits that would result from implementing the transportation projects made available through an increase in the sales tax. Today and into the future, the economic health of Hillsborough County and its ability to remain competitive in the globalized economy depends on the efficient transport of people and goods. Two investment scenarios were considered for this analysis: a “With Sales Tax” scenario and a “Without Sales Tax” scenario. It was found that the “With Sales Tax” approach results in higher job creation totals and gross product impacts than the “Without Sales Tax” approach while the “With Sales Tax” scenario also was better able to accommodate the speed of economic growth with lower levels of congestion.
