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Two Florida counties said yes to tax initiatives this past week. The votes came at a time new poll numbers show Amendment 5, the tax swap amendment, could be in trouble if it gets back on the ballot. As Mike Vasilinda tells us, the question about taxes comes down to what voters know.

Voters in rural Gadsden County on Tuesday approved a half cent sales tax increase. The cash will fund a hospital. Amos Brown was one of the nearly 7 thosuand people who said yes.

“Well, we need a local hospital because right now it’s very inconvenient for us to travel all the way to Tallahassee,” Brown said.

It’s not just little places like Quincy Florida where people are saying yes to a tax increase. Voters in huge Miami Dade on Tuesday also said yes.

Nearly 9 out of ten voters in Miami Dade also said yes to keeping a half mil on their property taxes to fund child care issues. Florida Taxwatch says it’s all about accountability.

“Government officials made the case, we want this money to go to this specific purpose and the tax payers responded accordingly,” Harvey Bennet with Tax Watch said. “It’s really power to the tax payers.”

Next week, the Florida Supreme Court will hear an appeal on Amendment 5, the amendment swaps school property taxes for higher sales taxes and other unknown assessments. The amendment was thrown off the ballot for being vague. Even if it gets back before voters, a new poll suggests it could have a hard time passing. One reason is voters like Selena Jenkins.

“I’m against that,” Jenkins said. “I don’t think we need to cut our education. Anywhere.”

Ironically Selena voted no on the Gadsden half cent sales tax, but she is not so hungry for a tax cut that she’s willing to risk funding for schools.