Leon County Schools has collected nearly $347 million from its half-cent sales tax since the 2012-13 fiscal year, and in November voters will decide whether to keep it in place.
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Leon County weighs future of half-cent sales tax that funded $347M in school upgrades
ABC 27 looked at what that money has helped pay for and what could come next.
Rickards High School now has 42 new classrooms and a courtyard. Student Taryn Samuel says those improvements mean more than just new buildings and green grass.
“As a Title I school, we often lack the resources and the financial means necessary to support our organizations, and I believe that the additions to both our classrooms and the courtyard cannot only support our teachers and our students, but also our clubs,” Samuel said.
Rickards isn’t the only school seeing improvements. Griffin Middle School has a new cafeteria completed in 2025 and a new gym currently under construction. At Nims Middle School, the cafeteria and gym have both gotten a refresh.
The district says these projects are among those made possible through its half-cent sales tax.
The money has added up. Financial records provided to ABC 27 show the district collected about $17 million during the 2012-13 fiscal year. That grew to more than $31 million in the most recently completed fiscal year. Altogether, the district reports nearly $347 million in revenue since 2012-13.
“Investing in our schools is everything; I mean being able to walk into a brand new classroom as opposed to one that’s been up for 20 or 30 years. Makes the biggest difference,” said Candace Gautney, assistant principal at Rickards High School.
Now the district wants voters to continue that funding. One of the biggest projects on its wish list is a complete rebuild of Raa Middle School, but that project depends on voters approving the tax continuation. The money would also help pay for other school improvements across Leon County.
“It’s especially important to have larger spaces to learn and study with our peers that not only helps our students by our teachers as well,” Samuel said.
The half-cent sales tax is already in place, so a yes vote would extend it for another 15 years. A no vote would allow the current tax to expire at the end of 2027.
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