The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, South Tampa Chamber of Commerce and the Tampa Downtown Partnership said in news releases Thursday that they support the proposed countywide sales tax hike for transportation projects.

Organizers of the campaign, the group All for Transportation, submitted enough petitions to land the measure on the Hillsborough County ballot Nov. 6.

Voters will decide whether to approve a charter amendment raising the sales tax by one penny, from seven cents on the dollar to eight cents, for a 30-year period beginning in 2019. The tax would pay for road projects, improved bus service and some form of mass transit.

Here are excerpts from the business groups news releases:

Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce:

“Business leaders in the community see this transportation tax referendum as the first step in the right direction towards finding transportation solutions in a city that has had its fair share of growing pains when it comes to finding public transit options in Tampa.”

South Tampa Chamber of Commerce:

“We believe that this is the best proposal to date to provide much needed, long-term funding for multimodal transportation options, including expanding our county bus system, but also providing opportunities to increase the safety of streets in our neighborhoods.”

Tampa Downtown Partnership:

“Increased investment on transportation initiatives helps support the live, work, play, and learn environment the Partnership works so diligently to foster… ‘All for Transportation’ is a long-term investment that provides the funding, planning and implementation strategy to take aggressive and responsible action on transportation issues that will improve the quality of life in our community.”

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