Polk County voters will be asked to approve a 1-cent hike in the sales tax on the November ballot.
The money would be used to pay for road construction and maintenance, along with upgrades to county mass transit services.
That would include more bus routes to places, including Disney Word and the Orlando and Tampa airports, Moffitt Cancer Center and the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital.
Government leaders have promised to cut transportation-related property taxes if the sales tax is increased. The sales tax would bring in more than $60 million a year.
"We need to meet our needs," said Gene Engle with Friends of My Ride and My Roads, a political action committee set up to promote the sales tax hike. Engle said the money is needed to keep up with transportation needs.
He also believes a sales tax is a better way to spread the tax burden more evenly and include tourists.
"Then, also, 20 percent of the tax is paid for by our visitors that come into Polk County," he said.
Florida Retail Federation Chairman Sandy Fortin contends Polk County doesn't need the extra money. He also believes lower-income resident will be hit hard by the sales tax because they pay little or no property taxes.
"People that can least afford a tax increase are people that really don't own property."
If approved, the sales tax would last for 12 years.