One-mill school tax renewal is on Pasco's Nov. 3 ballot, and mail ballots are already out

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Pasco County homeowners have a property tax question waiting on their Nov. 3 ballot: whether to renew up to one mill in school operating tax first approved in 2022. The School Board of Pasco County describes it as the same millage, not an additional one, and under state law a renewal can run only four years before voters have to weigh in again.

Ballots are already circulating. The Supervisor of Elections office mailed more than 47,000 vote-by-mail ballots on Sept. 24, and by Oct. 1 said it had mailed more than 51,000, with new requests processed daily.

Key dates for the Nov. 3 Pasco election

1. Sept. 24, 2026

   Over 47,000 vote-by-mail ballots mailed for the Nov. 3 general election

2. Oct. 19–31, 2026

   Early voting at twelve Pasco sites, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

3. Oct. 22, 2026

   5 p.m. deadline to request a ballot by mail

4. Nov. 3, 2026

   Voted mail ballots due at the elections office by 7 p.m. Election Day

Source: pascovotes.gov; pascovotes.gov; pascovotes.gov

What the mill costs and what it pays for

One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed value, so the district's own example puts a home assessed at $200,000 at roughly $200 a year. Because this is a renewal of an existing levy, the district says homeowners whose assessed value does not change would see no increase. The tax falls only on property owners; renters do not pay it directly.

According to the district's referendum FAQ, the levy currently generates about $60 million a year to supplement eligible employee salaries, with a smaller share for school safety, including additional personnel to support schools and respond to threats. The district states that without the money, employees would see an approximate 12% salary reduction it says cannot be replaced from other funding sources.

The district also draws a line between this measure and Penny for Pasco, the sales tax that pays for building and renovating schools: by law those dollars cannot go to teacher salaries, school resource officers or safety personnel. Referendum dollars are tracked separately, and a Salary Referendum Oversight Committee created in 2022 reviews allowable spending and reports annually to the board.

How and where to cast the ballot

A completed mail ballot can be dropped off at any early voting site, but it cannot be handed in at a polling place on Election Day.

Any Pasco voter may use any of the twelve early voting sites, and photo and signature identification is required. The two Land O' Lakes locations used for the August primary were the Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex on Collier Parkway and the Pasco County Utilities Administration Building on Central Boulevard; the elections office posts the current list and live wait times at PascoVotes.gov/EV_WaitTimes. The office has noted the Hudson and Regency Park libraries are not being used as early voting sites in 2026.

Turnout figures are posted on the elections office website and updated every ten minutes, and from Oct. 19 the count will include early voters as well as returned mail ballots.