Registered voters in Seminole County will soon be asked to approve or disapprove an additional sales tax to fund operations at the county jail.

In its regular meeting held Monday morning, the Seminole County Board of County Commissioners approved an order calling for a special election concerning a quarter-cent sales tax for the jail.

There is already a half-cent sales tax (which will be reduced to a quarter-cent in 2026) in place for maintenance and operations at the jail, but according to Seminole County Sheriff Shannon Smith, it’s not enough.

“We’ve been in the new jail for about 10 years, and there’s no money left over to keep us going. We’ve done everything we can, but we’re running out of options,” Smith said. “We need some more tax revenue for maintenance and operations. When things like air conditioning systems go out, money goes pretty quickly.”

In 2006, voters approved a twenty-year, half-cent sales tax to build a new jail. The 30,000 squarefoot jail was constructed at a cost of approximately $9 million. Funds not used for construction were earmarked for operations, and at the end of 20 years, a quarter-cent tax will remain indefinitely for operations. The new tax, if approved, will be in addition to any pretaxes.

The election is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6. According to the state election board website, the last day to register to vote in the spe-cial election is March 12 and the deadline for requesting absentee ballots is March 30. Early voting is slated for April 1-2 at the Seminole County Courthouse.