Brevard County commissioners voted 4-3 against increasing the half-cent Save Our Indian River Lagoon sales tax by another half-cent on Feb. 24, 2026. The rejected proposal would have generated an estimated $24 million annually for road repairs, drainage maintenance, and culvert inspections. Without new revenue, the county faces cuts to basic infrastructure upkeep, including cleaning the 20,000 culverts and ditches across the county. Commissioner Kim Adkinson, who opposed the measure, warned that attaching the existing lagoon funding to an infrastructure increase could jeopardize the tax altogether. 'I don't understand why we'd put something the public clearly supports at risk,' Adkinson said during the meeting. The decision comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis' push to eliminate property taxes has left local leaders scrambling for alternative funding sources. Commissioner Tom Goo of District 2 supported the tax increase but acknowledged the political difficulty of asking voters for another hike. The county's Public Works department has already identified maintenance cuts if funding remains unchanged. The proposed tax adjustment would have required approval from the state's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, adding another layer of uncertainty. With no new revenue in sight, the county may have to divert funds from other programs or seek state grants. The vote highlights growing tensions between local needs and state-level fiscal policies. The rejected tax increase had been approved by voters in 2016 for lagoon restoration, but commissioners argued it should not be used for broader infrastructure. The decision leaves the county with a $150 million infrastructure backlog, according to recent audits. Without a new funding plan, maintenance crews may have to prioritize emergency repairs over routine upkeep. The outcome has sparked debates in county offices and among residents about how to balance environmental goals with infrastructure needs.