Is Pinellas spending tax dollars to increase taxes?

Tucker Hall, the PR firm behind much of the marketing in Pinellas, has received another $300,000 from PSTA for the "Greenlight Pinellas" campaign, the next step in informing the voter.

Introduced as "Greenlight Pinellas," the campaign is being run by Tucker Hall, a Tampa-based public relations firm. The group has a $300,000 contract with the county's transit agency to ensure that when people go to the polls in November 2014 to vote on a proposed sales tax for transit, they have some idea what is before them.

The group is also being paid to walk a fine line. It can inform voters about the referendum that would pay for expanded bus service and light rail. But because it is receiving public money, it legally cannot tell them how to vote.

Yet Tucker Hall is not taking a completely dry approach.

Yard signs, t-shirts, tote bags, beer coozies....

I'm sure Tucker Hall and PSTA will maintain complete impartiality at all times.

Perhaps they will host something like this on their informative, new web site.

Randal O'Toole of Cato Institute discussing privatizing transit.

How much do you want to bet on that?

Taxpayers money is being spent on advertising. Look how far we've come.

Can the skeptics get $300,000 to get their side of the story out?