TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida Senate agreed Monday to give Miami-Dade voters the say on whether their taxes should be increased to help support Miami Dade College.

But a similar measure is stalled in the House, where lawmakers are skittish about raising taxes during an economic recession.

If the bill clears the House, MDC could ask Miami-Dade County for a special election to raise the local sales tax by a half-penny -- up to 8 cents -- to benefit the college.

Approval of the sales tax referendum would translate into more than $100 million annually for MDC for the initial five years. The money would go to scholarships, student retention programs, academic and career programs, technology in classrooms and for facilities and land acquisition.

''We've talked about improving the economy, and there's no more important economic engine in Miami-Dade County and the Miami-Dade County region than Miami Dade College,'' said Sen. Dan Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat and vice chairman of the Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee.

In November, voters statewide rejected a similar move for all Florida community colleges. But the ballot received a little more than 61 percent approval in Miami-Dade -- something MDC President Eduardo Padrón took as a sign that local voters understood the college's vital role in the community.

When speaking on behalf of the bill, sponsor Sen. Alex Villalobos, a Miami Republican, told senators of the difference MDC made in his life after his family arrived in the United States roughly 50 years ago.

''The education that Miami Dade College provided me with was the key to my future,'' Villalobos said.

But the bill could die if it doesn't make it to the House floor. It is still in committee, despite public backing by all the members of the Miami-Dade legislative delegation.

''It's been a little frustrating,'' said Rep. Juan Zapata, the bill's House sponsor and also a Miami Republican and MDC alumnus. ``Miami Dade College has really never come here and asked for anything. We should help them out.''

Were the bill to fail in the House, Padrón has said MDC -- the country's largest university -- might consider capping enrollment for the first time in its 50-year, open-door history. The college's eight campuses have already eliminated 1,000 classes.

The proposal passed the Senate 39-0 as about 40 students and administrators from MDC's North, Hialeah, InterAmerican and West campuses looked on from the gallery. Several students, including Gaby Pacheco, 24, blinked back tears.

''It was definitely emotional, especially for me,'' said Pacheco, who graduates Saturday with a bachelor's degree in special education. ``The college has helped me a lot. . . . The opportunity of an education is something that is so valuable. You can't put a number to it, and what we saw today is people sticking up for education and people sticking up for the college.''

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