TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hillsborough County leaders want residents to keep an eye on their mailbox for the transportation tax refund check.

The checks have started being mailed from the class action settlement.

Hillsborough County collected nearly half a billion dollars, with a one-cent sales tax for transportation projects, but the Supreme Court ruled the tax was illegal in 2018.

Now, millions are going back to taxpayers.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal worries some may accidentally throw their money in the trash, thinking it’s junk mail.

“A lot of complaints have been received about the envelopes with the actual refund checks kind of looking like a general spam mail,” said Commissioner Wostal.

400,000 people have filed claims to get a refund, according to the claims administrator.

People who lived in, or even visited, the county between January 2019 and March 2021 were eligible to apply for a refund.

Of the $569 million collected, some will go to people who applied for a refund, while $208 million will be used on road projects.

“I’m one of the first elected officials being tasked with spending legally tax money, which isn’t a great feeling. The good news is our roads are in desperate need of repair. While this was a horrible way of getting it done, there is going to be a lot of relief coming over the next three years or so,” said Commissioner Wostal.

Checks started being mailed out in April. The standard refund amount is $100. Some will receive less depending on how long they’ve lived in the county.

The company processing the payments, BrownGreer, sent a statement saying in part, “The first round of payments were issued in April, and the remainder are being processed on a rolling basis.”

If you want to check the status of your refund or see how it’s calculated, you can visit fltaxrefund.com.