Will Abberger of Florida’s Trust for Public Land pictured yesterday with Santa Rosa County Commissioners
Santa Rosa County Commission’s Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) expires Dec. 31, 2026, so voters on the November 2026 ballot will be asked whether or not they support its renewal. During yesterday’s commission meeting a presentation was made, suggesting that designating a portion of LOST revenues for land conservation could help with the referendum’s passage.
Voters rejected Santa Rosa County’s 2019 and 2024 attempts to double the half-cent LOST.
During Monday’s committee meeting, commissioners received details about a feasibility study the board requested from the Florida Trust for Public Land (TPL).
That 32-page study was summarized by Will Abberger, vice president and director of TPL’s conservation finance program, which creates and protects new public funding for land conservation, parks and restoration. “A lot of that work is ballot measures placed before voters,” he said of the program.
The feasibility study considered four funding options, including two bonding alternatives, increasing property tax by 0.15 mills, or LOST funding.
Abberger said TPL would like to explore the LOST option with commissioners, noting if approved at the half-cent rate it would cost the average county household around $97 per year; a one-cent rate would cost households around $193 per year in sales tax.
“Based on what we know and our discussions with (county) staff, this is the option that we think is the most viable option for Santa Rosa County right now…and based on what we know from our research here in Santa Rosa County, we feel like including a conservation component along with the roads and other infrastructure that were in the half-cent sales tax would give it a much better chance of success at the ballot box next November.”
“I feel like the best opportunity that we have for the (LOST) renewal is to put some language in our renewal for a substantial conservation percentage,” said District 3 Commissioner Rhett Rowell.
“I agree with Commissioner Rowell that we should certainly be making a dilligent (conservation) effort,” Commission Chairman Colten Wright said.
Wright added, “It was nice that the Civicon group, which historically has been very Escambia County/Pensacola focused, has realized that Santa Rosa County is also making, you know, significant strides and trying to make efforts to raise the civic IQ in the county and to conserve land,” noting TPL received a related Civicon award. “We wanted to thank your team for that effort.”
Per Abberger, TPL’s next step will be a “privately funded” public opinion surveying January with results presented to the county in February. He said in March, if the commission approves it, TPL would start working with citizens in community to educate the voters about the ballot measure.
