Voters on Nov. 5 will decide whether or not to replace Santa Rosa County Commission’s existing half-cent local option sales tax with a full-cent surtax. If approved, the measure will also trigger implementation of impact fees, which commissioners approved in April.
The existing half-cent local option sales tax (LOST) was initially approved by voters in 2016 and extended in 2020 through Dec. 31, 2026. Since then, tens of millions in capital improvements have been achieved, including roughly $8 million for the pedestrian bridge and channel restoration projects at Tom King Bayou on East Bay Boulevard.
Although Santa Rosa County officials initially considered seeking a second half-cent LOST to help fund more infrastructure improvements, the Florida Department of Revenue notified them that would be prohibited. Therefore, voters on the upcoming General Election ballot will be asked if they’d like to repeal and double the LOST for a period of 15 years.
Additionally, the Board of County Commissioners in April approved impact fees and voted 4-1 to allow citizens to decide if they want to implement them, making that contingient upon passage of the LOST referendum.
District 2 Commissioner Kerry Smith failed yesterday to convince the Board to immediately implement impact fees instead of waiting to hear from the voters. But his fellow commissioners expressed concerns about changing course “midstream” after telling voters they can choose.
Today Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane is ordering the General Election ballots, which will contain the following referendum verbiage, provided by the County, which is billing the measure as a “County Roads Initiative”:
FIX OUR ROADS & INFRASTRUCTURE BY LEVYING A 1 CENT SURTAX
Shall Santa Rosa County replace the existing half-cent sales tax with a one percent (one cent) sales surtax that will be used for building, construction, and maintaining roads, bridges and other infrastructure, beginning January 1, 2025 for 15 years, and will be subject to review of a citizen oversight committee? No less than 50% of the proceeds will be used for transportation and if approved, transportation impact fees will take effect.
____ FOR THE ONE CENT SALES TAX
____ AGAINST THE ONE CENT SALES TAX
If the referendum fails, the existing LOST will remain in place through the end of 2026, and impact fees could still be implemented by commissioners.
