Thoughts and or info on this from anyone?

All my reference is based on seeing Pace explode over the last several years. For the better part of a decade, I flew over unfinished neighborhoods with cleared lots and no houses. Over the last few years. All those neighborhoods have filled up and there's lots of new clearings for houses/ neighborhoods. Areas to the north of Willard Norris and around Whiting are getting built up.

More traffic on the same roads.

I'm not a fan of taxes but that's how the Gov pays for infrastructure. I've also heard the concern that the commissioners are fine bringing in more homes because it's money in their pockets as developer/ realtors.

Our old sheriff is all for the tax increase but I have hard time thinking that a post term sheriff has the common man's interests in mind.

In principle, I agree with a sales tax over a property tax. However, seeing as how they already bumped our property taxes, and the developers have all profit and no cost concerning the overgrowth, and the county seems to not care about the impact on the infrastructure, and I pay more locally by living here 24/7/365 than a visiting tourist, I'm NOT in favor of increasing the taxes.

Let the government make wise choices and show responsible stewardship of the CURRENT resources. Then maybe I'll agree to let them have more.

Snake-Eyes said:

In principle, I agree with a sales tax over a property tax. However, seeing as how they already bumped our property taxes, and the developers have all profit and no cost concerning the overgrowth, and the county seems to not care about the impact on the infrastructure, and I pay more locally by living here 24/7/365 than a visiting tourist, I'm NOT in favor of increasing the taxes.

Let the government make wise choices and show responsible stewardship of the CURRENT resources. Then maybe I'll agree to let them have more.

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That's about where I'm at. I'm trying not to go into this ill informed (ghost gun, shoulder thing that goes up) but the little bit of googling doesn't provide me much. If anyone's been to any of the county meetings or has insight as to how much can be spent on what and from where, I'd like to hear it.

The developer side is kind of pissing me off if it's the way I understand it. The traffic on woodbine, 90 and spencer field roads sucks. They get to buy the land and drop in hundreds of houses in an area that's already congested and the commissioner says, well how about a bigger sales tax? I feel like the people that already live here are getting shafted both ways.

Until they start an impact fee, I’m voting no. The people causing the problems are getting off scott free.
I believe we will be seeing some new county commissioners in 2020.

Everyone talks about all the new homes and businesses in the county. Well the county then is taking in MUCH more money in taxes over the unimproved land it used to be. If all that extra money is not enough then the damn politicians are just wasting the money like they do in Washington. I doubt the extra penny will help. It's time to vote out ALL local politicians

fv22 said:

Everyone talks about all the new homes and businesses in the county. Well the county then is taking in MUCH more money in taxes over the unimproved land it used to be. If all that extra money is not enough then the damn politicians are just wasting the money like they do in Washington. I doubt the extra penny will help. It's time to vote out ALL local politicians

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There is of course how the money is being spent. But the real problem is they are building the houses first and worrying about the roads and schools last. The housing will be up and likely sold long before the roads and new school rooms are constructed.
We want the impact fees first and then we will look at the sales tax in 2020 if it is needed that I suspect it will be.
The BOCC and the business community are leaving no stone unturned to get this tax passed in the election. The money for support of the tax is coming from outside of our county which should tell people something. Now they are getting some very slimy business types to crawl out from under their rocks to push for it. The BOCC may very well get the 1 cent sales tax passed without the impact fees thus assuring they can sell their houses competitively with real estate in Escambia County that does not have an impact fee either. Same kind BOCC pro-realtors runs things over there also.

From my understanding in 08 when it bottomed out the county removed the impact fees to intise builders to build. It was never reimplemented. Now it's severely booming. Developers are picketing more than ever. The roads can't handle it. I don't know how you folks on woodbine do it everyday

You will need a pnj account to read this.

These financial documents are public record and can be requested by anyone.

Not saying is amiss, but it is good to know the sources of these folks income and net worth.

https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019...much-your-elected-officials-worth/2122761001/

Sent from the largest mountain range in Florida.

Stage20, I live off Woodbine and have been retired for almost 2 years.
The last couple of years that I worked, I went in at 6:00 to avoid the traffic and usually worked late so I didn’t get in the 5:00 rush.
If I left the house between 7:00 and 7:30 it could take 20 minutes or longer to get to Hwy 90.
At 5:00 the traffic can be backed up over a mile south of 5 points.
It’s ludicrous that something has not been done.
I now try to stay off the roads before 9:30 am or after 3:30 pm.
They are talking about building a new road in Milton from Highway 90 to Hamilton Bridge Road when they should be concentrating on 4 laneing Woodbine.
I would vote yes on the sales tax in a minute if they would start an impact fee but not until then.

I am voting NO in the tax increase until impact fees are implemented and our BOCC convinces me that more money is needed to run our county.

As stated, we allow developers, not just housing but strip mall developers too, to come in and put something in and in no way have to account to what that development will do to the county infrastructure. What about the effect on the water needs? Sewer demands? Police and fire department increases?

What about the additional schools that are needed now? Even Wyrosdick went before the BOCC and asked for the impact fees and was turned down. Since it takes 8+ years to build and open a school we are already behind the curve in addressing the need. There is talk of putting in portable buildings to account for the increase in students. We are cutting our own throat in education. Why do people want to move to Santa Rosa County? The schools are one main reason.

I've done some research. Out of 67 counties in FL there are only 16 that do not have any impact fees. Many cities within those counties that have impact fees also have additional impact fees. Santa Rosa is ranked 17 in growth rate in all of FL. Near as I was able to find out state wide impact fees run somewhere between $1700 to $15,000. I've been told that county wide somewhere between 2500 and 3000 new home building permits were approved so far in 2019. Implement an implement an fee of $5000 times 2500 and you generate $12,500,000 additional dollars. That are dollars levied onto the developers/people that are causing new infrastructure and school increases.

I believe that the tax will pass because there is too much money influencing people to vote yes. Most of those people that see the signs, see the billboards and see the TV ads don't really understand the full issue. I've talked with several people that say it's only a penny increase"!

I've got a NO sign in my front yard and a bumper sticker on my truck to try and put out the alternative to the increase. I wish I had the money to do more. I've already talked to my neighbors and anyone that will listen to me to try and convince them to vote no. If you oppose the increase try to get to as many people to get them to vote no to.

The tax increase is not needed at this time if we seriously consider the alternative.

Oh, I forgot to mention that we had a $32M, yes million, surplus from last year that go rolled into this ears budget. Don't believe me? Go to the Santa Rosa web site and check out the PowerPoint briefing that was presented for this years budget

I worked in Jay the last 2 weeks. Come back 5 point to woodbine. I could see all the traffic comming down woodbine. Most days woodbine was slow or stopped all the way back to 90

I will say that there are still many courteous drivers on woodbine. I had to drop one of the dogs off at the vet that is on woodbine rd near its joining to 90. To get there I could either try a left hand turn on to woodbine or a right hand to turn to Chumuckla, then to 90 and then right on to the beginning of woodbine. Someone on woodbine will always stop and allow me to make the left into the woodbine vets turnoff.

With out traffic lights, the right hand turns are safer to do even if it is not the shortest right, but somewhere along the way a left is needed.