Back in 2000, Escambia County passed an additional 1-cent bed tax for a soccer complex and Pensacola Beach convention center with a parking garage. The county commissioners figured a way out of the commitment and used the money elsewhere for tourist-related expenditures, i.e. marketing.
I guess that the Ashton Brosnaham Park fields are considered the county soccer complex – although it’s a far cry from what was promised in 2000. The parking garage and convention center were never built on Pensacola Beach.
At last night’s board meeting, SRIA listened to a study for building a 480-space parking garage on Pensacola Beach is estimated to cost about $7.78 million. Of course, some board members question whether the SRIA has the money to build it.
My question: why not use the 1-cent bed tax money?
