Local Government

Bruce Vredenberg: Why LOST Is the Penny That Built Pensacola & Escambia County

Pennies for Progress chairman makes the case for renewing the Local Option Sales Tax this November.

Every neighborhood library, fire station, stormwater pond, and patrol car camera in Escambia County has something in common: they were likely paid for with the Local Option Sales Tax, the penny-per-dollar levy known as LOST that goes before voters again this November.

I sat down with Bruce Vredenburg, the Hancock Whitney banker chairing the Pennies for Progress campaign, on this week’s Rick’s Blog Live to talk about why the renewal matters and what’s at stake if it fails.

• Hard numbers to ignore: Since the tax began in 1992, it has generated more than $2 billion for the community, with roughly $70 million a year now split between the city and county for capital projects. A Haas Center study found that up to 28% of that revenue comes from out-of-town visitors, not just Escambia County residents.

“There is no way that local governments can achieve what we expect as citizens, without having the availability of these funds.”—Bruce Vredenburg

The jail is the clearest example of why this matters. Vredenburg explained that the county financed the new jail through a 30-year bond, earmarking $4-5 million a year in LOST revenue to pay it down. The county is five years into that bond, with two years left on the current LOST cycle. If voters don’t renew, that obligation doesn’t disappear — it shifts to general operating revenue, the same pot that funds day-to-day government services.

Unlike property taxes, LOST dollars are statutorily restricted to capital improvements — roads, parks, beach renourishment, public buildings — and can’t be used for government operations. Vredenburg called it “a good, healthy process” because every renewal forces voters to re-examine where the money goes, and the county’s annual capital plan keeps the spending publicly trackable.

Passage rates have climbed since the rocky 1992 start, when the tax barely passed with 54%. Every series since has cleared 60%. But with a packed November ballot and a separate statewide property tax amendment also in play, Vredenburg is wary of voter fatigue and complacency.

Residents can track current and past LOST spending, including an interactive project map by neighborhood, at penniesforescambia.com.