In March 2006, Escambia County voters approved the sales tax extension that included $34.6 million for libraries and community centers. To date, nothing has been done to the downtown library. We’ve renovated the old police station in Century and a space in a strip center on the Westside into libraries.
This library is part of $77 million library construction and renovation plan. Palm Beach County has 16 libraries. Escambia has five. Five years ago, it only had two. The two branches above were added this year. The Southwest branch on Gulf Beach Hwy was built in 2004 in the last years of the old LOST budget. Meanwhile the county built a new administration complex – $20+million, Emergency Operations Center ($12.5 million), Sheriff’s Administration Bidg, etc.