Local Option Sales Tax funds 57 sheriff's vehicles

With Local Option Sales Tax dollars, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office was able to purchase 57 vehicles to replace high-mileage patrol cars and others. [Special to the Press Gazette]

MILTON — Santa Rosa County’s quarterly Local Option Sales Tax Update report is available. Highlights show the tax has covered 57 vehicles for the Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office, park upgrades and transportation and drainage projects in various stages of development.

The LOST passed Aug. 30, 2016 and went into effect Jan. 1. The tax is scheduled to last five years.

County officials estimate the LOST's total revenue will be $35 million. Projects may include law enforcement and other public safety improvements, transportation and drainage improvements, infrastructure projects and public facilities, recreation and natural resource expenditures and capital equipment purchases.

The tax will not cover employee salaries, position upgrades, merit increases, cost of living adjustments, retirement expenditures or insurance costs.

For fiscal year 2018, the county approved $1,860,000 for SRSO automotive needs and has spent $107,110.12. The Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office posted pictures of the new vehicles on its Facebook page.

"Sheriff Johnson and the Deputies of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office want to take a moment to thank the Citizens and the Commissioners who voted for and supported our Local Option Sales Tax. Aka. Half cent sales tax," the Facebook post says. "Because of this, we have added 47 new vehicles to our fleet. They will be replacing older, high mileage patrol cars."

The message does not refer to 10 non-patrol vehicles such as fleet vehicles the department will use to transport multiple employees to functions in order to save travel costs, according to Public Information Officer Rich Aloy.

The patrol vehicles, Aloy said, are 2018 Dodge Chargers.

"We are in the process of equipping them," he said. "They need radios, computers and lights and sirens. We’re working with all different vendors to get them done."

The report also includes expenditures for road paving per district. The county allocated $300,000 per district. District 1 plans to spend $257,397 to pave nine roads. District 2 plans to spend $266,719 to pave eight roads. District 3 plans to spend $271,824 to pave seven roads. District 4 plans to spend $275,693 to pave 12 roads. District 5 plans to spend $267,868 to pave 22 roads.

Visit www.santarosa.fl.gov to see the full report. Click the Capital Projects link, the Local Option Sales Tax Information link then the January 2018 Quarterly Report link.

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local Option Sales Tax funds 57 sheriff's vehicles