Okaloosa Voters Renew Half-Cent Sales Tax for Roads, Flood Control and Public Safety
The Floridant/10353081

NICEVILLE, Fla. - Floridant -- Uber Realty is walking Okaloosa County homeowners through what Tuesday's election means for them, and the biggest item is the half-cent sales tax. Voters renewed it for another 10 years, 52,114 to 23,578, or 68.9%, according to final unofficial results from the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections. Results remain unofficial until certified.

For homeowners, the roads you drive and the flood-control work that protects your neighborhood kept their funding source. The measure is a renewal, not a new tax. The half cent already applies to taxable purchases in Okaloosa County, and the renewal continues it for 10 years beginning Jan. 1, 2029. Under the ballot language, the money pays for law enforcement and public safety facilities, land acquisition, traffic congestion relief, road, bridge and sidewalk work, flood control and water quality improvements, and other public facilities. A citizens' committee will oversee the spending.

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The sales tax rate you pay at the register does not change. And because it is a sales tax, everyone who shops in Okaloosa County helps pay for the work, including the tourists who visit the coast. The cost of the roads, sidewalks and flood-control projects does not fall on homeowners alone.

Turnout was 52.72%: 78,024 of the county's 147,989 registered voters cast ballots. Official precinct-level results are posted by the Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections.

About Uber Realty LLC: Jim Whatley has been helping you sell your home since 2007. He walks you through how it works and shows you how to keep more of what your home sells for. Serving Niceville, Shalimar and Fort Walton Beach.

Contact: Jim Whatley, Uber Realty LLC, 850.499.2940, jim@uberrealty.com
Website: https://www.uberrealty.com
Official results: https://enr.electionsfl.org/OKA/4092/Summary/