The City of Pensacola released the final accounting for LOST IV, the Local Option Sales Tax program that ran from 2015 through 2025, showing that the 1-cent surtax generated more than $108 million over its ten-year life and directed that money into parks, public safety equipment, road infrastructure and capital facilities across the city.

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LOST is a voter-approved surtax layered on top of Florida's base sales tax rate, earmarked strictly for capital projects rather than general operations. The first iteration passed in 1992. Voters approved LOST IV in November 2014, authorizing collection to run January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2028. The city issued $25 million in infrastructure bonds in 2017 against anticipated future LOST IV receipts, allowing project spending to begin as early as fiscal year 2015, years before the tax itself started flowing.

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$108M
Total generated by LOST IV over ten years, funding parks, police, fire equipment, port improvements and road infrastructure citywide
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The final breakdown shows Parks and Recreation received the largest share, $30.9 million, covering improvements and equipment at parks and athletic facilities citywide. The Police Department received $15.2 million, including $8.2 million for new marked and unmarked vehicles and $6.5 million in radios and facility upgrades. The Fire Department received $8.7 million, including $3.7 million for Fire Station 3 and $3.6 million for truck replacements and equipment. The Port of Pensacola received $1 million, with roads, the airport and other public facilities absorbing the remainder alongside $3.8 million in interest costs on the early bond borrowing.

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Front-loading bond proceeds early in the levy allowed major projects, the ST Aerospace tenant improvements, Bayview Community Center and Fire Station 3, to be completed ahead of schedule. The city has disclosed the $3.8 million interest cost in quarterly financial reports throughout the program's life.

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The program is over. The city's infrastructure backlog is not. East Hill road resurfacing, aging pump stations in Warrington and Brownsville, and ongoing stormwater needs represent the leading edge of a capital list that one tax cycle could not fully address. Whether the city pursues a LOST V referendum, what projects it would fund, and when voters would be asked to decide are the questions that now need answers.