Bay County Half Cent – A Half Cent for Better Roads

The Half Cent Surtax Supports:

Increased neighborhood safety and pedestrian paths
Construction of sidewalks near schools
Reduction of flooding
Reduction of traffic congestion
Improvement of local roads and bridges

Ballot Language:

Shall the half-cent sales surtax be levied for ten (10) years in Bay County to provide for the repair of local roads, reduce traffic congestion, increase neighborhood safety with pedestrian paths, build sidewalks near schools, reduce local flooding and other similar uses authorized under Florida law and to seek matching state and federal funds for these purposes, subject to a citizen’s oversight committee and, to ensure that all dollars are spent in Bay County?

Bay County’s property tax rate is 12th lowest in the state out of 67 counties. The surtax is a fair way to ensure that everyone contributes to our community and helps us continue to keep our taxes low.

Project Areas:

Bridge Repair

Many of the bridges across our county are structurally deficient, too narrow or weak to support heavy traffic, or prone to flooding during heavy rainfall. These projects allow for needed repairs to narrow or weak bridges to make them safer and more useful.

Capacity Improvement

In order to reduce traffic congestion and increase traffic flow through the county, many roadways need to be widened or expanded to include connection roads. Additionally, certain areas of the community are subject to water outages and pressure loss due to outdated cast-iron pipes, hindering fire protection and economic development.

Intersection Improvement

Many intersections throughout Bay County are not sufficiently equipped to handle the heavy traffic flow they endure. These projects add additional turning lanes for some of the most trafficked intersections in the county to help traffic flow.

Resurfacing

More than 43 miles of road in Bay County are considered to be in ”poor“ or ”very poor“ condition. Projects will include repaving stretches of road that are cracked, have potholes, or are severely rutted. Repairs will also include adding or fixing paved shoulders along heavily trafficked county roads to increase vehicular and bicycle safety.

Roadway Safety

Improvements will include adding sidewalks to increase pedestrian safety and encourage non-motorized transportation in heavy pedestrian areas, especially near schools. These additions will also increase pedestrian access to many community amenities.

Stormwater Improvement

Due to Bay County’s proximity to sea level, much of our county is prone to flooding. To help prevent and reduce some of this flooding, the county has identified portions of existing drainage systems that need to be updated to better alleviate flooding—including expanding culverts and replacing old and outdated drainage pipes.

View Map of All Projects