Perdido Key’s Favorite New Path Brought to You By the Penny

The 6.8-mile multi-use path drew instant crowds after opening in 2024. L.O.S.T. revenues covered most of its $4.5 million cost, and more trails are on the way.

Escambia County's 1-cent Local Option Sales Tax has helped fund dozens of high-profile structures that create jobs, improve public safety and expand recreational and leisure facilities.

But the L.O.S.T. revenues also fund low-profile, high-use projects, such as the popular Perdido Key Multi-Use Path.

The 6.8 mile, eight-foot-wide paved path cost  $4.5 million. Of that total, L.O.S.T. revenues contributed $3.54 million with the remainder coming from a $960,000 state grant.

Completed in July 2024, the multi-use path gained instant popularity among Perdido Key residents and visitors, giving pedestrians and cyclists a safe and stable path off the island's busy highway.

"The Perdido Key Multi-Use Path is a wonderful addition to the island. Every day it's full of walkers and bikers, and it's just amazing the use that we've seen out of it," says Perdido Key resident Cat Baranek, an enthusiastic supporter of the Local Option Sales Tax. "My friends and family and I are all in favor of renewing the Local Option Sales Tax. It's given us the multi-use path, a wonderful new addition to the island."

And the good news is more multi-use pathways are in the pipeline for Escambia County thanks to the power of the penny tax.

Commissioners in March approved allocation of $492,212 from L.O.S.T. revenues to extend and enhance the walking and biking trails running along Pensacola Beach Blvd.

The Local Option Sales Tax funds more than high-profile landmarks. It also pays for popular everyday projects like the Perdido Key Multi-Use Path. The paved path keeps pedestrians and cyclists off busy State Road 292 (Perdido Key Drive).

For more information about the Perdido Key Multi-Use Path, visit Escambia County’s project document here.