Fire protection on Pensacola Beach is costly. At the May 1 Escambia County Commission meeting Chairman Mike Kohler said the County has been operating the fire station on Pensacola Beach at a deficit of over $1 million annually.
Residents on the beach currently pay a fire Municipal Services Benefit Unit (MSBU) of $201 and businesses are assessed 7 cents per square foot. The County has proposed to increase the residential MSBU to $454 and the commercial MSBU to 83 cents per square foot. That is a 1053 percent increase for Beach businesses. Unimproved lots would be increased 218 percent to $203.
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