Century, Fla. unhappy with gas tax hike

CENTURY, Fla. (WALA) - Drivers in Escambia County will pay higher gas prices in 2014 following a decision by the county commission to raise taxes on gas in the county.

It's an effort to pump money into the local public transit system, but the four-cent tax could cause big problems for a small town in the northern end of the county.

Forty-one miles north of Pensacola is the town of Century, hugging the Alabama state line, and town officials don't foresee a lot of benefit out of this.

Town council president Ann Brooks said, "They have made the best decision for the urban area of Pensacola, and not considered what it would do to the rural areas."

Century is less than a mile away from the state line. Town officials worry when the tax takes effect, drivers will simply drive up the road to get cheaper gas in Alabama.

The county commissioner representing the area was the only county official to vote against the tax in Monday’s meeting.

Brooks says that could mean lower revenue for Century's three gas stations, and less tax money for roads and sidewalks.

In order to survive in the big business of gas, the fight goes down to the penny.

Travis Sims’ family owns a gas station in Century.

"That’s how you make your money off of gas, it’s all cents, so if you raise four cents, it’s devastating," Sims said. "Maybe you won't go across the line for seven cents, but you start getting into 11 [cents], in this economy, you're gonna go across the line every time."

And while the tax will benefit the county transit system, the buses don't come here often. There are only three stops in town, at around 6 a.m., noon, and 7 p.m.

So starting soon, the town council will work with state lawmakers to see if the town can be exempt from this tax.

Town officials said Century needs all the business it can get and this tax will do more harm than good.