WaWa Comes to Escambia County's District 1!

I was invited to attend a community celebration of a new business coming to town today in District 1.

WaWa stores are a staple all along the East Coast and even in the peninsula of Florida.

But the panhandle of Florida does not have a WaWa.

That is about to change, and today I was invited to the groundbreaking of the first area WaWa store in my district, District 1, in Escambia County.  As a matter of fact, there will be, within the next two years, a total of THREE (3) WaWa stores in District 1.  One will be at the Ransley Station Development on Pine Forest Road (the site of today's event) and the next two will be at Beulah Road and 9-Mile Road and Blue Angel Pkwy and U.S. 98. 

 

So D1 will be getting 3 WaWa's.

Some might say--why get excited about a gas station?

But WaWa is much more than that.:  

At today's celebration (which drew nearly 200 citizens, the president of the local Chamber of Commerce, our County Sheriff, myself, and State Rep. Michelle Salzman)--it was shared with the group that several locals had been BEGGING WaWa HQ to bring an outlet to Escambia County.  In fact, one couple was recognized by the WaWa executives present because for the last 10 years they wrote letters to WaWa HQ pleading with them to bring a WaWa to Escambia County!

The culture of this company is exceptional.  They are privately held, with employess holding a 38% stake in ownership.  And it was announced that after only one (1) month--newly hired associates can begin participating in the WaWa stock ownership program.  Eecutives from the company thanked our local community for the warm welcome, and described the WaWa Foundation's $160 Million Dollars in donations to local nonprofit organizations in communities where WaWa has a presence.  They even donated $2,500 to Feeding the Gulf Coast today at the groundbreaking!  On top of this--the welcome celebration included food, beverages, smoothies, a coffee bar, and give-aways including WaWa T-shirts and other knick-knacks.

This is the way to enter a market.  I was really impressed with these folks I met and spoke with today.  

I think what they bring to our community will be an opportunity for many of our citizens that want to work and grow with an established, reputible organization.

I look forward to watching thier success!

92nd Coffee with the Commissioner Live Today from the Beach!

 We had a great 92nd Coffee with the Commissioner event in Perdido Key this morning.  We talked about a lot of issues, including the roundabout.  And I made a major announcement on the roundabout and the rumble strips within the first three minutes.  Check the video below, for those who could not make it live.

Great Day Downtown with the Folks from BlabTV!

I was interviewed by BLAB TV's Billy Harrell (right) today in downtown Pensacola.

Today all the candidates in the upcoming elections had the opportunity to film a segement on who they are, what they have done, and why they deserve the citizens' support in the upcoming election on August 20th.  And BlabTV is/was the perfect platform to offer this opportunity for all candidates to make and deliver this message.

So I went in and got mike'd up and we did about a 20 minute interview about all the great projects underway currently in District 1 and also all the projects currently in the pipeline for completion, and most importantly---all the great infrastructure projects we have completed in D1 over the last 7 years.

We talked about the strategic plan I have developed and support for D1, "24 Forward Escambia" and we talked about what is on the horizon in terms of projects on the brink of commencement and/or completion right now throughout the county.  And we talked about the numerous projects we have completed since 2016.

The segement will air multiple times on BLAB TV starting in June, but I will post it here once it is sent to me.

The folks at BLAB TV are such pros----- we were able to do the entire interview in one take!  No gaffe's, no technical hiccups, no re-takes.  One take.

Real pros at BLAB TV.  

Thanks go out to Billy Harrell, Rick Wenzel, and the production team at BLAB TV for their professionalism and skill.  Great day downtown today!

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Jeff Bergosh, Republican, for Escambia County Commissioner District 1

On Rick Outzen's Podcast Live in studio Today

I was once again invited to be the leadoff guest on "Real News with Rick Outzen" this morning on the area's best news talk radio station, 1370 WCOA, on the morning drive's best news talk program.

We talked about the Perdido Key Roundabout and some upcoming improvements to that traffic intersection-- as well as the OLF 8 field and the latest offer for it which the board received late last week.

We also talked about this week's "Coffee with the Commissioner" event live from Perdido Key this Wednesday.

Check out the podcast, here.

BCC Receives Fresh Offer for OLF-8: $22.5 Million and 6-Months Due Diligence

Commissioners were notified today that the Chairman of the BCC and the county is in receipt of a new offer for OLF 8.  This will be on the agenda for discussion at Monday morning's BCC meeting.  Check out the letter of intent, below.  This is the eighth group that has expressed interest in the property..........

92nd Coffee with the Commissioner Event Live from Perdido Key this Wednesday

 

92nd District 1 Coffee with the Commissioner April 24

We are looking forward to our 92nd Coffee with the Commissioner event this Wednesday, April 24, at 6:30 a.m. at the Perdido Key Visitor Information Center, 15500 Perdidio Key Drive. The meeting will be held live and also be live streamed from the Escambia County YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@EscambiaCountyFL

Attendees include County Administrator Wes Moreno, Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore, and CEO of the Perdido Key Chamber of Commerce Tammy Thurrow. Moreno will provide an update on county business, Gilmore will discuss public safety matters, and Thurrow will join Commissioner Bergosh for a discussion on topics of interest for District 1 residents and businesses in Perdido Key.

Residents are invited and encouraged to attend. Send us your questions and comments forthe  Coffee with the Commissioner event can be  to the Office of District 1 by calling 850-595-4910 or emailing district1@myescambia.com.

 

 

I'll be on "Real News with Rick Outzen" tomorrow Morning at 7:00PM

I'll be live in the WCOA studios tomorrow morning at 7:00 as the lead off guest on the area's best, most accurate, trusted, highest rated, and relevant morning drive news/talk show-"Real news with Rick Outzen" on the station with the area's best news talk line up--1370 WCOA.

Lots to talk about and I'll be prepared to discuss any topic Rick wants to dig into.

-OLF 8

-Northwest Florida Defense Coalition trip to DC last week

-Jonathan Owens' ethics issues

-Perdodo Roundabout

-Other County Issues

-2024's Local Elections

When Rick publishes the podcast, I'll post it here.