Cost of Living Adjustments--Or Pay Raises?

There is a raging debate online about what terminology should be used to describe 7 consecutive years of 3% pay increases for the county's employees.  Some are OUTRAGED that I used the term pay increase, and instead insist these pay increases were nothing more than "Cost of Living Increases"  NOT PAY RAISES!!  (I disagree).  

Last week I published the MOU's signed with several of the county's bargaining groups.  These MOU's allowed these groups to continue to bargain over other employment issues, while simultaneously allowing their members to begin receiving their 3% pay increases immediately.  I really thought this was great news--as the alternative would have been no raises until the conclusion of bargaining.  Which could have taken a long time.

So I was somewhat shocked at the vitriolic comments that came as a result of this post.

The comments went from  (paraphrased) "ho-hum whatever this is what we get every year-this is our COLA (cost of living increase)" to "THIS IS NOTHING, THIS ISN'T EVEN A RAISE"
to even worse than this. One poster on another facebook site stated "Is that like what, a dollar?" others incorrectly stated that the commissioners "were getting 3% pay increases too!" (Which of course is not true)

Commissioner pay is set by the state's office of economic and demographic research.  This entity sets the salaries for elected officials, county officials, and school board officials statewide.  You can read their report for this year here (page 10 has the table of all elected officials' salaries statewide).  And for the record, Escambia Commissioners received a .74% increase over last year--four times less than what we are giving our employees, percentage wise, as a pay increase for the same year-over year time frame.  This small of an increase for the BCC, ironically, is much more in line with what a COLA increase looks like.....not 7 straight years of 3% increases which is NOT what COLA increases look like in real life...One way to benchmark a true COLA increase is to look at the average Social Security COLA increase over the last 12 years, which is 1.8% (three years of  0% increase mixed in).  Military pay increases for the period from 2013-2019 were even less-they averaged just 1.7% per year over that time frame.

So bringing it back to Escambia County------I just don't understand the vitriol and anger and backlash dished up by some over our giving our 7th consecutive year of 3% pay increases to employees--as if this is somehow massively deficient and cheap on our part.   Many in the private sector would KILL to string together seven straight years of 3% pay raises!

So no,  I don't understand how folks turn  a pay increase given in good faith into an attack on their employer, the county.......

I have to believe those that are attacking and making comments are in the extreme minority.

I truly believe the average employee and the silent majority of employees appreciate the pay increases this board has put forward over the last several years since the great recession.

Escambia County Needs a Leader Like This Guy to be Superintendent of Schools

I believe Harrison Peters would be an excellent candidate to lead Escambia's schools as their first "appointed" Superintendent of Schools....I hope he applies for the job! 

As my wife and I watched our son Nick graduate from UWF earlier this year, we were both blown away by the commencement speaker.  He was articulate, charismatic, and dynamic.

Come to find out, as we heard further along in his speech, he is actually from Pensacola--a product of our local schools!

He served in the military, got his education from USF in Tampa, he then taught school and worked his way up and into administrative leadership in the Tampa Bay area-ultimately becoming the Deputy Superintendent of the Hillsborough County School District--one of the nation's largest public school districts.

 I remember talking at that time to my wife and others about this person and saying, enthusiastically:

"This is the guy that needs to apply to be Escambia's first appointed Superintendent of Schools!"

Others have floated his name out there as someone who should apply, too.

As recently as last week at the first workshop held by Escambia Schools to discuss hiring our first appointed superintendent--a person sitting at my table at this event mentioned this same individual, Harrison Peters.

And come to find out--this person at my table knows this man from Hillsborough County--- and has been trying to convince him to apply once the job is put out and advertised!

I truly believe a man like this, with his credentials and bonafides in education, with his knowledge of Pensacola, with his military service, with his charisma,---he would be a tremendous help here in Escambia County.

With his background and the fact that he is Black--he would be a strong role model for many students in our district.  Many.  He would be the complete package that we need! He could really help some of our most challenged schools--just by being selected.  And I believe once selected (if he were to be selected)--our schools could improve dramatically and a lot quicker than if we simply take the path of least resistance and "slot" some current district employee into the Superintendent position.....which is what I fear may happen.

Here's my opinion as a former School Board Member in this county, a product of these schools, a parent of 3 children who graduated from these schools, a person who has taught in 2nd and 3rd grade classrooms, a person who holds a Master's Degree in Administration and who is a current Escambia County Commissioner: (...and all this plus $5.00 will get you a cup of starbucks coffee)

1.  We need a bold, new change of course in our schools and a dynamic NEW leader to reverse our decreasing enrollment trend by luring  good families  and their children BACK from private schools and other local school districts by enforcing discipline, raising standards, and respecting teachers.
2.  We DO NOT need an insider to come in and usurp the vote of the people by becoming the next "defacto, shadow-elected" superintendent of schools--even if this person is a "swell-guy" that graduated from Tate High School.
3.  We don't need an "Interim Superintendent"--we need to make a clean break from the past and let Malcolm Thomas leave next year as we welcome his replacement simultaneously.
4.  We need someone who can lead transformative change in the inner-city schools of Escambia County where we have consistently struggled.

Yes, There are Blue Crabs in Perdido Bay Part II

Blue Crab like the one I pulled in, above, are becoming more and more prevalent in Northern Perdido Bay, North of the Lillian Bridge, according to a resident with whom I spoke yesterday who has lived in the same house on this bay since 1974...

This past weekend I went to Perdido Bay, on a 39 acre waterfront property the county owns on the northern portion of this water body (and future site of a new boat ramp and water access point for citizens) to prove that yes, Blue Crabs do exist in Perdido Bay still.

And I proved that on Sunday.
(You can watch the short video of me pulling in crabs via this facebook post--if you want visual confirmation a la the famous coach Parcells Coors Light Commercial........)

But then by happenstance I had the opportunity to speak with another D1 constituent about another issue.  Once we got that separate issue handled, we spoke about Perdido Bay.

You see, this individual lives on Perdido Bay, north of the Lillian Bridge.

He's lived in the same house on this Bay since 1974.  He's seen a lot over the years.....

So I asked him what he thinks about the health of the bay as of late, since he has lived here so long.

"It has improved over the last several years, it is getting better.  I see dolphins, lots of fish, and crab" he stated.  "My neighbor puts out crab traps and he can get between 10-20 per day.  We have even seen some soft shell crabs--and we had not seen them here before for many, many years" he stated with emphasis.

He also spoke about something else that gives a tantalizing clue about the bay's overall health.  "I see the sea grass is coming back on the shore of my property over the last few years--and it was gone for quite some time but it is coming back" he stated.

So yes, despite the doomsday assertions of some and the ridiculous, inaccurate, and fabricated cartoons in the PNJ that show green sludge being dumped into the bay (no green sludge is being dumped by IP--I confirmed that when I went to the discharge pipe and put eyes on it personally)--Perdido Bay is making a comeback!  Perdido Bay is NOT dead.  (and if it could speak for itself, I have a feeling Perdido Bay might channel Mark Twain's famous quote: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!")

Yes, There Are Blue Crabs in Perdido Bay!

I was able to pull in multiple Blue Crabs using chicken legs on a string yesterday afternoon in Perdido Bay---despite this being a bad time of year to do this as the females are in the gulf spawning....Perdido Bay is NOT dead!

Even though it is not an ideal time of year in late October to be catching Blue Crabs from shore--a trip I made yesterday to northern Perdido Bay, north of the Lillian Bridge, proves that one can still catch this species even now as the females have moved to the Gulf of Mexico to spawn.

As a kid growing up in Pensacola, my dad and I used to catch these all the time from multiple locations.  While perhaps not as plentiful as they were at one point, these crabs are still available.

I used chicken legs to catch several blue crabs yesterday in Perdido Bay, where some environmentalists have claimed there are NO crabs to catch.  Of course this is not the case.  As a matter of fact, I pulled in two nice sized crabs within 30 minutes of arriving at the site yesterday.  While there, I observed mullet, Redfish, lots of minnows, and other wildlife in the area.  (Read more about Blue Crab here)

I watched Osprey dive and catch fish multiple times.

A few boats went by, one using a trolling motor, another was a pleasure boat.

Some debris and driftwood at the site and other sites I visited yesterday also had clams attached and I saw sea grass on one of the crabs I pulled in.  It was a spectacularly beautiful day, and the water was clear.  Glad I got to spend some time here yesterday--it brought back memories of my dad and I fishing!

Meanwhile---some have said that Perdido Bay is dead.

And some say this is all the fault of International Paper.  I think some want to blame every problem in Pensacola on International Paper.  I just don't get it.....

From what I saw yesterday, I have to totally disagree with the flawed assessment that Perdido Bay is dead.  To the contrary, it actually looked better today than it did when I fished it multiple times in the early to mid 2000's when my family owned property on this body of water.  And this lines up with what recent accounts about the health of the bay seem to portray.

If you don't believe me, go out and check Perdido Bay out for yourself and see for yourself, just as I have done!  Fish and Crab are there!

What Do Escambia's School Advisory Council Members Want in our First Elected Superintendent?

Citizens participate in the first of five community forums for gathering input and ideas to help the ECSD hire their first appointed superintendent of schools 

The Escambia School District will be hiring our area's first "appointed" superintendent of schools next year--which the voters authorized in last year's election.  And this "change"  is a great thing in my opinion! (One I have long supported)

 Ahead of this historic transformation, however, the school board has scheduled a number of public input sessions so that feedback from the community can be forwarded to the school board on a very important matter:  What type of person does our school district need?

This is a topic of particular import right now, and quite timely.  

(The NAS Pensacola CO has made news with his reasonable requests and comments about the quality of schools near NAS Pensacola currently.  These comments drew a very supportive editorial from our daily newspaper--supporting our CO of NAS Pensacola and excoriating our current elected superintendent of schools.)

The first meeting for community input was bootstrapped right behind an already scheduled meeting of area schools' advisory councils.  Although the meeting was advertised to begin at 5:30--when I arrived early at 5:20 I found a closed door at the meeting venue with the meeting already in progress.

I asked at the door as I signed in "Wasn't this supposed to start at 5:30?" to which I was told by the ECSD Public Affairs spokesman "They just started a few minutes ago, right after the school advisory committee meeting ended."

I was directed to join one of the 11 tables of 5-8 citizens already formed in the meeting hall.  Each table spoke among one another to find answers to the following three questions, (paraphrased from memory) in this order:

1.  What are the district's current strong points?
2.  What are the district's big challenges?
3.  What qualities, attributes should our first appointed superintendent possess?

I found a seat at the table that had folks from Lipscomb Elementary school.

So the meeting was a hybrid focus group/brainstorming session, with each small group table answering questions and then sharing answers with the entire crowd.  At the conclusion of the question creation part of the meeting---the answers to each main question were hung on the wall-at which point every individual attendee was permitted to identify/signify his/her top four (4) most important answers to the questions on the large sheets of paper on the wall.  This was accomplished via placement of individual stickers on these questions by each attendee--with only four stickers given to the participants.  The logic behind this is/was so that the FSBA facilitator can take the raw data and participant selections--prioritized by the number of stickers beside each question--and sort this data from most to least important and provide this information to the school board (who were not present at the meeting)

Citizens participate in the first of five community forums for gathering input and ideas to help the ECSD hire their first appointed superintendent of schools

From my perspective and from what I overheard--some of the most pressing priorities from the group were as follows:

1. The need for a better discipline process and a more rapid removal of violent and aggressive students — without months of observations and endless checklists 
2. The need to bring the data clerks back to the individual schools 
3. The need to hire an experienced professional educator with admin experience and a track record of success with areas of generational poverty 
4. The need to hire someone who is not an insider or beholden to local monied interests and the good old boy network.

Good Discussions on Important Topics

We had our 28th coffee with the commissioner event yesterday morning at 6:30--and we had some good discussions on some important topics.  We had a bit of a technical glitch in the first few minutes of the video (the view was sideways)--but we got that corrected and continued the online video.

You can watch the video from the point we fixed the camera angle here on facebook.

The discussions were good on multiple topics, including:

1.  International Paper-Perdido Bay
2.  Civic Center Modernization
3.  Governance-(pure democracy vs representative democracy)
4.  Recent Santa Rosa County moves toward impact fees
5.  School Issues locally in the press--concerns about school quality and how it affects the economy locally
6.  Increasing the minimum standards on road sizes in new developments
7.  Progress on the Jail's construction
8.  Roundabouts-traffic management at the beach

National Prescription Drug TakeBack Day is This Saturday.....Which Brings Questions to Mind....

Okay, we all know this Saturday is the drug take-back day...But what is the safest, most legal method to bring the drugs back while protecting privacy and obeying all the laws?

Google is getting behind the HUGE prescription pill take-back day this Saturday from 10AM-2:00PM.

There are multiple locations in the greater Pensacola area where local residents can turn in these old medicines.

They have a link to some really great and helpful information on their homepage.

The stats given at this google subject page are sobering.

--192 Overdose Deaths Daily in America (60% Opioids)
--191 Million Opioid Prescriptions filled in 2017 alone--in one year!
--18 Million Americans misused prescription medication--in just the last year alone
--More than 50% of prescribed opioids go unused--but they are not safely stored or secured

I learned a lot about all the overdoses nationwide (over 400,000 in the US since 2000) and also about a great program locally that is being started to help save a person's life if that person is overdosing.  Free Narcan is finally making its way to the greater Pensacola area--thanks to some great local nonprofit agencies!

So as it relates to this Saturday's take back program (where I realized the local grocery store where I shop on Saturday's is a collection point)--I became curious as to what the best and legal way to transport drugs to the collection point might be...

The google site talks about dumping all the pills into a bag and taking that bag to the store---which immediately threw up a red flag to me...If a person did that and happened to be stopped on the way to the pill collection site, and was found to be in possession of controlled substances without a prescription--this could be a FELONY and one that carries a MANDATORY minimum sentence if convicted of the offense.  On the flipside--who wants to bring all the pill bottles with their names and the medications all over the bottles to the site?  What about our privacy?

And how about this one:  Can I bring my wife's old medications-or my children's old medications--seeing as I could be carrying controlled substances that are not mine??

So I certainly had some significant reservations

So I called the non-emergency police line and spoke with the desk sergeant at the Police Department.

He suggested that I definitely NOT dump all pills into a bag and then transport.  "That could be a problem if you were stopped" he stated.   I asked about bringing medications that were not mine, like my wife's.  "That should be alright, since we know that from time to time a husband actually goes to the pharmacy and picks up his wife's medicine, and vice versa."  he continued.

We chatted briefly and then we both came to what seems to be the most logical, safe, and legal way to bring the pills to the site:

"I would recommend that you transport the pills in the original prescription pill bottles--then empty them into one bag at the drop site--at which point you could take the bottles home and destroy them however you would like." He stated flatly....  That method was echoed when I spoke to a representative from the Escambia County Sheriff's Office as well.

So perhaps that is the safest way to go.

But I definitely WOULD NOT just throw a bag of pills in the car and drive them across town to a drop off point--that would be a huge legal risk.

Fire, Corrections, and EMT Employee Unions sign MOU's Allowing for 3% Pay Increases to Flow

First Responders and Corrections employees are receiving 3% raises effective immediately now that MOU's have been signed..... 

....And with these raises----it makes 8 of the last 9 years (according to the information I have)--- that these corrections and first responder employees have been given 3% increases by the Escambia Board of County Commissioners, similar to what we have funded for Sheriff's Deputies over the same period of time....

Now, the county and these unions are still bargaining over other issues, but these MOU's allow the employees to get the raises right away without any hold ups or slow downs as the bargaining continues. 

I know that our county values, respects, and supports our first responders and corrections employees--and I am especially grateful for what they do in our community.  They definitely do deserve these pay increases (over 20% over the last 7 years) that the county has provided!  See the MOU's below.

Join us This Wednesday Morning for our 28th Coffee With a Commissioner Event!

Our 28th Coffee with a Commissioner Event is this Wednesday Morning from 6:30-7:30 at the McDonalds Restaurant at Hwy 98 and Blue Angel Pkwy

Join us for our monthly informal coffee with the commissioner event.  It is casual, informal and we can discuss whatever topics of interest you would like to discuss.  Come on out, have a cup of coffee with me and county staff and let us know how we can serve you better!

There was a Brief Discussion on the Sheriff's Law Enforcement Trust Fund Process this past Thursday

Staff has now confirmed, after some confused statements from the dais last Thursday, that the ECSO does not send any money to any outside organizations for which funding from the Law Enforcement Trust Funds (LETF) is contemplated and requested--- prior to pre-approval by the BCC.  This is exactly how the process should be handled under Florida statutes....

This past Thursday there was a brief discussion among my counterparts about the process for disbursing funds from the County's Law Enforcement Trust Fund.  This discussion came as a sort of a shock to me, as I was under the assumption that we had ironed out the kinks in the previous process and had arrived at a place where the process was working well, and working as contemplated in statutes (i.e. ECSO vets requests for funding then makes recommendations for funding to the BCC, then the BCC votes, and then AFTER the BCC votes on the recommendations--the organizations are funded)

A question during the public forum led to some confusion among some on the dais which ultimately led to an inaccurate statement about the process being made at the meeting, which led to me asking some pointed questions for clarification to insure we were still doing what we are telling folks we are doing--which is approving requests from the Sheriff (and showing great deference to him and his selections for awardees) before funding occurs.  And come to find out--that is exactly what is happening.  After the discussions I confirmed with staff that the LETF funding for organizations from ECSO only occurs AFTER the BCC votes to approve such funding.

In the past, the funding allocations were made, and then the BCC was sent information after the fact to approve--which was a backward process and did not comport with statutes.  So that process was fixed and we are doing it correctly now.  Hopefully everyone on the dais now knows that the process is working correctly, and that NO public funds are sent and NO checks are cut from any public funds prior to BCC approval of requests from the Sheriff.  From the staff assessment that I requested after the confused statements at the meeting:

"The LET Fund had the following deposited revenues:

FY18/19 - $424,249.76

FY17/18 - $366,216.04

The $424K will be on the rebudget SBA at the 11-7-19 BCC Meeting. By statute we cannot budget for these funds during the budgeting process, we use the actual collections to establish the budget in the new Fiscal year.

The Sheriff consistently generates $300-400k each year in the LET.

The Clerk would hold that LET payment until the funds are officially recognized by the BCC and added to the budget.

I have emailed the Sheriff's office to verify how these agency funding requests are handled...

Handling of LET Requests:

The Sheriff’s Office brings the LET requests to the board for approval, after BCC approval they cut a check from their General Fund, get all appropriate backup/documentation for these funding requests, then submit to the Clerk’s Office to record the expense to the LET and reimburse the Sheriff’s General Fund. They do not fund an agency request prior to the BCC approval.

I confirmed this is how they are handled with the Sheriff’s Office."

US Fish and Wildlife Completes Initial Review of Perdido Key Beach Access #4 Plan

Progress is being made in our ongoing quest to open a 300' Gulf-Front parcel the county owns on Perdido Key so that our citizens can access the beach here.  Currently, only nearby condominium residents are able to access our beach.  This is going to change.....

It has been an ongoing saga, the attempts to do what we said we would do with a large piece of Gulf-front property the county acquired back in 2013 for the express purpose of habitat protection/stabilization and public beach access.

Up until last year, the county had done neither.  And the only folks using the property were nearby condominium owners who had a private beach walkover, which they kept padlocked.  Average citizens could not access the beach as it was gated off with NO TRESPASSING signs all over it.

But we are correcting this.  An initial plan pointed to the fact that we could get as many as 44 parking spaces in this property while still maintaining the habitat.

(For those that want to read up on the long and contentious history of this project, you can read all about it here)

Yesterday, Tim Day from our Environmental department let us know that the new plan which the US Fish and Wildlife Service has now had the opportunity to comment upon, is moving forward.  We have lost a few parking spaces, but it looks as though we will still be getting around 37 parking spots in the new layout.  We will #OpenOurBeach  I requested a new rendering of what this will look like, and I will post it when I receive it.  Meanwhile, this is what we were told yesterday:

"I have received preliminary comments back from US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) regarding a concept design for the beach access on Perdido Key (former Sundown Condominium).  It appears that with minor revisions to the site plan, this project is ready to enter the County Development Review (DRC) process. Highlights of the current design are as follows:

·         Parking spaces = 37

o   Additional beach mouse corridor width has been provided on the west side of the site to offset minimal corridor on the east

o   USFWS continues to express a level of concern with more than “a few parking spots,” but acknowledges “the size and shape of the non-habitat led to that.”

·         Dune walkover has been eliminated in favor of using Mobi-Mat (or similar) product that will provide on-grade ADA access as well as a drivable surface for the fire department to access the Gulf of Mexico for water rescue operations

·         USFWS has concerns regarding a restroom amenity. I expect to work through those concerns as the Site Plan and Management Plan for the project are completed.

·         Please note it is possible that additional modifications may be required as a result of the DRC process and/or final comments from FWS.

The last Board discussion regarding the planning for this project was on October 18, 2018. At that time the Board authorized $50,000 towards “procurement and planning aspect.” I am currently working with the design engineer to update the draft site plan and then intend to initiate the DRC process."

Perdido Bay is Improving

I toured the 1200 acres of International Paper's wetlands (pictured) just north of Perdido Bay earlier this month.  This particular picture was taken at the point where the IP effluent drains from their pipeline into the first part of their 3-stage polishing wetlands.  (photo from Whitney Fike, International Paper)

Over the last several months there have been numerous discussions of Perdido Bay.  In the media, in the BCC's chambers, and between myself and the experts who study the science of this issue.

I had a great sit down with FDEP in June.

I toured IP's site just this month.

I've spoken with multiple scientists and other experts on this topic.

And what I have heard from the experts with whom I have spoken is that Perdido Bay is improving as a water body..it is making drastic improvements compared to just two decades ago.

I've been out there fishing off and on for years--as my brother owned a place on Perdido Bay on San Sebastian Circle from 1996 until Ivan Destroyed the home in September of 2004. He kept the property for another 5 years after that and I fished a lot from his dock. I caught a lot of redfish from his dock, tons of other species as well to include catfish, croaker, and speckled trout.  I remember there were crab traps tied to the dock and they would produce lots of Blue Crab.  This was in the late 1990s and through the late 2000s.

Fishing on Perdido Bay in December of 2000 with
 my then 4-year old son Nick.

fast forward to 2019, and I am told the bay was in the worst shape of all during that time-frame--the late 1990s and early 2000s.

But even then aquatic life was present in the Bay--to include dolphins and even the occasional shark.

The studies done by Nutter and Associates in support of IP point to a bay that is improving.

An independent study conducted by concerned citizens also showed that Perdido Bay is improving.

I have gone so far as to request county environmental staff conduct redundant testing behind the IP contractor and I have stated I will pay for this testing out of my own discretionary funds.  If there is a problem, I want to know about it.  But at some point we do have to look at the data with an unbiased perspective and realize that yes, this body of water is improving and we cannot make IP a villain on anecdotal data and assessments.

At our BCC meeting yesterday, there were multiple discussions about Perdido Bay--culminating with a presentation about the county's water quality monitoring program at the very end of the meeting.

Once again I asked, point blank about our monitoring station on Perdido Bay which is sampled and tested once monthly by our staff.  I asked for the readings for the last 2 year period and I received those results.  From the county water quality specialist who specializes in this field, Mr. Brent Wipf

"This data does not suggest a surface water quality impairment for any of the parameters collected under the county ambient water quality program."

See the data below taken from the northern waters of Perdido Bay:

Catfish!

Cartoonist Andy Marlette just loves to let me rent space in his head.  It is so funny.  Between his never ending barrage of attacks on Christianity, our President, the First Lady, our Congressman, our State Representatives, Well-established and well-respected local employers, and others that are conservative-he still manages to do cartoon after cartoon about me...One after another.  I'm almost like a "regular" in his rotation, LOL.

Apparently--he also likes to play Catfish as well, as evidenced by his more recent cartoon of me.

  Problem is, he is the one who has already been catfished by whomever his "Patron" Du Jour is.  Yes, yes, anyone who he is told to keep the gloves off with, he subserviently, obsequiously, and like a good boy does just that.  No cartoons.  He is very, very obedient.  Everyone else is a target.  Now, he likes to say about himself, in an awkward attempt to be self-deprecating "I'm just an idiot cartoonist."  And he is that, and so much more...  You see, he tries to write his opinion pieces as if they are fact-filled news pieces sprinkled with his "wit" and "humor" (which isn't even funny)

But someone like me that does not genuflect

IMPACT 100 Gives Pensacola a Huge Win in the Fight to Prevent Opioid Overdose Deaths

Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola receives $106,000.00 to start a free distribution of NARCAN program locally

IMPACT 100 is one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the Pensacola area.  This organization consists of over 1,100 women from our community who each give $1,000.00 yearly to a fund that in turn donates this entire amount to multiple worthwhile nonprofits in the area. They give back 100% of their membership dues to charitable groups that benefit the community--this year that total is more than $1 Million Dollars.

IMPACT 100 groups are found throughout the nation and in Australia and Canada--however Pensacola's chapter is the largest in the world!  This year IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area awarded 11 grants of $106,000.00 each to 11 very worthwhile recipients in our community.  NorthEscambia.com  did a nice succinct rundown of who won what in this article.

One 2019 recipient in particular will start a program to save lives locally, from day one of implementation of this grant, with the distribution of NARCAN to members of our community that request this lifesaving drug.  In addition to distribution of this NARCAN spray (which can be administered to someone who has overdosed on an opioid--and works even if the person is not breathing)-the award recipient, Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola, will also begin a marketing and awareness campaign about NARCAN and how it can save lives.  Currently-there are faith-based health clinics around the state that are distributing this lifesaving drug--however before this program got funded Sunday the closest location where a citizen could get NARCAN spray for free was three counties away in Walton County!

With this grant award, the Health and Hope Clinic will bring this program where it is desperately needed--the greater Pensacola area.

Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola receives $106,000.00 to start a free distribution of NARCAN program locally

Escambia County has joined a growing number of municipalities and counties nationwide in suing the companies that profited from these opioids that have taken so many lives.  The largest of these companies has already sought bankruptcy protection.

Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of citizens overdose yearly nationwide.  Many by accident.  In 2017 alone in our 2-county area----more than 500,000 legal prescriptions for opioids were filled! These medications can be highly addictive within weeks for some users and sometimes, unfortunately, this leads to tragic consequences right here in our community.

Because when someone overdoses on these drugs, the breathing stops and permanent brain damage and/or death can occur within 6-7 minutes.

But this NARCAN spray, if sprayed into the nostrils of someone who has passed out, can bring them back from the overdose and save them.

The IMPACT of this grant is it will save lives locally---and that is a great thing!

Thanks IMPACT 100 and congratulations to the Health and Hope Clinic of Pensacola!

What Happens Next for Our Pensacola Civic Center?

I was asked questions about the Pensacola Civic Center's future in a recent interview with the media....  

So what's next for the Civic Center?  This was the question I was asked recently by Inweekly Reporter Jeremy Morrison.  I have no idea whether or not an article will come from the wide ranging conversation we had on this topic--hopefully one will.

I express doubt about whether or not there'll be an article because I have had two equally long conversations with Inweekly regarding IP and Perdido Bay--and no article has yet to appear in the Inweekly so far as I have seen on those topics either.

But because the Civic Center, and what to do with it going forward, has been such a focus for me personally since I have been a commissioner--I'll just go ahead and post what this discussion entailed in the event that it does not appear in the next issue of Inweekly--because it is a topic of importance.

"So what's going on with the proposal to replace the Civic Center"  was Jeremy's first open-ended question.  My answer went a little something like this:  "There is a group of individuals that have brought a series of proposals to leverage the opportunity to use Triumph Gulf Coast funds, along with their own organic resources and current TDC monies the BCC are already utilizing, in order to build a new event center AND a field house.  There was a previous plan that included new-market tax credits, but that plan could not garner three votes from commissioners and it failed"  was my first response.  Then I continued "This group has refined their proposal, and it will be about $80 Million total, with an anticipated injection of up to $30 Million from Triumph which would be requested after the construction is completed (this group would finance the planning and construction upfront).  The debt service and operations of the new facilities would come from the money we are currently using for the Civic Center yearly--which amounts to $2.8 Million in TDC funds--or "Bed tax" dollars.

"Why do you think this is a good deal?"  was the essence of his next question.  To which I gave the following qualified responses--after stating to him unambiguously that I had yet to see the finished, final proposal and that my final opinion would be based upon a thorough analysis of THAT SPECIFIC DEAL. But based upon what is known now-here are the reasons I believe this project has great merit:

1.  It requires no new revenue from the County's LOST or general fund
2.  It will be financed and construction will be managed with a guaranteed completion timeframe by the P3 partners who brought the plan
3.  If Triumph balks and does not approve money toward the deal--there is no deal (no obligation)
4.  If approved by Triumph Gulf Coast and the Escambia BCC, the project will provide a field house AND a new 6500 seat event center-which will better accommodate events like Pensacon.
5.  The field house part of the project will attract indoor events during our cold weather months which will help us bring in outside dollars and spending in hotels, retail, and restaurants during the historically slowest portions of the year.  This plan also gives our community a second sheet of ice which increases availability for youth hockey, figure skating, and public ice skating--all of which generate revenue.
6.  The project allows us to build in the existing Civic Center footprint with no loss of this venue during construction (i.e. construction occurs and the current Civic Center remains open until the new facilities are ready for use--at which time the new facilities open and the current Civic Center closes simultaneously)
7. This project, if approved,  would require neither an increase to the current 4% bed tax, nor a reduction in that portion of our increasing bed tax revenue yearly that is dedicated to tourism promotion.
8.  It is my understanding that the new proposal includes a large parking structure that the City of Pensacola will pay to construct.

What if any, are the problems and challenges with this proposal?  Was Jeremy's next question..to which I gave the following issues as challenges:

1.  A new study must be conducted to show the economic value of the project and that it meets with the criteria established by Triumph Gulf Coast for funding from that entity.
2.  Under state law, the BCC must advertise this topic and invite additional submissions from unaffiliated but potentially interested entities before we can simply move forward with the currently interested party that has expressed desire to submit a new, revised unsolicited proposal for replacing the Civic Center. (that's a mouthful)
3.  The proposal must withstand the scrutiny of the BCC, the media, and other community leaders before it will realistically move forward.
4.  Another concern that is loud and prevalent is that the new event center will seat significantly fewer people than the existing Civic Center  (6,500 versus around 10,000)
5.  There is a legal concern that under the TDC legislation, continued utilization of existing bed tax revenue for a new or replacement facility may not be permissible.

What happens with the Civic Center if this latest deal does not get done? Was the final question Jeremy asked.  My answer was pretty straightforward:  "If we don't do this, then my feeling that I have repeated frequently is that we need to bond the existing amount we are spending yearly on the Civic Center ($2.8 Million) from the TDC for 20 years and use this to generate about $20-30 Million.  Then we need to utilize these proceeds to renovate and modernize the existing Civic Center so that we can get another 20 years out of this facility.  New marquee, new scoreboard, LED lighting, new restrooms, soundproofing, new luxury boxes, modernized climate control systems, new seats, new optimized seating layouts, new ice plant, new boards for the hockey, all of the above, the whole kit and kaboodle-whatever we need to do to get another 20 good years from the building" was my response.  "We have got to fish or cut bait, we've kicked the can long enough and it is way past time for us to take action on this" Is how I finished the interview.

The Pathstone Development on 9-Mile Road will not Connect to Klondike for Day to Day Commuters....

Pathstone is a massive mixed-use development that is being planned for Beulah just south of 9-Mile Road--across from the Navy Federal Credit Union Campus.  Some neighbors feared this development would hook into Klondike Road for southbound egress.  This is not happening.

This view of the southeastern portion of the proposed Pathstone Development shows a 50' Public Emergency Access Easement (highlighted in yellow) that will be included with the development.  This easement will connect Pathstone to Klondike Road but it will only be utilized in emergency situations by emergency vehicles..the gate will be locked and only first responders will have the key

Numerous  residents  that currently live off of Klondike Road have expressed to me their concern that the massive development coming in just to the north of them will dump traffic onto Klondike Road--a road that simply could not handle this sort of an increased load of traffic.

I have confirmed this week that the Pathstone mixed-use development will be utilizing the soon to be 4-lane 9-Mile Road exclusively for ingress/egress of residents and visitors.  There will be no "day to day" commuter traffic diverted downward through this development and on to Klondike Road.

I was asked the following hypothetical question by a concerned resident that lives nearby.  "What if the Pathstone developers purchase a piece of property that already connects to Klondike--could this allow them to build a road through to Klondike that would allow traffic from Pathstone on to Klondike?  The answer, which I received from county staff today, is that such a scenario--if it were to come to pass--would not be approved by the county's road staff.  Klondike, as it sits, cannot handle the additional traffic.  There will be a roadway connecting Klondike to the southern portion of Pathstone--but it will be gated and locked and only utilized in emergency situations and only by Fire, EMS, or Sheriff's Office personnel.

Political Signs.....

Once again our local cartoonist is furious mad because of my very existence.  "How dare I challenge him and his editorials!" is the thought I'm sure is running through his head.

I answered his dishonest cartoon which was built on lies about the recent tragic death of a dog in 11-Mile Creek in District 1.  I caught him in the lie and posted the truth and apparently Andy didn't like that..... He also didn't like my assessment of his tripe cartoon on this radio interview I did. He definitely hated what I had to say about his cartoon at our meeting--and he certainly did not like this blog post that covered that incident that came out in Rick's Blog

"He can't handle the truth!!!", Col. Jessup would scream at Andy! (if Col. Jessup was a real person....)

So----- because I push back and tell the truth instead of genuflecting to the ignorant and dishonest cartoon published about a tragic incident in my district---I get another cartoon--LOL. 

Great to see I am once again renting space in Andy's tiny head.  Yes, yes, we know he is mr bigshot cartoonist...yes, yes we know.  I could care less.

And I can tell you from my meeting with he and his editor a few months back---he sure has a thin skin about his art being manipulated and turned back on him.  He cried like a little girl to his editor..

"He's taking my cartoons and changing the words around!!!!"  He squawked loudly......  He sounded like Ned Beatty's character in Deliverance, squealing like a Pig.  About a decade ago he did the same thing when he had Jeremy Knipper call me to say I couldn't manipulate his cartoons...because "Andy doesn't like it!"

Too bad.

So yes, for today, he took a day off from Bashing our President, Attacking our Congressman, Assaulting the reputations of  large local employers, denigrating conservative locally elected officials, and mocking Jesus and Christianity...he took a brief pause to do another cartoon of yours truly......Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha  Have a great weekend Andy!


 I'm really renting space in his head--and  dangit he doesn't like it!! 

Buyer Beware: The Pitfalls of "Private" Infrastructure....

This retention pond  in Beulah was certified and accepted by the state and the county, but then did not function properly and had to be rehabilitated.  It worked for a while, but now I'm hearing it's again not functioning properly....but now the subdivision's HOA (meaning all the homeowners) own(s) it-not the developer or the county.

We no longer allow subdivisions to construct private sewage lift stations.  That practice has ended and in the fallout of this previously allowed practice, many unsuspecting homeowners have had to pay to upgrade these systems when they fail--and unbeknownst to most of these folks, the county's sewer utility provider ECUA would not accept or take ownership of these systems unless and until they were repaired and brought up to "current standards."

So several subdivisions have had to pay big money ($550,000.00-700,000.00) just for the "privilege" of fixing these lift stations and giving these systems back to ECUA, the utility that should have owned these systems in the first place.  We have Deerfield Estates, Creekwood, and Creekwood Oaks that have finished this process.

Twin Spires and Huntington Creek are still grappling with how to solve their collective issue with their private lift station...in that particular instance, there are lawsuits going and some homeowners are trying to figure out how to get that lift station turned over to ECUA while another faction just wants to be out from under the lift station all together.  In that case the lift station has been repaired and is operating at the moment--but some residents want the peace of mind of having that equipment owned by the utility provider, ECUA-without ongoing maintenance and/or repair costs hanging over their collective heads.  They want this even if they have to pay a lot to get it up to current standards--and that will be a high-dollar fix.

So as we in the county contend with the last of the private sewer lift station issues, the next big issues for residents could be other private infrastructure that is still allowed to be constructed by developers and turned over to the HOA of a development after a 2-year period.  These other features include stormwater retention ponds and roads and sidewalks.

We have had major issues with retention ponds in Beulah.  Navy Oaks has a major issue brewing, Woodlyn Meadows has had major problems with one of their ponds, and of course there were multiple ponds at Deer Run that had to be rehabilitated.

I'm told another large, well-established D1 subdivision recently had to assess their residents around $800,000.00 in additional home owner fees  to repair some storm ponds for which they had not set aside sufficient funds.

So it is imperative that when buyers purchase homes they ask a lot of questions about these particular items...to save MAJOR heartache in the future. Then decide--are you willing to accept this risk/responsibility?  Over the last several years the county has worked with our real estate community and title companies to insure that disclosures are accurate and list all of this for the purchaser.

But at the closing table lots of documents are passed and signed in the excitement of the moment.

How many of us actually read all the fine print?  (I know I never have in the past...But I will from now on!!)

Because of all I have seen in cleaning up or being a part of cleaning up some of these problems, I suggest that buyers ask questions and verify answers before they consummate any real estate purchase..and I'd start with these:

1.  Who owns the stormwater retention ponds, who maintains them?
2.  Are the streets, sidewalks, and storm-water facilities public, or private?
3.  Is this home connected to ECUA's sewer?
4.  Does this home have grinder pumps (which burn our and must be replaced every 7-10 years at $6k a shot)?

Of course there are dozens of other, additional questions that should be asked by purchasers as well.

But based ONLY on what I have seen and learned in dealing with these issues as a county commissioner for just three years--I'd say ask about everything, and get answers to everything, before you sign on the dotted line...

What Happens When Some American Manufacturers Are Forced to Go Offshore?

The PNJ Cartoonist HATES IP and wishes they were gone.  If he had an "easy-button" to make that happen unilaterally, I'd venture a guess that he'd press it fast---based upon his scathing, slanted, and sloppy attacks on this company..... But then what would happen?

The sustained attacks on International Paper's Cantonment mill from the Pensacola News Journal and their cartoonist are incredible and borderline surreal.  I wonder what caused this to erupt like Mount St. Helens?  I heard about the issues, I studied them, met with the Florida and Escambia County environmental experts, engaged with IP, and toured these IP wetlands facilities in person.  The PNJ, by contrast, has never once visited these sites nor have they asked for a tour of the wetlands according to IP officials with whom I met last week.  But this doesn't stop PNJ from attacking this company day after day, week after week.  Very strange....

But setting this aside for a moment, I can't help but point out the fact that if the PNJ and Andy Marlette got what they apparently want--a full and complete closure of that Cantonment mill---things would get WORSE for the environment.  Yes, WORSE!

You see, when manufacturers go overseas where environmental laws are much more lax, most of these companies obey the more lax local regulations on employment, pay, and pollution. That's why Apple subsidiaries came under fire for their labor practices overseas. That's why the Tijuana River is a sludge-filled mess that forces San Diego beaches to close for a half-year at a time.  There are hosts of other examples.  Anyone remember Union Carbide and Bhopal?

And when enough American and European firms "offshore" to get out from under US environmental regulations-- the planet as a whole absorbs MORE pollution in the process!  Will someone please wake Andy and the PNJ up and tell them this?

Granted this pollution is typically thousands of miles away and not in America's backyard, so to speak.  But it is more net pollution for the planet.  I wonder if those that want to shut this mill down get this concept?  Do they care?

Our history in the US on environmental issues is ugly.  Rachel Carson's Silent Spring woke a lot of people up.  We had some rivers that caught fire.  Yeah--we were not perfect.  But then we passed a lot of laws.  Lots of them.

And we're getting better, our environment is improving as we implement new laws, rules, policies, and regulations. We at least have standards and laws that must be met.  Other countries like India, China, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Mexico, and Bosnia  Herzegovina-to name just a few- well, let's just say they don't regulate like we do...

So if Andy had his way, the local Mill in Cantonment would close, 600 locals would lose their good jobs, The community would lose $250 million in yearly economic impact, the production of pulp and paper would move overseas, more pollution would occur, the workers in the new host country would be paid far less, the same products produced here now would be produced overseas and would subsequently cost the same as now-- as the company would factor in the shipping and other charges to the final costs for U.S. consumers (and the company would probably make a bigger profit to boot).

Does that sound smart to anyone other than this cartoonist?!?  Uh, I doubt it.

Thank God nobody lets the cartoonist make any real decisions other than what new tactics he will employ to unfairly attack President Trump and other conservative elected officials locally.

Legal Fee Reimbursement Will be Requested by Commissioner Underhill

How much will it cost to reimburse the legal fees of a commissioner who prevailed in a lawsuit filed against him?

Upon hearing about the dismissal of the defamation case against Commissioner Underhill last week, our attorney notified us that the issue would more than likely be on the board's agenda for our meeting on the 17th of this month.

This does not surprise me, as the issue between Commissioner Underhill and the Plaintiff was settled via a summary judgment in Commissioner Underhill's favor.

And I have confirmed with knowledgeable staff on this that the request for reimbursement is coming, it will be asked of the board.  So far, though, nobody has seen an invoice or an amount paid for this victory.

I do know that the discussions about whether or not to pay the legal fees became heated several months back;  many in the public were opposed to paying these fees, as the thought process then was that the conduct at issue which drew the suit appeared to be outside of the "duties of a commissioner."

But with this ruling and with this order--that previously accepted line of thinking might be changing (which, incidentally, benefits all public officials that are outspoken on social media).

From the judge's order in Commissioner Underhill's Ruling:

"It is not beyond the orbit of the county commissioner to engage in discussions with the public regarding matters pertaining to policy. Denial of immunity in the context of this mutually desired debate, including statements intended to undermine the messenger to attack the message, would relegate the immunity to be so uncertain to chill communication.....

   ....The absolute privilege of affording immunity has  been  proven"

Those are pretty strong words from the judge----yet I anticipate much public comment on this prior to a vote by the board on paying the legal fees.

I anticipate much discussion among the board members, too.

If the board votes to pay the fees, I think the matter ends abruptly.

If the board votes NOT to pay the fees, I believe we, ourselves, would be subject to a lawsuit to compel us to pay.

What else could happen?  Well, the board could wait to see if any appeal would be filed to this judge's ruling--and wait for final disposition of the appeals.  I guess it is not outside the realm of possibility that the Board could disagree with the Judge's opinion that the conduct that drew the suit was within the scope of this commissioner's duty?  That seems unlikely though.

Much of this could hinge on how much the fees are/were for this victory---that's my opinion.  Could it be less than $5,000.00?  Nobody knows.

Regardless of cost, regardless of what anyone thinks about this commissioner or this suit--this was a very profound ruling in today's ever-changing political world as it collides with the world of social media and free speech.

It will be an interesting discussion on the 17th.