Guidelines

I am one member of a five person board. The opinions I express on this forum are mine only, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Escambia County Staff, Administrators, Employees, or anyone else associated with Escambia County Florida. I am interested in establishing this blog as a means of additional transparency to the public, outreach to the community, and information dissemination to all who choose to look. Feedback is welcome, but because public participation is equally encouraged, appropriate language and decorum is mandatory. Although this is not my campaign site for re-election--sometimes campaign related information will be discussed, therefore in an abundance of caution I add the following :








Friday, March 20, 2020

Close the Beach! Don't Close the Beach!

Image result for pensacola beach
Some folks are demanding we close the beach.  Many are pressing us to keep the beach open.  This get's discussed and deliberated later this morning at a special meeting of the BCC


Yesterday I was lobbied.  Into the evening late I was receiving calls, emails, text and facebook messages.

"You're not voting to close the beach are you?" asked one man who has a family member in the restaurant business.

"You are going to vote to close the beach tomorrow, right?" asked a high-ranking government official that called.

"We are really encouraging you to close the beach, and follow the lead of other nearby communities" stated one health care executive that put a call in to me.

"Do not close the beach--I go every day and that is why I live here!" wrote one constituent on facebook.

So it is split right about down the middle.  Some constituents want a total lock down and some others want to see the beaches remain open.

A special BCC meeting has been scheduled later this morning at 11:00--and I was told the subject of the beach would be on the agenda.  And it is.

But the newspaper and channel 3 are reporting that "Pensacola Beach will remain open!" after a press conference with one of my counterparts, hoteliers, and the media yesterday.

So who knows what will happen.

I'm hearing Santa Rosa county may reverse their opinion later this morning and close Navarre.

I'll be, more than ever before, listening to the health professionals and their advice later if this becomes a vote that we must take.  Lives come first.  Common sense and sanity are a close second.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Might as well bite the bullet and do the right thing and close the beach and reevaluate in 7 days! Tough decision

Anonymous said...

Perdido was nourished with an emergency FEMA berm after Ivan and subsequently received tax money to use the off shore borrow pit and dredged sand yet some one intervened and failed to place it in front of the FEMA berms and put the sand on the park areas and failed to place it in front of the condos and then lied about it no longer being criticality eroded.

The intent was to put up the berm then follow up with the dredged sand.

So technically that was tax fraud and the beach is really public.

Commissioner Underhill should be removed for tax fraud. He is a liar and a cheat.

People say don't play politics now but perhaps while home, you can settle this once and for all for future generations.

Prove anonymous wrong. I don't think you can. Of course it's closed right now but I think after this people should just go ahead and walk there all they want then see if they can make that stick, if arrested go from there-- then have all the records showing what has transpired.

To quote a local activist:

"Discovery's a Bitch Babe"