| Nearly 800 written comments have been received by the county on the topic of whether or not to open our county's public beaches--read them all here if you'd like. |
For the last week and a half, the county has maintained a portal where concerned citizens could voice their opinions in writing on the subject of the beach closure in Escambia County.
In addition to this portal, my office has received more than one hundred phone calls and emails on this topic.
The Administrator's office forwarded this 8MB file that captures every comment from every citizen that went to the website to voice comments and opinions. Some very good comments on both sides of the argument.
This time around--as contrasted with 5 weeks ago--the sentiment is swinging much stronger to "open the beach" among those citizens who have voiced opinions. Here is the total breakdown as provided by staff at close of business (COB) yesterday afternoon.....
"508 Open the Beach (228 are “Open with Restrictions”)
+235 Close Beach
+50 Other Comments/Complaints (not regarding Beaches)
=793 Grand total"
The Board of County Commissioners will be voting this morning on this topic.
9 comments:
THANK YOU for making them all available Commissioner Bergosh. Your continued commitment to transparency is appreciated by so many people. You are definitely the leader for that in our community. Without you being willing to do it, we would have SO much less understanding of what's really going on in Escambia.
--Melissa Pino
Follow-up: it looks like they cut the commenting off at 3:30 pm yesterday? Was that listed somewhere as a cut-off date? My comment won't get reflected in that case, as I waited for all of the current information in the lead-up to the meeting to post a comment. I'm sure others wrote in after 3:30 pm yesterday as well. I apologize if I missed an announce on a cut-off somewhere. Please advise, thank you, Melissa Pino
The sheriff had a couple of good things to say, even with his saying to stay non-partisan and throwing a attack anyway. But he is dead wrong on the fact that folks that come here from out of state only come and go to the beach and not the local WalMart/Target or grocery stores. They all sell beach gear. Can you be dumber. Have him take a drive down to these locations near the beach and ask questions. Ask the workers at the grocery stores. Not saying do not open the beach...Just saying that folks have to get food and other items....And that is where the interaction is going to happen...Your discussions do not even touch any of these. Keep talking about a Pavilion on the beach...can't see the forest for the trees.
The meeting today was the most absolute failure of policy and citizen engagement I have ever witnessed in the county after watching closely for a period of a few years. It woke me up to the reality I've been trying to deny. This Board is a miserable failure, and I have never really come to that conclusion and have had empathy and respect for the monumental decisions you make. You all blew this one. And this was the big one.
To allow protestors in chambers that were not social distancing and allowing speakers disobeying the government stay at home order after you had asked citizen to submit opinions electronically indicated a complete lack of decorum to maintain respect and control in chamber. You let them cut it line. You rewarded disobedience. Bad on Barry. I will now admit he is a coward and I am fatigued by all of it and all of you.
People didn't use face coverings. A complete disregard for others was on full display.
I am disgusted you would allow the add on..for what is was. I turned it off and walked away.
This was madness we all will pay the price for. Speaker's reasoning is so flawed it is not even worth the brain power to try to fathom how they can possibly come to the conclusions they did as far -- as the few public speakers. I came to the epiphany that people really are challenged mentally. I can not believe they come to the conclusions they do with the evidence presented.
They and you are in denial of the seriousness of this pandemic and all I can do is grieve in advance for the monumental mistakes the citizens in Escambia will make these next few weeks.
It's hopeless and so is my faith in this board.
done..just done.
I am just sad to confront this loss of any faith in the local government and engaged citizens.
The add on to open children's sport did me in.
I am just an in a deep dark void, complete loss of faith regarding what is in store for us in the near future because of this day.
Cassandra
We are facing the fact that we are in a pandemic and witnessing the decline of the American civilization. Government and people through the ages are flawed. Life is flawed. For some this was felt on a deep archetypal level at one moment in time.
We are in troubled times. To some it dawned on them yesterday and they will have to find where their hope lies. We are collectively grieving during this pandemic but are at different junctures of awareness and facing the unknown.
The five stages of grief
Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.”
Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?”
Bargaining: “Make this not happen, and in return I will ____.”
Depression: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
Acceptance: “I’m at peace with what happened.”
Or what will happen.
We are in a pandemic.
In Greek Mythology
Cassandra cried at the gates and was said to be insane -- cursed that no one would heed the prophecy, and Troy fell. Perhaps it could not have been have been avoided as civilizations rise and they fall.
History repeats itself and no one gets out alive.
Some are looking at it square in the face and realize there is nothing to be done about it. Seeing it for what it is, not for what we want it to be.
Here is some perspective.
China has 1.3 billion people. In Beijing alone, there are 21 million people. China is HUGE.
There were 4,643 deaths in China, while 77,578 recovered.
In America, there have been 61,361 deaths alone COMPARED TO CHINA and 1.06 million who have recovered.
I am not sure if someone is doing something right or wrong here...
Give it a rest with the Doom and Gloom.......most of us are Just.Over.It.
The tragedy of trusting false numbers
see video
https://www.theepochtimes.com/the-tragedy-of-trusting-false-numbers_3320775.html
I should have added that in America, our population is only 325 million compared to China's 1.3 billion.
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