A Win-Win On the BCC's OLF-8 Jobs Project is Now Within Our Reach!

We are on the cusp of a great win, an exciting and unprecedented opportunity for all of Escambia County with our OLF-8 jobs incubation project.  I'm excited for the possibilities this project will be bringing!  With this as the backdrop---it is unfortunate that this project ---for which we've worked so long and hard--- is being dismantled and the facts surrounding the reasons for this project are being deliberately obfuscated, minimized, watered-down, marginalized, misstated and misrepresented.

Case in Point:  a recent Sunday PNJ Guest editorial regarding the development of Beulah’s OLF-8 property completely misrepresented my position and misquoted statements I have made on this important county initiative.   This hatchet-job attack also glossed over some very important factual details that need to be re-emphasized. 

Because when we are talking about decades of effort by county employees, the private sector, the Department of Defense, and economic development partners region-wide---not to mention millions of taxpayer dollars expended for this property—we must be honest, tell the story truthfully, and maintain the integrity and fidelity of the purpose behind the acquisition of this OLF 8 property. 

the county commenced this project and expended nearly $18 Million in taxpayer funds to acquire this property from the US Navy starting more than two decades ago to 1.) protect the military flight training mission in NW Florida (which has been largely accomplished with Escambia county’s successful land swap with the Navy) and 2.) to create good jobs for Escambia County residents.  Period.

We DID NOT publicly fund this project to get into the residential land development business, the hotel business, to build a giant park, a mini-city, or a mall.

The recent Sunday PNJ guest editorialist, certain developers, and several other self-interested parties appear to be minimizing and downplaying the essential reason(s) Escambia County started this project in the first place.  Apparently, these folks that have not paid attention to the history of this project (and even some who have paid attention and know better) want to naively and passive-aggressively assert that this property somehow just magically fell out of the sky and into our laps while ignoring the real history of how this land was acquired and for what purpose it was pursued.  Worse yet—many of these same individuals espouse that now, like a “tabula rasa” clean slate, we should do exclusively with this land “that which appeals to and benefits nearby residents and special interests exclusively.” 

These entities and their proxies are even pushing massive residential development on this parcel (1900+ new residential dwellings!) AND a multi-story Hotel to boot! 

As Beulah residents, we’ve all witnessed firsthand the problems that have festered as massive residential growth has been allowed to occur without the necessary infrastructure to support such growth.

I, along with the clear majority of the Beulah constituents I represent, DO NOT favor any residential dwellings being constructed on this field!  This is starkly illustrated with a countywide poll recently taken that shows 57% of county residents surveyed support jobs being created on the field, and only 25% want residential construction on the land. In that same poll, an astonishing 85% of county residents surveyed want the county to do more to support high-wage, high-tech jobs!

And as it pertains to a multi-story hotel on the OLF 8 field--there are several nearby Hotels under construction already--- so why would we ever want to get into the business of competing with hotel developers?  Answer: We shouldn’t.

Although I did not create this OLF-8 Jobs project—I inherited it upon taking office in 2016---I do strongly support it.  And as the recently re-elected D1 commissioner, I will never countenance a “bait and switch” job on the other four districts of the county by conveniently forgetting about and

 abandoning the primary mission of this entire property acquisition---jobs---in favor of political expediency. I’ll never support the wholesale abandonment of the County’s $30 Million Dollar Triumph Gulf Coast application and/or our Restore Act Project which has been voted upon multiple times by commissioners.

Instead, I remain convinced that we will all get a “win-win” with this OLF-8 property. 

This will include building some great amenities on the field, perhaps a world-class biking, walking, and jogging trail all around the parcel and through the un-buildable wetlands.  It could include adding some retail parcels along the frontage of 9-Mile Road (which will help reimburse the taxpayers’ investment in the property) as well as a regional park with playground equipment and tennis courts for all citizens to enjoy.  I’d also certainly support some of this property being allocated for a soon to be needed elementary school along with space for a postal annex and restaurants/shops being reserved on the site. 

We can all have these things AND create high-paying jobs in the most high-tech, beautiful and visually appealing buildings that can be designed.  

No smoke stacks, crushing machines, chemical processing, or loud crashing noises….This won’t be an industrial park. 

This will be a high-tech, clean tech, good jobs incubator surrounded by amenities!

And although nobody will get everything they want- there will be something for everyone on the completed OLF-8 project.

This is the win-win that’s within our reach.