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.

ADC Recap- Washington DC April 8-10 2024

 

ADC Recap:  Economics, Resiliency, and Creative Partnerships

 

At the Defense Communities Summit in Washington DC this week—what resonated with me as I watched the various presentations was the impetus for DoD to be nimble and adaptable. Be it to an economy that is changing, climate that is changing, or budgeting realities that are changing and necessitate innovative approaches.

I attended this event on behalf of the BCC along with a delegation of elected representatives and area business leaders, and I could not help but see some of these challenges presented as being the very same issues we face in Escambia County and Pensacola. We were fortunate to have an private audience with members of Congressman Matt Gaetz’s office, as well as a face to face meeting with the Commander of Naval Installations—where we were able to express our need for funding for a hangar and NAS Pensacola for the Blue Angels as well as funding for a CDC for NAS Whiting Field.  But we were equally fortunate to attend the breakout sessions presented featuring leaders from communities around the nation that are facing similar challenges---to hear from them directly what is working and what is not working so we can (hopefully) model best practices here locally.

Conferences like this one are not simply networking events:  they are learning opportunities.

One of the first presentations I attended was a really engaging economic presentation by Dr. Anirban Basu, Economist, founder, and CEO of the Sage Policy Group. His engaging and entertaining presentation was thematically named the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” in reference to a 1960’s western film starring Clint Eastwood. 

Dr. Anirban Basu, 4-8-2024

But the theme was strangely fitting to our nation’s current economic circumstance. Mr. Basu started out with the “good” which is the housing market—with home prices maintaining their values, despite interest rates that have climbed. Also, a positive in the current market is the low overall unemployment rate—which has been low since the nation recovered from the 2020 COVID 19 recession. The “bad” refers to our current predicament—with inflation at an alarming rate over the last four years and consumer spending on credit at an all-time high. The “ugly”—our national debt and the uncertainty of the future. Mr. Basu, who himself professed to the crowd that he is pessimistic---finished his remarks with his prediction that the nation is headed for recession sometime in 2024.

Resiliency, Infrastructure, and the need for Installations to foster creative partnerships was the theme of the next several panel discussions. The first panel was comprised of the Commander, Naval Installations Command Vice Admiral Scott Gray, Commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Rear Admiral Dean Vanderley, and Mr. James Balocki, Executive Director of the Marine Corps Installations Command. These gentlemen each gave opening remarks and then took questions from the audience. Admiral Gray provided a grim, candid assessment of the state of Naval facilities currently. “The majority of our facilities will be in poor or failing condition by 2027.”  He went on to elaborate on why this is the case, but years and years of deferred maintenance was identified as a main culprit. 

Vice Admiral Scott Gray speaks at ADC 24.  4-8-2024

An audience member asked how this could be, given record debt and historically high budgets for the DoD, to which Admiral Scott replied “We have too much Navy to fund. It is like a family with ten children on a constrained budget—which three kids of the ten are we going to starve?” he mused. “So, we haven’t funded these repairs and this maintenance as we needed to.”  Admiral Vanderley described the challenges with getting contracts pushed out and executed. “We did 500 1391’s [DoD planning and budgeting document for large projects] last year but only moved fifty of them” he stated. Mr. Balocki described the Marine Corps Installations’ priorities, investing in talent, right-sizing unaccompanied housing (40% currently vacant), sustaining force readiness, and maintaining resiliency. A large thrust of this panel’s priority centered around finding creative partnerships with private providers to utilize the private sector to operate and maintain inherently non-governmental functions like water systems and utilities systems—which in many instances and on many installations are failing and/or are unreliable with large numbers of unplanned outages. With respect to being in utilities, Admiral Gray was blunt: “I don’t want to be in your (utility) business.”

Resiliency—Maintaining Mission Readiness with CIRPA

Another interesting session went through the processes by which DoD and CISA (Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency) are working with state and local governments and FEMA to maintain the continuity of vital services that support the military and are national security priorities after major incidents. CIRPA (Critical Infrastructure Resilience Planning Areas) are intended to “be a force-multiplier to achieve strategic national defense and national preparedness/resilience objectives in the 2024-2027 timeframe so that critical infrastructure is ready” when the nation is faced with a crisis. “CIRPA focuses on resilience at the intersection of a subset of critical infrastructure and a subset of National Essential Functions (NEF’s) which are the primary focus of the Federal Government and Small, local, territorial, and tribal governments before, during, and after major national emergencies like pandemics, large-scale terrorist or cyber-attacks, or military conflicts abroad.”

Quality of Life for the Military:  A Big Push Needed

Another panel featured Mrs. Sharene Brown, the wife of the 21^st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. Mrs. Brown has been a strong advocate for the military family as a military spouse for three + decades.   She advocates for resilient communities via a program called five and thrive. This program seeks to improve quality of life for military families in five key areas:  Childcare, education, healthcare, housing, and spouse employment. These five are the biggest challenges to military families and communities as reported by surveys of this community. Creating stronger communities and focusing on these five areas will make such communities better for the military members that serve but also for the civilians in communities that face these same challenges. Red more about five and thrive here.

Houlahan and Bacon, 4-9-2024

Representative Don Bacon (R) Nebraska and Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D) Pennsylvania shared a fireside chat on their collaboration on the House Armed Services Quality of Life panel. Bacon and Houlihan, both military veterans themselves, each shared their views on the situation at hand. “Right now, 1 out of 8 military members is on [snap] food stamps—and that is unacceptable.” Said Bacon. “Our nation’s barracks are failing according to the GAO, housing allowances are insufficient, and military members are reporting difficulties finding appropriate, affordable childcare.”  He continued “2/3 of military members would NOT recommend military service for their children, and this is a problem.”  Houlahan recounted her service and the challenges she faced. “I was a young mother in the military and finding childcare was incredibly difficult where I was stationed. It became one of the reasons I left the active service.”  Both members lauded the work of their bi-partisan subcommittee, and they felt the work was continued in a civil, non-partisan manner. Bacon expressed a desire and a hope to continue the bipartisanship going forward in budget talks, which he expressed to the audience would be challenging. “70% of the Federal Budget is mandatory expenditures, 30% is discretionary—but half of the discretionary is for military expenditures. So, it is going to be challenging to fix the discrepancies and fund the military appropriately” he concluded.

There were various other presentations on ancillary topics—but the lion’s share of the conference centered on how to keep our military mission ready, correct deficiencies with insufficient budgets, while also improving critical infrastructure while making quality of life better for military members and families. Daunting tasks indeed.

Discussions with Navy Leadership

I joined Admiral Don Quinn, Santa Rosa County Commissioner Colten Wright, Pensacola Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Thompson, and Northwest Florida Defense Coalition Executive Director Debbie Graham for a meeting with Vice Admiral Scott Gray, Commander Naval Installations Command. We’re here in Washington DC for the 2024 Defense Communities National Summit. We discussed our area’s challenges and opportunities—and some needs as well: funding for a CDC at NAS Whiting Field and additional funding for hangar repairs at NAS Pensacola. We also discussed base access issues/traffic during Blue Angels practices. Adm. Gray was receptive to multiple potential solutions. Great conversations and we were very appreciative of Admiral Gray’s time.

Tremendous Support and Reception to our Door to Door Outreach

 This weekend we personally visited dozens and dozens of District 1 constituents and voters going door to door, meeting the voters where they live.

No, we didn't just run through neighborhoods and throw stuff on people's doorsteps.

No, we didn't rubber band cards to people's doors...because that doesn't work and people do not like that.

Yes, we met people, took time to hear them, and discussed the issues of district 1 with them.

We had a great reception and I planted dozens of yard signs in D1 yards.

Can't wait to meet as many D1 voters as possible in the lead up to the election on August 20th--and thanks D1 for the tremendous support!

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

Letter from Bender........491 Valid Petitions Verified!

 

Yesterday afternoon, after a particularly productive day visiting with D1 voters face to face, door to door, I received a letter from the office of Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender.

Of the 511 petitions I turned in two weeks back---491 of them were signature verified as bonafide, valid petitions which allows me to qualify for addition to the ballot without paying the $5,500 qualifying fee.

Thanks again to the D1 voters for their overwhelming support by allowing me to quickly collect all of my petitions, nearly two months ahead of the deadline.

Thank you, D1!!

Could a HistoricChurch be a Prominent Component of the Beulah Town Center on OLF 8

 Late last week I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with the Pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Pensacola, Mr. Geoffrey Lentz.  

We had a pleasant conversation about multiple topics, one of which was the pastor's desire to bring an historic church, brick by brick, out to Beulah.  

I love the idea, and he even expressed an interest in rebuilding the historic property on OLF 8 in the town center section of the development which will occur one day.  

Although that would have to be worked out with the eventual buyer of OLF 8--I nevertheless love the idea.  "Some developments go to great lengths to re-create historic looking structures--I actually want to bring an actual historic building, more than 100 years old, to Beulah" said the pastor.  

While he is looking at multiple properties in Beulah, he would certainly consider OLF 8 if the opportunity presented itself.

We talk a lot about the sorts of amenities residents want out here in Beulah; restaurants, retail, parks, green space, a post office, etc.  But every community needs an assortment of places to worship.  Thankfully we already have a number of excellent churches in Beulah.  But there is always room for more.  

So we will see what happens.  In the midst of so much drama, strife, and uncertainty this week, In Escambia County and the nation and world, too------- having a conversation with Pastor Lentz added just the right amount of balance and perspective to level-out this week.

We will see what happens with his proposal.

Read more about it, below.

The Roundabout is a Failure.

.....And later in the morning at the review meeting I will state this publicly---along with what I hope will be an appropriate fix.  The roundabout that was the brainchild of former commissioner Doug Underhill (who pressed for it and actually paid for it with D2 discretionary LOST funds) ----and a few of his fans----- has been installed and has simply been an abject failure.

Engineers designed this, and a construction crew built it.

But it is not functioning well, nor is it functioning properly.

It is too small, and it is not properly centered.  Westbound/Southbound traffic is essentially going straight through the roundabout because they barely have to swerve a little to get all the way through the circle.  There have been a number of fender-benders already.  When it even marginally functions, it slows traffic to a crawl as folks are using it essentially as a three-way stop.  Because the circle is too small.

I spent three days out in Perdido watching the cars try to navigate the roundabout and it is readily apparent it is not working.  I see tire marks all through the middle of the circle where trucks just plow right through it.

In an effort to alleviate this issue, we have reduced speed limits and even recently added rumble strips.

Now folks are upset about the rumble strips because they are effective at slowing cars down.

We added signs, the signs have been knocked down.  The plants in the middle are dying and look bad.  The whole thing is, to use a colloquialism, an epic fail.

So I am tired of tweaking at the margin and trying to put lipstick on this pig.  I've received major backlash on social media, angry emails, and phone calls.  Enough.

Here's the way I see it.  Sometimes the folks that engineer stuff get it wrong.  Look at the Elon Musk Starship that keeps on exploding during the launches.  Sometimes the engineers get it wrong and it is obvious.  As is the case with the Roundabout.

So I'm going to solve it once and for all.

I've asked the engineering department to bring two concepts and we will implement the one that is the best, most cost-effective solution.

1.  Cost to enlarge the roundabout to an appropriate size, and to center it properly so that all three roads are entering the circle at a center point.

2. Cost to demolish the roundabout, and add a traffic signal.

Least expensive option will be implemented.  (Subject to a BCC vote)

To those that love the roundabout--I say this.  "We tried, it hasn't worked."

To those that hate the roundabout--I say this   "We'll enlarge and center it and make it work, or we will put a traffic signal there."

Buc-ee's is Hiring......WOW!

 

Buc-ee's is a phnomenon all to itself.  

I didn't know much about them, other than I had stopped in the locations outside of Tucson and San Antonio on cross country trips from Pensacola to San Diego multiple times since 2004.

They have good prices on gas, a funny logo, they sell shirts, they have clean restrooms, and they have retail floor space larger than Lowe's or Home Depot with ANYTHING you want for sale.  Anything travel related.  And gas pumps in rows.  Lots of them.  They're unique.

A couple of years back a Buc-ees opened nearby--just over the border in Alabama between Mobile and Pensacola.  I've stopped there from time to time for gas and a pulled-pork sandwich on trips out of Pensacola on the I-10.

This past weekend coming off a road trip to New Orleans I braved the crowds to stop at the closest Buc-ees to our area.  There were so many cars trying to get in, the parking lot attendants literally were directing traffic like I was at the L.A. Coliseum to see the Rolling Stones play a concert.  It was ridiculous.  But even with a massive crowd I got in and out quick (and paid about $.20 cents less per gallon than I would have at the Circle K in Pensacola.....)

As I pumped gas I saw the placard on the pump announcing the positions that were open at this local Buc-ees (and the pay).

I guess I must be out of touch --------but some of those jobs pay well.  I mean, over $200K.  WOW!

So it just goes to show we live in a great country, and with a company like Buc-ees, a young person can start a job at the entry level and end up working his/her way up to store manager making a respectable salary.  No college, no student loans, straight in to the workforce.  Not for everyone--but for some this could be a very viable option.  I'm sure they earn this pay, whoever works there----it is retail after all---but WOW!  

Look at the wages, below.  Look at the benefits.  How in the world will McDonalds, BK, and the rest compete with this kind of pay and benefits package??????  No wonder a Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal deal and McDonalds is like $14.68 these days...And a 3-piece Chicken Dinner at Popeye's with a drink is like $15.79.  Funny money.....

(my first job at the Navy commissary in Yokosuka Japan at age 14 paid $2.41 an hour in 1982---my first job in Pensacola at the Popeye's on Navy Blvd in 1984 paid $3.35 per hour-----my oh my have times  changed!)

Napkin Man Goes after Speakers at Public Forum Now!

 "Napkin Man" is not happy.

He likes to send letters to the commissioners and others to express his rather opinionated views.

Often his letters are on cut in half envelopes or napkins, thus the term "Napkin Man."

He has sent some doozies over the year.  Check out these recent ones.  Here, here, and here.

Now, apparently, he is going after speakers at our Public Forums.

This one, below, was recently sent to Public Forum regular Larry Downs Jr.  

Who the heck is Napkin Man?

I've been Invited to be the Leadoff Guest on 1370 WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" Tomorrow at 7:00 AM

I'll be on the area's best morning news talk program, "Real News with Rick Outzen," at 7:00 tomorrow morning.  LOTS of big news to discuss and I will be prepared to discuss it all with Rick.  Tune in live! 

I've been invited to appear tomorrow morning at 0700  on the area's best, highest rated, most-trusted, least biased, least opinionated and most relevant morning-drive news program---"Real News with Rick Outzen" on the area's best news talk station--1370 WCOA.

I am certain we will discuss recent court rulings regarding the theft of county property, the upcoming board meeting next Thursday, recent happenings in the OLF 8 sale negotiations, The HUGE opening of the regional CRF facility in Escambia County, the Children's Trust/CRA issue, the upcoming primary election, and any/all other topics of interest Rick wants to discuss.

Tune in live at 7:00 AM.

It will be a very good discussion with LOTS of information passed.

I'll post the podcast here once Rick publishes it.

Escambia County's Central Receiving Facility will open Mid April

Today stakeholders and supporters of the regional Central Receiving Facility (CRF) in Escambia County met and toured the soon-to-open local CRF.

The facility--to assess and direct patients in mental distress-- is desperately needed locally, as currently Baker-Act patients often end up in emergency rooms of local hospitals where they exacerbate alreadly long wait times.  Additionally, if a Baker Act patient is brought to a hospital's emergency room by law enforcement officers--often the Sheriff's deputy or the Police Officer who brought the patient cannot leave until the patient is admitted to the hospital--which can take hours and hours.

At the new Central Receiving Facility operated by the LifeView Group---Law Enforcement Officers can bring Baker Act Patients to the facility and be released from the call within 7-14 minutes, according to staff who gave a tour of the facility today.  This will allow for the officers to return to duty in the field much quicker than under the current protocols.

Additionally--the CRF will allow for staff to quickly assess the patients and also to provide such individuals with an array of ongoing support services that may not be offered by a Hospital's ER staff members.

With this new facility, slated to be operational by April 15th, Florida will have about 14 such facilities total.

This arrangement, along with the associated support services, will allow the local hospitals to better serve all patients.  

Once the CRF goes live, all Baker Act patients will come first to the CRF, at which point their ultimate destination will be determined.  But in close proximity (within walking distance) to the new CRF are two facilities that can house for treatment on a short term basis as many as 65 patients.

Youth that are Baker Acted will be sent to Baptist Hospital, and the adult Baker Act patients that need to be hospitalized will go to Baptist Hospital and/or Florida West Hospital.

Mental Health continues to be a vexing issue locally--but thanks to all stakeholders who envisioned, championed, and ultimately funded and established this facilty--the processes will be smoother and more efficient for everyone involved.

Thanks to State Representative Michelle Salzman, State Senator Doug Broxson, Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, and the City of Pensacola for their contributions to the establishment of this facility.

Because not only will this facility be better for the patients in distress--it will also be better for the taxpayers, cities, and counties in our area as well financially.

Thanks to Allison Hill and Shawn Salameda for hosting today's tour--and to all who took time from their busy schedules to attend and tour this facility.

See additional pictures of the facility from today's tour--below

511 Petitions, Nearly 2 Months Ahead of the Deadline

Today I turned in 511 signed petitions for my re-election to the Escambia Board of County Commissioners.

Thanks go out to all the District 1 registered voters who signed my petition to get on the ballot.

Because I was able to get these petitions, I will save nearly $5,500.00 in qualifying fees.

Thanks again, District 1, for your incredible support!

Again!

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

Volunteers Step up to Assist Honor HER Foundation

This past week, a group of volunteers from the Marine Corps League of Pensacola teamed up with other volunteers, to include D1 Field Representative Jesse Casey, to assist the Honor HER Foundation.

Honor HER (Honor, Empower, Rebuild) is a local nonprofit that assists women veterans of the armed forces with housing and other support services.

Of an estimated 1.7 million female veterans who have served--approximately 35,000 are homeless around the country.

That is unacceptable.

Locally, the Honor HER Foundation operates a transitional shelter 100% supported by volunteers and community donations.  The goal is to provide temporary, safe living arrangements while simultaneously providing assistance to the local homeless female veterans they serve by providing social services, computer, and job skills training. The aim is to have these ladies become self-sufficient within 12 months.

The idea was the brainchild of founder and veteran Nancy Bullock-Prevot, who tragically died in a traffic accident in 2022.

Others have carried her vision forward and have continued to serve local homeless ladies in a shelter they run on Fairfield Drive in the west side of Escambia County.

Recently, a number of storage facilities that were generously donated to the shelter experienced issues when the wooden foundations upon which these storage sheds were rested began to rot.

In conjunction with the Marine Corps League--a group of citizens and ladies from the shelter constructed a concrete pad upon which all the storage sheds will be placed to prevent the degredation issues encountered with wooden foundations.

The concrete was generously donated by American Concrete founder Billy Campbell.  Jesse Casey, D1 Field Rep, along with multiple community volunteers, completed the work to build out the form and finish the concrete work.

It is truly great to see so many assist with this worthwhile effort---and our area is better for the generous citizens who step up in multiple ways to support our local nonprofits like Honor HER.

Thanks to everyone who participated--and thanks to everyone who supports this worthwhile, effective cause!

91st Coffee with the Commissioner: Bert Thornton Joins Us!

 Check out our 91st Coffee with the Commissioner from Yesterday Morning....

I'll be on Real News with Rick Outzen Tomorrow Morning at 7:00 AM

I'll be on at 7:00 AM tomorrow on the area's best, most listened to, most trusted,  and most highly rated morning drive news program, "Real News with Rick Outzen" on the area's station with the best talk lineup--1370 WCOA

 

I've been invited to appear tomorrow morning on the area's best, most trusted, knowledgable and engaging morning drive news program--"Real News with Rick Outzen" on 1370 WCOA.

I'll be in studio with Rick at 7:00--prepared to discuss any topics of interest he wants to discuss.

-OLF-8

-The 2024 Election

-Jonathan Owen's Ethics Investigation

-New SCOTUS rulings on Elected Officials' Social Media

-This Week's Coffee with the Commissioner at 6:30 Wednesday--Featuring Bert Thornton

Or whatever Rick wants to talk about.

Catch the show live at 7:00 AM--or catch the podcast here once Rick Posts it

91st Coffee with the Commissioner this Wednesday: Bert Thornton on Success and the Value of Mentoring

 

Join us at our virtual 91st Coffee with the Commissioner event this Wednesday, March 20. The live stream will take place from 6:30-7:30 a.m. To join the meeting, visit our Facebook site here: www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/. 

Attendees include County Administrator Wes Moreno, Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore, and author, public speaker, entrepreneur and District 1 resident Bert Thornton, retired President and Chief Operating Officer of Waffle House Restaurants. Moreno will provide an update on county business, Gilmore will discuss public safety matters, and Mr. Thornton will discuss his thoughts on success and leadership in life and the workplace and the importance of mentoring.

Residents are encouraged to send virtual questions and comments they would like to discuss with us during the event through Facebook.

For more information, contact District 1 at 850-595-4910 or district1@myescambia.com. 

Does Recent Supreme Court Ruling Inform Local Board Members' Decisions on Blocking Posters and Deleting Comments?

Do Elected Official Have to Continue to Absorb Online Ad-Hominem Attacks with no Recourse Given the Recent Rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court?  It Doesn't look like legislative Officials do......

The U.S. Supreme Court  has recently ruled on a couple of interesting cases on public officials' social media uses.

Being a public official that uses social media--I am paying close attention to this.

It appears as if the decision turns on whether the elected official has power to act on behalf of the government.  In reading the decisions, It appears as if an elected executive branch official has a greater duty to maintain open dialogue on social media than does an individual member of an elected legislative body (like a school board member or a county commissioner)

This is very interesting because a common phonomemon I have witnessed is one or two posters, or one or two posters with multiple fake facebook accounts, can "hound" elected officials with whom they have personal beefs or animus---with a barrage of attacks and ad hominem's on the elected offical's social media account.

It really discourages dialoge--as most elected officials-------particularly at the legislative level locally----do not establish Facebook accounts tied to their roles because of this hostile, unfair environment.  Because they can't stop a few loud and obnoxious voices from dominating the conversations and initiating unfair, biased, and ugly ad-hominem attacks.

But----according to these new rulings----it appears as if individual members of legislative bodies are not compelled to allow ALL posters on their sites.  Yes, unruly posters can be blocked, and their disgusting attack-posts can be deleted.  Wow.

This is an interesting turn.

Read these rulings, here and here.

Escambia School Board Attorney Ellen Odom analyzed the rulings and provided the below guidance to the Escambia County School Board Members--which appears to be applicable to Escambia Commissioners as well--because we are both legislative branch constitutional offices:

"The Court ruled “When a government official posts about job-related topics on social media, it can be difficult to tell whether the speech is official or private. We hold that such speech is attributable to the State only if the official (1) possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf, and (2) purported to exercise that authority when he spoke on social media.”  In sum, if you place personal political opinions on your personal pages and you have disclaimers stating these are personal political opinions which do not reflect the views of the School Board as a whole, I believe you will be able to disallow comments at all on your personal pages or to block commenters, especially those who engage in abusive language. 

 

Regarding whether a state official “possessed actual authority to speak on the State’s behalf,” the Court ruled “A defendant like [the city manager] must have actual authority rooted in written law or longstanding custom to speak for the State. That authority must extend to speech of the sort that caused the alleged rights deprivation. If the plaintiff cannot make this threshold showing of authority, he cannot establish state action.”

 

There is no written law or rule which requires individual school board members to speak on behalf of the Board on  social media accounts.  In fact, the School Board has long operated under the premise that the individual views of Board Members do not constitute the views of the Board as a whole, and that no individual Board member has the authority to speak on behalf of the Board as a whole unless the statement is adopted as an official statement of the Board based upon a vote taken by a majority of the Board. You have already approved NEOLA bylaws which will clearly state this principle, once adopted.   

 

 As you know, the District has its own social media accounts in which it posts information.  Based upon the tests established today and our long-standing practice (to be adopted as policy), I do not believe that a Court would find that a School Board Member possessed actual authority to speak on behalf of the School Board on social media.  If the School Board Member does not possess actual authority to speak on behalf of the Board on Social Media, then the School Board Member does not violate the law by blocking a commenter.

 

As for the second prong, whether a government official purported to exercise State authority when he or she spoke on Social Media, the Court gave examples of when a government official was exercising State authority or personal authority:

 

“Consider a hypothetical from the offline world. A school board president announces at a school board meeting that the board has lifted pandemic-era restrictions on public schools. The next evening, at a backyard barbecue with friends whose children attend public schools, he shares that the board has lifted the pandemic-era restrictions. The former is state action taken in his official capacity as school board president; the latter is private action taken in his personal capacity as a friend and neighbor. While the substance of the announcement is the same, the context—an official meeting versus a private event—differs. He invoked his official authority only when he acted as school board president.”

 

The court then further refined the examples of state versus private action:

 

“The context of Freed’s speech is hazier than that of the hypothetical school board president. Had Freed’s account carried a label (e.g., ‘this is the personal page of James R. Freed’) or a disclaimer (e.g., ‘the views expressed are strictly my own’), he would be entitled to a heavy (though not irrebuttable) presumption that all of the posts on his page were personal. Markers like these give speech the benefit of clear context: Just as we can safely presume that speech at a backyard barbeque is personal, we can safely presume that speech on a ‘personal’ page is personal (absent significant evidence indicating that a post is official). Conversely, context can make clear that a social-media account purports to speak for the government—for instance, when an account belongs to a political subdivision (e.g., a ‘City of Port Huron’ Facebook page) or is passed down to whomever occupies a particular office (e.g., an ‘@PHuronCityMgr’ Instagram account). 

 

Based upon this, for those of you who maintain social media accounts and occasionally post content related to School Board business, I would recommend you place on your social media pages that it is your personal page or account with the disclaimer “The views reflected on the personal social media page are my views alone and those views do not reflect the views of the School Board as a whole, or any employee of Escambia County Public Schools.”  As long as you are not announcing official action in the first instance on social media on behalf of the Board (which none of you individually have the authority to do under State law), then you will not be found to have engaged in State action.  Remember, the First Amendment only applies to State action, not private action.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions or wish to discuss further.

 

Ellen Odom"

Great Day at the Ballpark!

I was invited to participate in the Opening Day festivities at the Southwest Sports Complex in District 1 Saturday morning.  We were celebrating the 2024 season of youth baseball, t-ball, and wee-ball at the park.

We were also cutting the ribbon on a newly-constructed all-weather, covered batting cage that the county built for the park.

It was a great day.  Lots of happy families, excited players, and extended families celebrating the season's start.

There are more than 300 players signed up, and the park was packed for opening day.  It was great.

Thanks to PBYSA, the volunteers, and the FAMILIES----- for the invite and for all they all do to provide a place for these youth to hone their skills in baseball.  And fellowship.  And leadership.  And socialization.  And the leadership building they are fostering.

(I was also asked to throw out the first pitch which I did.  I didn't bounce it, but my pitch was high and outside, LOL.)

An interesting side conversation I had was enlightening:  "These parks are getting CRUSHED by the utility bills to keep the lights on" said an official familiar with the operations at the SW Sports Complex and PBYSA.  

"3 years ago, our yearly light bill was about $22,000 a year.  Now, it has tripled.  It is $66,000 a year.  and it is killing us." Said this individual.   "Thankfully, we have the travel baseball teams and the tournament promoters who bring tournaments and collect fees which they pay us---otherwise we couldn't afford to keep this afloat"  said this source.  "We couldn't do it without them!"

It is sad for me to hear that the utilities costs are killing some of these programs for kids.  As I walked through the park, it brought back memories of my sons playing baseball at NEP at John R. Jones Park.

But we didn't have the pressure back then that  these families have now.  

I hope they are able to hang in there and sustain these programs for these families and players---but things are changing.  We need to keep these programs in place for the players and the families!

Improved Beach Access #2 in Perdido Key Opens This Morning at 10:00--Provides 6 more Parking Spots than Before!

The crews from Parks and Recreation, Natural Resources, and Public Works  have completed the renovation and modernization and upgrades to Perdido Key's public Beach Access point #2, a full two weeks ahead of schedule.

The effort results in a level, ashpahlt parking surface with striped spots and curb stops.  Because we were able to remove the dilapidated and damaged structure on the property --we have realized 6 additional parking spots, over and above what the previous configuration accomodated.

The dilapidated, vandalism riddled bathrooms were a source of consternation to staff for years.  "Without a staffed presence at all times, parks around the country experience this phenomenon--not just Pensacola" said a staff member with intimate, historical knowledge of the repeated incidences of vandalism at the unmonitored restorrms at Access 2 ane Access 3 in Perdido Key.  He continued "We often found condoms and drug paraphenalia inside the structures along with repeated damage to the sinks, toilets, and fixtures--so there was illegal conduct happening--and the vandalism and repairs cost taxpayers thousands of dollars.  This is the right solution."

So now we have outdoor showers, a paved, level parking surface, Handicapped accessible, portable restrooms that will be encased in wooden lattice frames, and SIX MORE parking spots just in time for the peak of Spring Break.

The portable restoom company will service the portable restrooms on a frequent basis and deal with any vandalism/damage to these portable units, and trash will be picked up 6 days a week during the season.

Next winter, similar work will be completed at Access #3.

Kudos to the staff at Parks and Rec, Public Works, and Natural Resources for getting this done and making this amenity better for all the citizens and for adding 6 more parking spots for the citizens' use!