Next District 1 Townhall Meeting: THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT---6:00 in Perdido at Perdido Bay United Methodist Church

We will host our next District 1 Town Hall Meeting in Perdido at The Perdido Bay United Methodist Church on Innerarity Pointe Drive on Wednesday, August 7th from 6:00-8:00 PM.

The discussion will focus on current, planned, and upcoming infrastructure projects in this fast growing area of D1 and Escambia County.

Staff from every relevant department will be in attendance and available to answer questions.

I will answer questions and make myself available for any question(s) from any citizen present.

Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend!

Join us for our 93rd Coffee with the Commissioner Online This Wednesday Morning at 6:30 AM Online!

 

    Join us this Wednesday at our virtual 93rd Coffee with the Commissioner event. The live stream will take        place from 6:30-7:30 a.m. To join the meeting, visit us on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/.                                                                               

Attendees will include County Administrator Wes Moreno, Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore, and LifeView Group CEO Allison Hill. Moreno will provide an update on county business, Gilmore will discuss public safety matters, and Hill will lead a discussion with us on the new Central Receiving and Crisis Stabilization facilities, and how both are helping the area serve citizens' mental health needs.

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

Sorrento Road Improvements Coming--BIG FDOT Project Commencing this December

 At last week's meeting of the Florida/Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, some fairly significant news was shared with the group assembled in Gulf Breeze.

A long awaited project to resurface the state's Sorrento Road from Bauer Road Eastward to Blue Angel Parkway is fully designed, funded, and will be let to a contract this December.  

Currently--this roadway is littered with potholes and uneven pavement.  It has also been the scene of numerous fatal accidents over the last several years.

This project will resurface the road, add paved shoulders, and other improvements.  The larger project to 4-lane this roadway is moving up the priority list---from #18 (where it lingered under a former commissioner) to now being #6 under new district leadership.

Look for much more on this roadway-but in the meantime--take a look at the project details, below.

Perdido Bay Boat Ramp Opens This Tuesday at 11:00

 

District 1 and the staff of Escambia County's Natural Resources and Marine Services Division welcome the public to the Perdido Bay Boat Ramp ribbon cutting Tuesday, June 18, at 11 a.m., 10808 Lillian Highway. One or more Escambia County Commissioners may be in attendance.

The boat ramp is Escambia County's first large public access to Perdido Bay. The new 40-acre facility is located on Heron Bayou and includes a two-lane boat ramp, 62 parking spaces for vehicles with trailers, 22 parking spaces for vehicles without trailers, and a stormwater treatment facility. In addition, a new channel measuring at 2,260 feet long by 40 feet wide and a depth of 5 feet has been dredged from the launching facility to Perdido Bay. Additional passive recreational opportunities include a landing area along the Perdido paddling trail with two campsites and 11 acres of wetlands placed into conservation.

“I am excited for all the citizens on Escambia’s west side to have such a fantastic community amenity," Commissioner Bergosh said. "We have all worked very hard for a long time to bring this project to fruition, and I can’t wait to cut the ribbon on this and open it up next week for the boaters of our county."

In 2013, the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners funded the acquisition of the Perdido Boat Ramp property for $1.24 million through Local Option Sales Tax III. Project design was paid through a grant from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Vessel Registration Fees. Construction was funded through U.S. Treasury RESTORE Direct Component funds, American Rescue Plan Act funds and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Natural Resource Damage Assessment Coastal Protection Fund. Hewes and Company, LLC constructed the new facility.

For more information about the boat ramp, please contact Escambia County Natural Resources Management at 850-595-4988.

Bellview Neighborhood Cleanup Next Wednesday beginning at 7:00 AM

A neighborhood cleanup for residents in Bellview will take place Wednesday, Jan. 17. This is a chance for residents to dispose of items such as old furniture, appliances and household waste free of charge. Yard debris is eligible for removal during this cleanup.

Only residents in the designated cleanup area can participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Please have all items for pickup at the curb by 7 a.m. on the day of the cleanup. Items left at the curb outside of the cleanup area will not be collected. If you live in the targeted area, you will have received a postcard in the mail with more information.

Residents can view the boundaries of targeted cleanup areas as well as scheduled cleanup dates for 2024 on the Interactive Neighborhood Cleanup Map.

Items eligible for removal include:

• Household appliances and electronics
• Household junk and debris
• Bicycles and toys
• Old furniture and mattresses
• Barbecue grills
• Household hazardous waste (old paint, motor oil, chemicals, batteries)
• Tires (limit 10 per household)

Items NOT eligible for removal include:

• Building materials (concrete, bricks, blocks, roofing, drywall or lumber)
• Explosives or ammunition
• Auto parts
• Dirt or sod
• Vehicles or vessels
• 55-gallon drums of fluids

Not sure if your item is eligible? Contact Max Rogers, Development Program Manager, at 850-595-3499 or mprogers@myescambia.com for questions about the cleanup.

Since 2016, more than 6,385 tons (12,770,000 pounds) of waste have been disposed of through the Community Redevelopment Agency's Safe Neighborhood Program. During neighborhood cleanups, crew members and volunteers visit different neighborhoods in the county to remove a variety of debris and waste free of charge.

On 1370 WCOA's Real News with Rick Outzen Later this Morning....

I've been asked to be the leadoff guest on the area's best, most accurate, trusted and listened-to morning drive news program "Real News with Rick Outzen" at 7:00 AM.

This morning we will discuss the breaking news on the investigation into the inappropriate, potentially unlawful downloading of confidential, privileged, personal text messages from the county's server and the subsequent unlawful, inappropriate dissemination of this confidential, personal, private information to others by former commissioner Doug Underhill's then secretary.

In addition to this, we will discuss the Perdido Key roundabout, OLF 8 and other issues of interest from last week.

Listen live at 7:00 or catch the podcast here once Rick publishes it.

79th Coffee with the Commissioner:ECUA

Join District us at our virtual 79th Coffee with the Commissioner event Wednesday, Jan. 11. The live stream will take place from 6:30-7:30 a.m. To join the meeting, visit our Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/. 

Attendees will include County Administrator Wes Moreno and Public Safety Director Eric Gilmore. Moreno will give an update on county business and Gilmore will discuss public safety matters. This month's special guests are Bruce Woody, Emerald Coast Utilities Authority Executive Director, and Vicki Campbell, Emerald Coast Utilities Authority District 1 Board Member. The discussion will center around upcoming ECUA projects, challenges with recent cold weather, issues with aging underground systems, recycling and more.

For more information, contact District 1 at 850-595-4910 or district1@myescambia.com. For District 1 updates, follow @MyDistrict1 on Twitter.

Massive Turnout for District 1 Townhall in Perdido--Watch the Complete Event Here

27 Questions

One common need when folks are gathering information and speaking in large and small groups (even one on one) is feedback.  Sometimes a speaker can hazard a guess on how someone or some group is thinking by looking at facial expressions and body language. 

But it isn't exact--not even precise.  Someone may be agreeing with what is said but may be frowning about something alltogether unrelated.

In a one on one conversation you can ask the question:  Do you agree?  Do you disagree?  Or as Pablo Escobar's character in "Narcos" famously (and frequently) asks after stating a course of action "Si or No?"

So what I like to do at my county town hall meetings is to ask the audience agree/disagree questions.  It is an interesting and useful form of immediate feedback for me and staff.  No, it isn't scientific but it does give a really good sense of where the audience is on various ideas and topics.  So these 27 questions, below, are what I will ask the audience at the townhall tomorrow.  And just so everyone knows, and I will repeat this again at the townhall---this is 100% purely voluntary on the part of the attendees, whether or not they will participate.  I find that most do, though.

 

D1 Perdido Town Hall Tuesday October 25th 6PM-8PM

 We will be holding our next townhall in the Perdido/Perdido Key are of District 1 on Tuesday, October 25th 2022.

We will have the gymnasium at Perdido Bay United Methodist Church reserved for this function which will occur from 6:00-8:00 PM on the 25th.

The primary topic will be traffic and ongoing impacts to traffic caused by multiple ongoing construction projects in the are to include work on Sorrento Road, Johnson's Beach Road and Perdido Key Drive, and the intersection of Innerarity Point road and Perdido Key Drive.

We will also discuss all aspects of the multi unit townhomes/marina project which is slated for construction on the north side of the Baars Bridge.

In the lead up to this townhall, I will be publishing all the information I have received on this project thus far, including the traffic analysis and permits received for the project from all entities, Federal, state, and local.  I'll be inviting the developers representative to this meeting to discuss all aspects of the project with the public, and staff from the relevant county departments will be on hand as well to answer constituent concerns and questions.

As I always do at every town hall I host, I will go through every comment submitted and have staff answer questions posed, and any questions we do not have a ready answer for, we will send once we get it to the constituents.

Bring your questions and concerns and we will see you all on the 25th!

Is Florida "Full?"--Is Escambia County "Full?"

 

On member of the BCC publicly stated he feels the State of Florida and Escambia County are "Full" and by implication new citizens should not move here.  Seriously--I can't make this stuff up...

We had a very big agenda at our last BCC meeting on Thursday.  Lots of big issues, lots of important initiatives, and several interesting conversations.

One rather surreal exchange occurred when two of my items on the agenda were pulled for discussion by my counterpart on the board from D2.  These two items, which I think are important and which should not be controversial and which ulimately and eventually were approved by a usual 4-1 vote (with D2 voting against), involved the request for board support for a request to Triumph Gulf Coast for funding support to bring 122 new, good paying jobs to our area.  These jobs would be partially funded via the utilization of BP oil spill penalty funds provided to our area in the wake of the 2010 oil spill.

The wacky conversation was at it's heart built on an incorrect assertion that this Triumph Gulf Coast money is "taxpayer money."  It isn't--it's penalty money paid by British Petroleum for their negligent oil spill in the gulf which harmed our economy significantly in 2010-2011.  But the other part of the conversation that was equally wrongheaded, myopic, illogical, ignorant, and perplexing--was the vocalized assertion by D2  that Florida, Pensacola, and Escambia County are "Full!"  That's right, he actually stated that our state is too "full."

One of the craziest, most selfish things I have heard yet.  Not surprising I suppose, but really, insane.

Here's the thing:  Our state is fantastic--that's why we are the fastest growing state in the country and the third largest state, by population, in our nation.  Great weather, a great governor, great tax structure, plenty of jobs and an overall excellent quality of life.

I get the fact that growth changes things,  I get the fact that growth can be uncomfortable.  But when our nation's population nearly doubles in my lifetime--the growth extends outward and places grow.  That's a fact.  Add to this the reality that there are a lot of great citizens that languish in horribly-run blue states--places with high taxes, inept leadership, no good jobs, and horrible weather --- and these folks end up moving here in droves because Florida is the home of liberty and has the very things these other states lack.  To say we're full, or we shouldn't accept new arrivals, or to set up some bizzare binary choice construct thae crux of which is that current citizens who live here either accept no additional growth or they will totally sacrifice their current quality of life----- is ridiculous.  And inaccurate. And ludicous.   People are coming here because our nation is growing--and people have to live somewhere---and they want to live here.  Good--I'm happy for them.

To be so tone-deaf by having moved here from somewhere else yourself, to have "gotten yours" but now to deny that opportunity to others by saying "we're closed" is the absolute personification and illustration of rank hypocrisy.

Yes, growth must be managed.  Yes, the state and local communities can do better with managing growth. Yes, growth presents challenges.  But it also unlocks opportunity.   And without growth---taxes go sky high and that trend will continue and accelerate for the dwindling numbers of citizens who remain "trapped" in failing blue states.  By contrast--smart growth brings lower taxes, lower costs, diversity in entertainment options, dining options, and employment options, as well as quality of life enhancements.  It also brings new opportunities and new blood and fresh perspectives.

So in many respects it is a competition.  A competition for great, productive and motivated citizens, families, and companines.  Places like Florida (and Texas and Arizona) are winning this competition.  Places like New York, California, and Illinois---complete with dysfunctional state budgets, deficits, high taxes and ineptitude among leaders--are the losers.

And anyone that says we shouldn't take any new arrivals from these other dismal locations is living in la la land.

watch this exchange at 52:55 of this video.

On 1370 WCOA's "Real News with Rick Outzen" Radio Show Later this Morning

I've been invited to appear this morning on the area's number 1 rated morning drive radio program on the area's #1 talk radio station.

I'll be a guest later this morning at 7:10 on the area's #1 morning drive news program-- "Real News with Rick Outzen" on Pensacola's top rated Talk Radio station 1370 WCOA.

I've been invited by Rick to discuss and recap last Thursday's BCC meeting.

Big topics from the meeting that will likely be discussed include:

1.  FPL Letter on Rate Increases

2.  Rural Broadband--Magellan Study

3.  Jail Issues

4.  $4.1 Million in funding to address homelessness in the county

5.  Jail Medical RFP--increasing costs

6.  Johnson's Beach Roundabout cost increases

....as well as other topics that may come up.

Once posted, I will link the podcast here