Another Emotional, Non-Factual Form Letter Email is Making the Rounds....

A toy Gumby doll is, of course, very malleable
and easily manipulated; real
human people should not be....

Another form letter is being sent out to unsuspecting Escambia County residents, with the urging that "this be sent to the commissioners," regarding OLF-8.  We had similar, even more inaccurate propaganda going around a few weeks back.....

I've received a couple of these latest renditions, exactly the same letters.  A chain letter, a form letter.

But it has embedded within it positions that are emotionally-charged opinions--touted as facts-- that are simply not based in fact.

Here's the latest complete letter being promoted:

"Dear Commissioner Bergosh, 

I’m very disappointed that the Escambia County Board of Commissioners rejected the plans that DPZ presented at the December meeting. These are the plans that were developed after meetings  with you and us , the residents in the area, to develop a highest and best use plan for the OLF-8 property across the street from NT and met all the criteria you put in the contract you signed with them. Many of us participated either at meetings or online and voted for our favorite of the 4 plans. The Market plan and the village plan, both mixed use plans, were by far the most popular and were considered to have the best return rate. We didn’t like the commerce park plan and neither did DPZ. I am completely opposed to the type of commerce park that the board seems to continue to favor despite opposition from the many constituents that have contacted each of you.

​I expect you to listen to us and the expert planers. This waste of taxpayer money on yet another new Commerce Park when we have so much acreage already developed but unused in the current county owned parks, affects the whole county.

​No Commerce Park At OLF-8"

Here's the inconvenient fact check:

1.  Non-Factual Claim in Latest "chain letter":  "I’m very disappointed that the Escambia County Board of Commissioners rejected the plans that DPZ presented at the December meeting."  Truth:  This is not factual, the board has made no final determinations and has NOT voted to accept or reject any plan yet presented by DPZ.

2.  Non-Factual Claim in Latest "chain letter":  "The Market plan and the village plan, both mixed use plans, were by far the most popular and were considered to have the best return rate."  Truth:  The planners failed to bring a complete economic analysis for all four plans and failed to answer questions put to them before the meeting by the BCC regarding the value of the positive impact of the payrolls that 1000's jobs on the field would/could create.  They (DPZ) are now finally doing this.  Absent this key metric---the previous assertions by DPZ that the Market and Village plans had a higher economic impact/value were simply inaccurate-- not founded/based on an appropriate, complete, and apropos comparison.  Additionally--the amount of acreage for jobs in each plan varied greatly--which did not make sense.  Apples must be compared to apples.

3.  Non-Factual Claim in Latest "chain letter":  "I am completely opposed to the type of commerce park that the board seems to continue to favor despite opposition from the many constituents that have contacted each of you."  Truth:  This is obviously an opinion.  Where it is disingenuous is that it intimates that we are not listening to citizen input--which is false.  In addition to the charrettes and other inputs to DPZ--there have now been at least 2 published polls conducted county-wide that clearly illustrate that a vast majority of ALL COUNTY Residents favor high-tech jobs on this field.  Very FEW want retail and residential.  Are we not to look at these scientific polls of Escambia County Citizens that point to differing opinions/visions for OLF-8?

4.  Non-Factual Claim in Latest "chain letter": "This waste of taxpayer money on yet another new Commerce Park when we have so much acreage already developed but unused in the current county owned parks, affects the whole county."  Truth: Our 5 general use commerce parks in the county have been a smashing success story--employing 13,800 citizens and contributing $1.7 Billion yearly in area economic impact.  Additionally--we do not have "so much acreage...unused"--according to Florida West--we only have one (1) large available parcel (greater than 25 acres) and it is up in Century.  We have only a little over 100 acres available in publicly owned parks, as our utilization rate of our over 1576 acres is above 87%.  Before folks compliantly send out emails based on inaccurate information they really should read the FACTS (about our General use commerce parks here) first.  Otherwise, they are being manipulated unnecessarily.

Folks are Being Misled and Manipulated about OLF-8 Part II

Folks that believe some of the lies in a chain
email going around are being used and 
manipulated.  The OLF-8 project will
be a great community asset with something
for everyone!  There is no FIGHT to be had 
on this project!

As I described in part I, there is a "chain-mail" going around that has a lot of debunked garbage in it as well as faux-facts about the OLF-8 project and the Board of County Commissioners' intentions going forward with this land.

We had a handful of speakers attend our public forum on this topic yesterday, and I took the opportunity to let them know they had been misled and that the characterizations they are hearing from some special interests on this project were simply untrue.  I spoke to the issue and set the record straight beginning at minute 18:00 of this video. and also at minute 54:30.  I was amazed that these folks are/were being misled and manipulated to such a degree.

Folks should not allow themselves to be manipulated to a point they become enraged about this project---there is no fight to be had here!!!  I want great things and good amenities on this field-I want what they want-and DPZ is going to help us facilitate this compromise! 😀

Not to sound like a broken record--but I have agreed to the compromise the board made and agreed to in this document in 2018.  Everyone who is getting these garbage propaganda flyers going around should look at this very important board guidance document that was approved in November of 2018 via a 5-0 vote of the board.  After that was approved------at that point the project changed and shifted to a mixed use development--with something for everyone--and away from strictly a "commerce park."  So again, as it pertains to this project, here is my position which I believe comports with what the vast majority of my constituents want:

Here is what I support: I want parks, greenspace, an elementary school, a walking/biking trail all around the field, restaurants and some retail along 9-mile road’s frontage.  I want beautiful aesthetics and lots of amenities for nearby residents like you and me.  I also want good, high-tech/clean tech high-paying Jobs in attractive facilities like NFCU’s buildings.  And I want us to follow the guidance document, the seven-pager linked above, that the BCC voted unanimously to approve, for how jobs and amenities are to be developed on OLF 8.   If we do this—we will all get a win and we will have JOBS, amenities, parks, some retail, a school, hopefully a post office, and possibly some mixed-use features.  I want something good for the community and the county and region---which means jobs are an important priority.  I am willing to compromise to a point—but not on the jobs aspects.  After all---we spent $18 Million and 25 years acquiring this parcel of land to create jobs.  Every acre we take away from that goal represents a compromise already.  So my ideal plan utilizes the maximum number of acres possible for the creation of good jobs which will allow us to secure a Triumph Gulf Coast grant for the build-out of the property to include infrastructure, roads, gutters, and stormwater features that may also double as recreational amenities for nearby residents.

Here’s what I don’t support:  Residential development on the field.  I know I may have to accept some in the final plan that will be a compromise with my peers on the board—but I do not believe we should use this land for residential construction or for sourcing land for residential developers.  There is too much residential out here already under construction---and the infrastructure is insufficient to handle more of this concentrated all in one area like OLF-8.  Furthermore, I do not believe that if high-density, high-impact residential is permitted on the