In this evening's article in the PNJ-the issue of beach renourishment is hung out as something that is potentially on the BCC's chopping block. This is not true. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This is fear-mongering that is unneccessary and unproductive.
First of all, there is no movement afoot to make all leases 100 year leases. There is a movement afoot to standardize the lease renewal language as these properties come forward to be renewed, as I discussed at multiple meetings and here.
The initiative goes like this: When a property is brought in for a lease renewal to the SRIA we propose that the tenant decide what type of lease they want going forward, one with renewals that are automatic in perpetuity---or---leases that are 99 years in length and that require renegotiation upon expiration.
The perpetual leases are taxable, so if that option is selected upon renewal by the lessee, the property would be subject to ad valorem taxation on both the land and the improvements.
Conversely, if the lessee selected a lease that requires renegotiation upon expiration--the land portion of that leasehold would not be subject to ad valorem taxation going forward (But the land portion would be subject to a lease fee, which we would set at a market rate and index for inflation in the document)
One or the other--it would be at the option of the lessee.
This is to avoid another catastrophically bad renewal of a high value beach property's lease for a price that takes the taxpayers of Escambia county to the cleaners. We had one of those recently (Beach Club) which has spurred this entire initiative in order to prevent such a poor treatment of taxpayers going forward.
Meanwhile, the SRIA is not going anywhere, and even if they did, that renourishment function would just be funded with a different pot of money. Just like Beach Public Works and Lifeguards are funded with a different funding source now that the BCC has taken those functions over.
This is because we value the beach, we understand the value of the beach, and we will fund important aspects of the Beach whether it comes from our authority (SRIA) or the BCC itself.
And to say otherwise is reckless speculation.
