Today on the Wake Up Call: A Visit with Michelle Salzman and and Ice Flyers Owner Greg Harris

Today on the wake-up call live on WPNN 103.7 ---we spoke with Greg Harris, owner of the Pensacola Ice Flyers.  He talked about the successes the team has had, the historic nature of this season representing 30 years of professional Hockey in Pensacola, and he talked about this upcoming season with opening day on October 18^th.  We also talked with State Representative Michelle Salzman about  the mental health task force, food giveaways in the district, the DOGE effort coming to Escambia County, and the recent school board tax increase.  Then, we discussed multiple issues from around the country that traditional media outlets just won’t cover---because we will always cover interesting, important stories that are not politically correct and won’t otherwise be reported.  That’s what we do on the Wake Up Call!  😊

We are live each weekday morning from 6:00AM-8:00AM on WPNN-Pensacola's Information Station, where local, conservative morning-drive talk radio is ALIVE and Well and where we give you the most powerful 2 hour(s) in local morning drive talk radio.

Information, weather, traffic, humor, and educated, intelligent discourse with no PC filters....

The Wakeup Call with Jeff Bergosh on WPNN FM 103.7: Radio UNRESTRAINED!

- you can listen to this morning’s show here

 

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

Term Limits Bill for Florida County Commissioners Dies

The effort to enact term limits on County Commissioners in the state of Florida has died in the Senate for 2024. This has been widely reported in the media and the House sponsor, Rep. Michelle Salzman, has vowed to bring it back.  I was surprised that it did not go this session, but I believe it will go next session.  Interestingly, Salzman and I discussed this very issue on a recent Coffee with the Commissioner.  Lots of folks have asked my opinion on this, especially given that  I'm an incumbent County Commissioner and Michelle Salzman is a friend of mine.  For many years.

As I told her on the coffee--I'm generally supportive of term limits, and I know my constituents are in full support.  I believe the need for term limits is much stronger at the federal level, where we have folks in congress serving for decades and decades.  That never seems to happen though.  Neither does the desperately needed balanced budget amendment at the federal level, either.  But I digress.

Florida legislators have 8 year term limits.  Florida Governors do too, as do elected cabinet members. Recently, Florida school board members were capped at 8 years.  According to Salzman, all elected constitutional officers, if she has her way, will eventually be subject to term limits--she's not just picking on school board members and county commissioners.  She is just starting with county commissioners.  Okay, that sounds reasonable and fair.

I believe 12 years should be the magic number, because in government it takes years and years to get big projects over the line.  A soon to open fire station, for example, has been an 8 year, sustained effort.   The soon to open boat ramp in D1 has been nearly 9 years in the making.  The Beulah Interchange will have been a nearly 15 year effort once it is constructed.  I am 6 years into the effort to build a replacement fire station on Bauer Road.  In short--big stuff takes time in local government.  And if the voters boot out Commissioners every 8 years--who is to say the project that has been in the pipeline for 4-7 years will be carried forward?  Answer--there is no guarantee.  As an example:  D2 in Escambia County wanted public beach access and pushed for the purchase of 300 feet on the Gulf to provide this.  After electors booted the incumbent in 2014--the next commissioner did NOT want that beach access opened and he kept it locked behind a gate and no trespassing signs for the next 8 years of his term.  Also in D2, the incumbent in 2013 was on his way toward getting a 4-lane solution out of Perdido Key and Sorrento Road all the way out of the beach area.  His successor killed that project upon his election because he had different priorities.

So "8 is Enough" might have been the cute moniker of a cheesy 70's sitcom--But 8 years isn't always enough in the world of local commissioners.

So 12 years is appropriate, in all areas, in my opinion.  2 terms as U.S. Senator, 6  2-year terms for U.S. House, and 12 years for the constitutionionals in Florida.  Along the way, the voters will and do have the ultimate power to enact shorter terms, as appropriate, in elections along the way.  

Because a quick walk through the 2nd floor of 221 Palafox Place---where all former Escambia County Commissioner pictures and terms of office are memorialized--starkly illustrates that Escambia voters have historically been keenly adept at imposing term limits on commissioners without a formalized legal cap............  4 year, 4 years, 6 years, 8 years, 4 years, 4 years. 8 years, 12 years, 4 years, 8 years, 4 years.    I encourage folks to go look for themselves and do the math and check the average term in office for the commissioners over time locally.  Then decide this for yourself:  Is the imposition of term limits for county commissioners by the legislature  really a pressing need? ---- or is this actually just a politically-motivated solution to a problem that the voters have already solved?