Self-Anointed "Monument Police" Engage in the Most Vicious, Disingenuous and Disgusting Politics of Personal Destruction

Some radicals want statues of Christopher Columbus torn down, claiming he symbolizes "European Conquest."

We simply cannot judge figures from our history based upon today's lens of laws, regulations, and social norms.

Our past is one of vicious cruelty to our fellow man.  It is ugly.  History is what it was, not what we wish it might have been.

Yet we celebrate figures from our history--even the most flawed.  Because all men are flawed, only God is perfect and we all know this.

Men that did horrible things by today's standards are memorialized with statues, bridges, monuments, highways, roads, airports, boats, and other honorary designations--based in most cases--on the totality of their contribution to our nation.  We find these all over the country.

But a recent phenomenon is troubling.

Certain folks are DEMANDING some monuments come down.  Others are vandalizing selected monuments.  Statues are being taken down in the dead of night, memorial designations are being taken away.

Meanwhile--some historical figures that did horrible things escape all scrutiny.  Why?

Other historical figures that did far less are being targeted by the "monument police" Why?

In Pensacola, it goes a little something like this......

Our bridge from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze is named the Philip D. Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge.  Beall was the Florida Senate President who procured the funding for the bridge, and died in office before the bridge was completed in 1962.  (He died in 1943 while his sons were fighting in WW II.)

Nobody paid attention--most locals just called the bridge the 3-Mile Bridge.

But the Beall family remained proud of this structure that carried their family name.  For decades.

Fast forward to 2019 and a replacement structure is being built, and under existing FDOT protocol-the replacement structure will carry the Beall name--absent any legislative action that would re-name the bridge.

And, you guessed it, a group HAS come forward and asked that the legislature name this replacement structure for a very worthwhile historical figure, General Darniel R. "Chappie James."  To do this, however, would mean the Beall designation would go away.

And for the Beall family--this is the rub.  They prefer to keep their family name on the bridge because they are proud of their family.  Understanding and valuing Chappie James' legacy--the Beall's have even offered to support the two families sharing a dual-designation on the new structure.

Sadly--this magnanimous overture by the Beall family is being met with open hostility and vitriolic attacks.

People are saying Senator Beall was a racist and a white Supremacist--even though he never owned slaves and nobody has presented anything at all that points to him being a "racist."

The haters hang their collective hats on legislation Beall sponsored in 1935 that made Democratic primaries "white only."  But these primaries were going on all over the south and the Supreme Court decision in Grovey v. Townsend ruled that such primaries did not deprive citizens of their 14th or 15th Amendment rights.

Yes--with the luxury of history we know this was wrong, all of it.  The poll taxes, the literacy tests,

10 Initial, Potential Ideas for Our Bridge Naming Committee's Consideration.....

Here are ten initial thought's for our "bridge naming" committee's consideration (below).  This committee should consider ALL alternatives on THEIR timeline--not an artificially-created timeline.

The Board of County Commissioners wisely voted to impanel a committee to look at the issues surrounding the naming of the replacement bridge being constructed over the existing 3-Mile Bridge.

Most folks had not realized the bridge has an official designation already, the Philip D. Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge.  According to FDOT and absent any legislative change in Tallahassee, the replacement bridge will carry the same designation as the original bridge.

A group of motivated citizens, however, are asking us to remove the designation from Beall and vote to advocate to our legislative delegation that the new structure be named for General Daniel R. "Chappie" James instead.

General James was born in Pensacola and he was a war hero who ultimately rose to the rank of 4-Star General and he was the first Black man to achieve this rank.

Sadly, upon some initial push-back being applied to this idea of ripping one man's memorial down in order to honor another man---some have resorted to the politics of personal destruction; they have actively begun to run down the Beall family name.  They have called Beall Sr. a racist and even a white supremacist.

This is all untrue and it is disappointing and disgusting that folks would lower themselves to this level in order to rip one family's good name from the bridge to get what they want. 

I believe that if General James was here to witness these machinations, he would be deeply disappointed;  I do not believe he would want to watch one family name be stripped from a monument so his name could be placed on this same monument.  But because nobody knows what he might think, because he has passed away, this is simply speculation.

So again, I'm proud that Escambia County voted to take a step back--just  as Gulf Breeze appears poised to do as well.  I'm glad we will be forming a committee to look at all aspects of this issue with the goal of giving the BCC a good, solid recommendation that we can act upon-- based upon rational, reasoned, and measured consideration of multiple alternatives by a committee of citizens taking input from the entire community.

I am going to advocate for giving this committee broad berth in looking at multiple ideas with the intention of asking them to bring back their preferred alternative (s) from which the BCC can choose.

Here's an initial list of 10 things that I feel should be considered by the committee:

1.  Maintain status-quo-take no option on the naming and let FDOT protocol prevail.

2.  Name replacement bridge for General James (thereby removing Beall memorial from bridge)

3.  Joint designation for bridge "James-Beall" bridge or "Beall-James" bridge

4.  One Span (Pensacola to Gulf Breeze) named the Philip Beall Bridge and the other Span (Gulf Breeze to Pensacola) the Chappie James Bridge

5.  Focusing resources on naming Airport for James instead of bridge (Like Louisville, KY, recently did for Muhammad Ali)--This is the alternative I prefer, as it makes the most sense in my opinion..

6. Switching Designations (e.g. Chappie James taking the name of the new bridge and the Beall family taking the designation from downtown's "Chappie James" state building on Government st.)

If Louisville Can Name Their Airport for Muhammad Ali--Pensacola Can Name our Airport for Chappie James!!

General Daniel R. "Chappie" James was an aviator.  A fitting tribute to this great American would be for his hometown to name its airport in his honor---just as Muhammad Ali's hometown recently did for Muhammad Ali.  The airport would be a much more apropos and prestigious honor than would be the naming a bridge for this hero!

General Daniel R. Chappie James  deserves a great memorial in his hometown of Pensacola.  There is no doubt about that and I believe this sentiment is universal in the community.  So instead of tearing away the Beall family name from the replacement bridge that is currently under construction over Pensacola Bay (which would be the net effect of "re-naming" this structure for Chappie James)--It just seems to make a lot more sense to re-focus efforts aimed at re-naming the bridge toward naming Pensacola's airport for Chappie!  There has been some noise out there that "this can't be done!" but I do not believe this is the case.  If Louisville can name their airport for Muhammad Ali--then Pensacola ought to be able to name our airport for Chappie James.  Doing this would truly be transformational and would be a great example of really BOLD, DECISIVE leadership.  A recent article describes in detail just how Louisville did this over the course of a couple of years.  If they can do it, why can't we?  from the article:

"Muhammad Ali once said his "greatness came and started in Louisville."Now his name will be among the first things visitors and travelers see when they fly into his beloved hometown. City officials announced Wednesday that Louisville International Airport will be renamed after the boxer and humanitarian often called "the Greatest."The new name: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport."Muhammad Ali belonged to the world, but he only had one hometown, and fortunately, that is our great city of Louisville," Mayor Greg Fischer said. "Muhammad became one of the most well-known people to ever walk the Earth and has left a legacy of humanitarianism and athleticism that has inspired billions of people."It is important that we, as a city, further champion The Champ's legacy," Fischer continued. "And the airport renaming is a wonderful next step."The Louisville Regional Airport Authority board approved Fischer's motion that the airport be renamed. But the SDF code will not change, officials said."

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM LOUISVILLE HERE

Navy Federal Credit Union Revises Offer for Land Purchase at OLF 8

Escambia County has received a revised letter of intent from Navy Federal Credit Union for the purchase of a portion of the OLF 8 property in Beulah. This letter of intent to purchase 84 acres from Escambia County includes less frontage on 9-Mile road and less acreage overall (see illustration above).  Additionally, the new LOI's offer to purchase is priced at the average of our two recently received appraisals on a per-acre basis.  See the complete LOI below.  The creation of a minimum of at least 300 additional jobs by NFCU at their Beulah campus will be an additional consideration required by the BCC for this sale to occur.  I am hopeful we can get this transaction done in very short order. 

American Dream Stolen Part III: Can We All Achieve the American Dream?

In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Beulah this week, where three individuals allegedly conspired to rob a local shop owner and in the process murdered this man--thereby shattering his family's American Dream--some might ask the following question:

Is the American Dream still a reality that all can achieve?

I believe the answer is a resounding YES.  But it takes lots of hard work and lots of sacrifice.  It is there for the taking--more so here than in any other country in the world.

That's why people are clamoring to get here, by any and all means including sneaking in illegally, overstaying  student or visitor's visa (s),  and/or following the process to come here legally.

Point is, everyone knows America is the land of opportunity, and that's why so many are coming here by the thousands.  I mean, just look at the caravans of thousands of people coming up through Mexico from Central America, one after another,  trying to get here.  People know that this is the place where a person can succeed if he/she works hard.

And that is what is so depressing about some folks that are born here, raised here, and still haven't figured out what the rest of us all know about how great this country is.....

Why some people choose not to participate in society like normal, law-abiding and upstanding citizens--I will never understand.

America offers opportunity for ALL!

How do we know?

---When we see families from the orient coming to America not even speaking the language and within one generation owning their own businesses and sending their children to our finest schools.

---When we see immigrants from around the world come here to work and these folks find their slice of the American Dream by starting businesses and purchasing homes, and becoming naturalized citizens

---When we see record unemployment and record earnings gain by virtually every demographic category in the USA over the last several years.

Sadly, there are some citizens among us that still feel that America is not a great country and that America is not a place where they can succeed.  Many of these folks choose not to work or work as little as possible.  Many use drugs, abuse alcohol, have children they cannot afford, blame others for their failures and lead lifestyles that are completely dysfunctional.

Often these folks end up engaged in criminal activity.  Often these folks blame others for their lives that are disasters--or worse blame their dysfunction on the Country in Which they live--the USA---even though they were blessed to be born here where anyone, I mean ANYONE who works can achieve the American dream.

And so we get back to Pensacola, Beulah, and the robbery attempt and murder that tragically took the life of a minority business owner who was just trying to make his version of the American Dream a reality.  This guy came to America legally from India, he invested in a business, and served a community with products and services the community needed--and for this he is murdered by folks that were born here and could not, apparently, figure out how to lead a normal and productive life and not prey on upon others.

What a sad commentary on some folks and the levels to which they will stoop to get over on folks and victimize others to take "short-cuts" in life.

Luckily, most of these types--the non-workers and excuse makers--will sooner or later end up in jail when they cross the line from dysfunction into criminality.  And the rest of society will be better for it.

It's just sad and tragic that so many good people, like Mr. Reddy in Beulah, have to be victimized in the process....

American Dream Stolen Part II: Who Stole a Man's Dream?

A clerk was murdered by a Pensacola man seen in this screen grab from the convenience store's video system.  In the process, a man's life was taken, his family was shattered, and the American Dream this family had has been stolen from them...

A trio of alleged conspirators has now been captured and charged in the murder of Mr. Kotha Govarhdan Reddy.  Justice awaits them as the charges have been made.

These are the people of Pensacola that stole a man's dream and shattered a family.

They obviously obtained a gun for the crime which it appears the two men could not have done given their records.

And according to some rumors that have surfaced--this trio apparently scouted several nearby stores on Blue Angel and Mobile Highway that were deemed to be "too busy" before they drove down the road and found Mr. Reddy's shop and did what they are alleged to have done.

I'll never understand the senseless nature of holding a gun to someone's head, demanding money, and then---as the victim is simply attempting to comply and hand over the money----the bad guy shoots the victim and kills him.  Why?

According to reports, the victim was shot once in the chest and once in the head, as he was simply trying to comply and empty out his register and hand over the cash.  In the process of the robbery and murder, though, the register money wasn't touched nor were any items taken from the store. The thing that was stolen was a man's life, his family's future, and their version of the American Dream.

Now the victim's family is destroyed, and in the process the alleged perpetrators lives and their families' lives and their childrens' lives will never be the same.  Four families forever changed by the senseless actions of a three people trying to get over the system and take something that did not belong to them.

What a shame, what a senseless and unnecessary tragedy.....

American Dream Stolen Part I: Mr. Reddy

Mr. Kotha Govarhdan Reddy was murdered in his store last Tuesday and his family's American Dream was stolen.

Mr. Kotha Govarhdan Reddy was a merchant out near Beulah in District 1.  He bought a small convenience store that was run down and not doing well, and he turned it around.  He cleaned it up on the inside, spent a lot of money installing new tanks and a new canopy system so he could sell gas.

And he worked.  All the time.

I drive by his store nearly every day on the way home from work, and over the last year or so I noticed an interesting trend...one that I liked.

His gas was always 10-12 cents cheaper per gallon than his nearby competitors (Shell and Tom Thumb at Blue Angel and Mobile Hwy.)  Smart strategy--lower the prices well below your competition to drive traffic to the store, then make sales of other higher-margin items to the new gas customers!  Loss-leader.

So I started buying my gas at his store, and eventually I would go inside and buy lottery tickets, soda, snacks, beer, or an occasional newspaper.  His store was immaculately clean.  I mean it was incredibly clean.  And his prices were very good on an array of items.

He also had a game in his store that brought me back to my youth and that I hadn't seen anywhere else locally:  You insert a quarter and it pops out on a platform with other quarters  that moves back and forth--with the object being to position your coin drop so that your quarter is in the front of the others such that it would push more quarters (and cash) over a ledge and down a chute for the game player to collect.  As a kid growing up in Japan I used to play that game with 10 yen pieces.  You rarely win at it, but it was a cool game.

One day as I walked out of the store (the game was near the door) I asked him "Hey, is this game even legal?"  To which he quipped "As long as nobody tells the county commissioners..."

He didn't talk much, we had small talk on several occasions.  I told him I liked his gas prices, and he would just smile.

I noticed he was always working though.  Always.  He was a hard worker that was becoming more

Escambia County Going with the Committee Approach to Naming the Repacement Bridge---Wisely

The Escambia BCC voted 3-2 today to move the naming of the replacement 3-Mile Bridge to a citizen's committee... a good decision for all!

Today the Escambia BCC voted by a 3-2 margin to go with a committee approach to the idea of renaming the 3-Mile Bridge over Pensacola Bay that currently carries the official designation of the "Philip D. Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge."

A local citizen's group had come in with a request that we adopt their plan to rename the structure for a local war hero-- with no additional consideration-- and to the detriment of the Beall family--as to do this would strip the Beall name from the bridge.

Nobody is saying, outright, NO WAY!

Folks are just asking that we consider alternatives.

Can we compromise and do a dual designation that honors both families?  How about we find a way to honor General Chappie James without stripping an honor away from the Beall family?

How about we name the airport at Pensacola for Chappie and keep the bridge named for Beall?

Taking a step back and listenting to stakeholders for a decision of this magnitude is smart, and I commend the board for not kowtowing to the loudest voices in the room and holding fast today with a vote to impanel a committee of concerned citizens to help us with this decision.

This was the wise, measured, and rational way to proceed on this issue!

Let's Name Pensacola's Airport for Chappie James!

General Daniel R. "Chappie" James was our nation's first Black 4-Star General and he was a decorated combat veteran aviator. He was also a native of Pensacola. We should think big and  name our city's airport in his honor!"

There may be disagreement over the naming of the Three Mile Bridge for Chappie James (as this would require a current designation be stripped from the bridge and a family that gave much to our community)--but there is absolutely NO disagreement with the fact that General Daniel R. "Chappie" James, the nation's first Black 4-star General, a Pensacola Native, and a decorated Combat Veteran of the Korean and Vietnam War--deserves to be honored in a profound way.

I have made it clear I do not favor honoring one man and his family by tearing down a designation and a memorial to another family.

And I do not buy the nascent and dishonorable arguments blooming and festering about one man being a bigot.

I believe that is ridiculous and it is also a really, really slippery slope to start picking and choosing which historical figures remain "worthy" of memorials based upon today's standards, norms, culture,  and laws.

So let's all agree that Chappie deserves to be honored in a big way--much bigger than a bridge plaque.

Let's think big and name our airport in Pensacola after Chappie James.

He was an aviator, what better symbol could we use to express our thanks to this man and his family for his service to our nation than to name our airport after him?  And doing this means we don't have to disregard and tear down the Beall family's monument on the bridge.  Let's change Pensacola's airport name, and give Chappie the memorial he deserves!

Right now, the name of the airport is "Pensacola International Airport."

How about this, though:

"General Daniel R. 'Chappie' James International Airport at Pensacola."

The static display and the statue could be installed, and an entire section of the airport could be dedicated to the memory of this great American.  Hundreds of thousands of visitors yearly would learn about this man, which is a lot more that would ever stop long enough to see his name on a plaque on a bridge leading to the beach.

Come on Pensacola---let's do something we can ALL agree upon and let's do the memorial to General James the right way.

"General Daniel R. 'Chappie' James International Airport at Pensacola."

A Family's Good Name is an Issue Bigger Than ANY Bridge Part II: Who Are "The Monument Police"

Some are saying having a bridge carry the name Philip D. Beall Sr.(pictured above) is simply unacceptable. So who will be the area's monument police that will use today's standards to tear down monuments and rip down memorial designations from men that lived 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 years ago?  Will we demand all local memorials, roadway designations, statues and monuments to President Andrew Jackson  also be abolished?   

Who will be our area's "monument police?"

As we work through the initiative that some citizens have been pushing to take the Philip D Beall designation from the bridge that bears his name in Pensacola--some have even stooped to the lowest of levels and started to attack the man's character (and by implication, his family's good name) as an added reason to take the designation from him and his family.

They are asking the legislature to submit a bill to remove the Beall name from the bridge and add a different name.

This is very unfortunate.

Philip D. Beall Sr. was a State Senator that did many great things for our area.  His son, Philip D. Beall, Jr., also served in the Florida Senate for 16 years after he returned from service in WW II.  He also did many great things for our area as well.  He had a brother that served in WWII in the Pacific Theater.  This brother, Kirke Monroe Beall, went on to serve as a local Circuit Court Judge. He did many great things for our area as well.

From the 1930s through the 1960s and beyond--this family gave a lot to our area.

But according to some that want to see a new name on the replacement bridge that currently honors the Beall family's Patriarch--the name MUST change because in the opinion of this small minority of folks--"Beall was a racist."  To me this is disgusting and insulting and ignores historical realities that cannot be downplayed.

The impetus for this negative characterization being heaped upon Senator Beall apparently stems from legislation that was sponsored in the Florida Legislature in 1935 and adopted unanimously and signed into law by the Governor that sought to control and solidify Democratic control over areas of the state by disallowing Republican voters (primarily Black voters at this time in our history) from voting in primary elections.

This was wrong, no doubt. Under today's standards it would not be tolerated and anyone that tried such tactics would rightly be imprisoned.  But a thorough examination of the context illustrates that this was a party-politics issue--not a blatantly, exclusively racist issue.  But let me be clear:  our historic treatment of minorities in the South was abhorrent.  It was abysmal. I wasn't alive until 1968 and if I was alive then--I would not have supported it! This said--it was the way things were at that particular time.  Our history is ugly.

But nope, we apparently cannot look at it that way.  Nope, it was racism! and so now, suddenly, after all these years, the Beall's are no longer "worthy" of the memorial designation on the bridge. Nope, some self-anointed "monument police" have spoken.  They have decreed that this is no longer tenable.  The name must be changed NOW because this man was, according to these accusers, a bigot!

But wait just a minute.   Who is it among all men that is without any fault?  Who?  Answer: none of us.  Only God is without fault.

So who will be the area's monument police that will use today's standards to tear down monuments and rip down memorial designations from men that lived 50, 100, 150, or 200 years ago?  Will we

demand all local memorials, roadway designations, statues and monuments to President Andrew Jackson be abolished?  After all, even though he was a beloved figure in history, a former governor of the Florida territory and our nation's 7th President---he and his son owned hundreds of slaves in his lifetime at his properties in Tennessee and Mississippi-- and he ordered the forcible removal of the Cherokee Indians from the southeast to Oklahoma--and thousands of Native Americans died as a result.  What will the monument police say about "Old Hickory?"  Will these monument police immediately forego the use of the U.S. $20 Dollar Bill that features Andrew Jackson?

Andrew Jackson owned slaves and mistreated Native Americans in his lifetime.  Will the
same self-anointed "monument police" that are demanding Senator Beall's
memorial be taken away demand all of the local memorials to President Jackson
come down as well?

Or---

Will he be exempted from the demands for monument and memorial removals by the same monument police that want Philip D. Beall's name removed from the Bridge that carries his name?

If so, why?  And if not, why not?

I want to understand the distinctions.  Is it based upon position of power achieved? Notoriety?  Or is it based upon the severity of the injustices purportedly committed upon minorities?  I want to know and I only ask because if we are giving Jackson a pass, but not Beall, this is illogical and hypocritical.  Jackson did far, far, worse to Indians and Blacks than did most anyone--he did way worse by orders of magnitude than did Florida State Senate President Philip D. Beall Sr.

Will the monument police have different standards based upon different historical periods, and-if so- who among the monument police will set such standards?  I'm very interested in this.

Next let's talk about Don Tristan De Luna, Sen. Robert Byrd, Presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  I want to hear what the monument police have to say about all the monuments, hundreds of them around the nation,  to all of these historic men who each had their own unique historical issues with race and unequal treatment of races--and/or worse.

I would like a cogent, reasoned response from the monument police on this question: --do we have to tear down all remnants of any memorial or monument to any prominent historical figures if there is any speck of racial issues with such a figure's history--regardless of the implications of the particular period in history in which such historic figures lived?  Is that what the monument police want?

This is an incredibly steep and slippery slope and it is a very dangerous thing to do, tearing down monuments, statues, memorials, and family legacies.

For my part, I won't partake.

I know all too well that we are all flawed, none of us is perfect, history is exactly what it was (not what we want to redefine it to be) and if we start down this path it does not end well.

A Family's Good Name is An Issue Bigger than ANY Bridge, Part I: Who are the Beall's?

The official designation of Pensacola's 3-mile bridge is the Philip D Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge.  This designation will carry over to the replacement bridge scheduled for completion in 2021, absent any legislative action to prevent this

A PUSH TO REMOVE A MEMORIAL

Philip D. Beall Jr. served honorably
 as a bombardier in the US Army Air
Corps in WWII and as a
Florida Senator for 16 years upon
his return home from the war

There is a silent tug of war brewing in Pensacola that is now bubbling over into the court of public opinion that threatens the legacy and memorial one family has cherished for decades.  This family, The Beall family, worries their name and their family and all the sacrifices they've made will soon be wiped out and erased.  

Worse than this, the family fears their ancestors will be targeted and attacked unfairly. 

They are heartbroken at the thought.

As I have had the pleasure of hearing more about this family over the past several months by speaking with them and learning more about them and what they have done for the community, I have once again rediscovered my love for and fascination of history. 

But history is a tricky thing.  Who retells a tale and under what context a story is told can frame an actual event in multiple ways…  Sadly, I believe some historical manipulation is happening as it pertains to one local family which is slowly transitioning into the politics of personal destruction.  I am hopeful, however, that a look at the sum-total of this one family’s contributions to our community will not be erased because of historical incidents being taken out of context and viewed through the lens of America circa 2019.

WHO ARE THE BEALL FAMILY MEMBERS AND WHY IS THE 3-MILE BRIDGE NAMED IN THEIR HONOR?

Senator Philip D Beall Sr. and his wife Hildur

The Pensacola three-mile bridge that connects Gulf Breeze, Florida with Pensacola, Florida,  has a state designation—it is officially known as the “Philip Dane Beall, Sr. Memorial Bridge.”  Philip D Beall Sr. was a Pensacola native and a Florida state Senator who served as Senate President in 1943 when he died in office.  His sons, Philip D Beall Jr and Kirke Beall both served honorably in WWII.  Philip D. Beall Jr. was shot down over Germany in WWII and spent two years in a German POW camp.  His father died in 1943 not knowing his son’s fate, and the younger Beall was imprisoned and unaware, until his release, that his father had died.  In 1962 the Florida legislature named the bridge between Gulf Breeze and Pensacola for Philip D Beall—in honor of the man’s legacy.  Interestingly—most locals do not know this and instead affectionately refer to the bridge as the “Three Mile Bridge.”  This structure is currently being replaced with a $500 Million-dollar span that will be open to traffic, fully, in 2021.  According to FDOT-once the replacement bridge is completed and absent any legislative action, the replacement bridge will carry the same official designation “Philip D Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge.”

Sen. Beall's sons served in WWII hon-
orably as Beall Sr. served as President
of the Florida Senate.  Pictured above
is Senator Beall's son Kirke Beall, a
US Navy WWII veteran of the Pacific
Theater.

A group of local citizens is trying to have the Beall designation removed so that the new bridge, the replacement bridge, can be renamed the “General Daniel R. ‘Chappie’ James” memorial bridge.  Gen. James was a decorated combat veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, a native Pensacolian, and the nation’s first Black 4-Star General.  His legacy is honorable, and he and his family currently have 13 memorials nationwide—including a state building named for him right here in Pensacola.  The folks that want to name the bridge for James have organized and they have petitioned the four local legislative bodies (Santa Rosa County Commission, Escambia County Commission, Gulf Breeze City Council, and Pensacola City Council.)  Santa Rosa County and Pensacola have both already voted in favor of making this change in designation.  The legislative delegation will run a bill in Tallahassee to make this change if the four governing bodies vote proactively to do this. 

A FAMILY WAITS IN LIMBO

The Beall family, meanwhile, waits in limbo.  They don’t want to see their family’s one and only memorial get torn away.  

They do not want their family’s name to be stained.  

This family would like nothing more than to keep the designation or at a minimum to have both men honored by sharing this designation jointly. 

My simple question is this:  Why is the idea of a compromise, a joint designation, such an unacceptable proposition?

After all, a family’s name and a family’s legacy is an issue bigger than any Bridge.

What is the TRUTH and the Latest Status on our Efforts to #OpenOurBeach?

There has been some “noise” out there about our continuing efforts at opening public beach access #4 at Perdido Key.  Typical nonsensical noise that is not grounded in reality with respect to an email that was put our last Thursday from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.  So here come the realities….

And as it pertains to Kristi from USFW –the person who sent Thursday’s email--I spoke to her at length on Thursday afternoon and she confirmed what we all know--Escambia County CAN do both habitat conservation AND public access, so long as we follow an approved plan which I also confirmed Thursday, in writing, with Tim Day.

One person is inaccurately portraying this citizen-driven push to #OpenOurBeach as an either/or, binary choice (Mouse Conservation OR Public Access) which it is not.

Yes, the beach access at Perdido Key is moving forward--and for reasons that are unclear, this really, really, really irritates one person in particular. Tim (Day) is working it, an engineer has been hired and engaged to design it, and we have a pot of money from which to fund it, and I believe there will be 4 votes to finish it. And I reiterate--doing this is good for the mouse. What we have been doing, which is nothing, has not been good for the mouse.

Doing what we have been doing (nothing, just maintaining a comfortable status quo that only benefited nearby condo owners who used this publicly funded beach as their own "private beach") has been detrimental to the mice as no fencing prevents beach users from walking from the beach toward Perdido Key Drive, trampling all over the dunes, leaving trash and rubbish in their wake. The only fencing on the property is the fencing that kept you, the taxpayers who bought this property, from accessing this property with your cars. That's why we are going to #OpenOurBeach and have a big party on the beach this summer when we get it done!

Committee Approach to Naming Replacement Bridge a Prudent Way Forward

The committee approach to selection of a memorial namesake for the replacement 3-mile bridge is the prudent, rational, and intelligent way forward that the BCC will pursue.

Today at the committee of the whole, Commissioner Bender added an item to the agenda at the table.

The item was a discussion on the process of determining a name for the replacement bridge under construction over Pensacola Bay.

A citizen's initiative movement has been gaining momentum with the singular focus of having the designation of this replacement bridge changed from the Philip D. Beall Sr. Memorial Bridge, (which the new structure, the replacement structure would carry absent legislative action) to the General Daniel "Chappie" James Bridge.

I have called for a compromise that honors both men.  This idea has been met with significant resistance.

Pensacola has voted to request the legislative delegation move to rename the bridge.

On Monday, the Santa Rosa County Commission voted unanimously to change the designation to honor Chappie James.

The Gulf Breeze city council, at their agenda review session yesterday afternoon, DID NOT add this issue as a discussion item for their meeting next week.

And today, at the BCC's committee of the whole, Commissioner Bender brought forth the idea of slowing the process down and perhaps organizing a committee to study the issue and provide alternatives that may honor our unique heritage and all area veterans that have served the country in the armed forces.  He also stated that he did not want to feel rushed into this decision.

I concurred, as did Commissioner Barry.

So next week we will discuss the formation of a BCC committee to analyze the naming protocols with the intention of having this committee make a recommendation to the BCC for us to consider.

This is a reasonable and rational approach to this issue that I believe will be favorably voted forward next week--because it is a balanced and measured, non "frenzied and harried" way to logically work through this issue so that all sides can be considered.

I look forward to this discussion next week.

You can watch the deliberations and discussions in this video.  Good discussion!

OLF 8 Zoning Decision Request from Staff Was Premature.....

Staff had requested we make a selection today (see above) regarding our newly acquired OLF 8 property in Beulah--the board decided this was premature and instead voted to wait until AFTER the master plan is completed to assign the zoning and future land use designation...

Today we had a very brief discussion about OLF 8.

Staff wanted us to choose a zoning designation and a future land use category from among two choices that would fit the parcel (pictured above).  They wanted a decision on this today.

For my part--I felt such a decision was very, very premature and I stated this at the onset of the meeting and discussion.  

I believe the master planner should be engaged and allowed to do his work to identify the highest and best use for the property and to develop a plan based upon our guidance document----before we "put our thumb on the scale" by pre-determining the zoning and FLU.

My counterparts on the dais agreed, and we wisely decided to wait until AFTER the master plan is complete to assign these designations to the property.

I'm glad we ended the discussion this way and that we did not put the cart before the horse...

Blocking Citizens from a Public Official's Official Site---I Don't Do It

Come one, come all. 

Everyone is welcome to comment here on my blog or on my official Commissioner's Facebook site.

And they always have been!

I have been aware, for a while now, that allowing citizens to access and interact with my Commissioner's social media sites is not only a good practice--it is required!

So I don't block ANYONE from accessing and/or commenting on these sites--with the caveat that threats or obscenities are not permitted and that comments to my blog go through moderation for language/spam etc prior to appearance on the site..

So it comes as an odd surprise that today I am being accused of blocking people from my public commissioner sites--which is a lie.

The ironic thing is......the person that is making the claim visits and comments frequently.  See below screenshots or go to my facebook site and look at his comments in real time

It is odd and peculiar for folks to lie about something like this, I wonder what the motivation for this is???  look at the screen shots below and see for yourselves!!

Pop-Up Tent Sale Prohibition Ordinance Passes 1st Public Hearing via a 4-1 Vote...

Some folks and their acolytes say "I'm not personally aware of any problems, therefore there must not be any problems"  which is ridiculous.  We are aware of many complaints in this "pop-up tent car sale" arena--- and the board made the wise vote 4-1 to move this regulation forward

The pop-up tent car sale ordinance passed on Thursday by a 4-1 vote.  Next month it will come back to the board for a final vote where I predict it will pass via another 4-1 vote.  One interesting comment came up during the deliberations before the vote.  One of my counterparts said he was personally unaware of "anyone coming to the BCC complaining of this issue."  But as I explained to him at the meeting--just because he doesn't know about issues with these sales--does not mean there are "no problems" with these sales.  I am personally aware of one person who recently purchased a lemon from a South Florida dealer here locally--and she is paying the price now for this "great deal!"  We also had dealers, at the podium, holding page after page of unflattering reviews of these pop-up dealers.  So, just to be clear, if one Commissioner does not know of something, this does not mean that something is not happening (as if nothing can be real unless he has PERSONAL knowledge of it)  Newsflash to this commissioner:  Large trees fall all the time in the forests--and when they do, they make noise even if you don't hear it.  But to those that believe what they hear this one person say unflinchingly--check out this email that ALL commissioners received just one day after the vote.


"Dear Sirs,
I understand you're considering whether to ban or restrict out-of-area auto vendors who set up tent sales in Escambia County.
I am all for keeping them out.
A year or two ago, I received a postcard promising a prize if I'd come by the tent to check my numbers or some such. When I went by, I was told that I'd won a gift card but they were all out. They'd send me something, the salesman said. I gave him my mailing address (which they had from the postcard, theoretically). I never received anything.
Using the scant information on the postcard, I dug around online and determined where the business was based. They used a network of business names to make it tough to track them down, but once I had it figured out, I filed a complaint with their local Better Business Bureau.
The dealer responded and promised again to send the gift card, and the complaint was quickly closed with "resolved." Again, I never received anything.
Sure, that was just a $5 or $10 gift card, not worth even the effort I put into it. However, the whole situation speaks volumes about the business.
Why wouldn't they put the name and location of their dealership on their advertising and promotional dealerships? I had to look the name up they used on Sunbiz, find the principals' names, and search for other businesses they were associated with to narrow it down.
Why would they make promises they had no intention of keeping? Twice! They set the rules for their promotion. They could have made sure that only a set number of cards had the "winning number." They could have added the notation "while supplies last" (and I never would have wasted my time going to the tent). Then they assured me they would send the gift card and never did.
If they can't handle a simple promotional giveaway and treat a potential customer fairly, I have no doubt that they would misrepresent the cars they are selling and the terms for any financing they might offer.
We are better off without them.
Thank you for your time.
XXXXXXXX   XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX  XXXXXXX St.
Pensacola, Fla."

Offer of $1.1 Million for 15 Acres of OLF 8 Arrives at the County...($73,000.00 per Acre)

This letter of intent, above, was submitted to the county yesterday--offering $73,000.00 per acre for a portion of OLF 8.  Our two most recent estimates have come in at $46,000.00 and $51,000.00 per acre, respectively, for portions of this property.  How in the world could anyone have believed, less than one year ago, that the entire 636 parcel was only worth $4.75 Million?? Talk about totally missing the mark and being dead wrong! 

Yesterday evening just as the BCC's regular meeting was to commence--I received the above document in an email.

I immediately forwarded this to the County Attorney and Acting County Administrator Amy Lovoy with the request that they share this offer with my counterparts on the board and appropriate staff....

There is TREMENDOUS interest in this property, because it is extremely valuable and most folks recognize this.  I still find it incredible that less than one year ago there was noise being put out by folks that the entire 636 acres was "only worth $4.75 Million..." Even more incredible and amazing is that there were astonishingly gullible and naive folks that actually believed this fiction.

Here we are in February 2019 and that fiction is officially, totally, and completely Debunked.....

Bold, Decisive Leadership Needed to Approve ST Engineering Aerospace Deal

I was proud to be a signatory to the original MOU for Project Titan back in October--now it is crunch time and I hope we can get this win for Escambia County and Pensacola--I hope we can get this project over the line!

I strongly support economic development, job diversification, and making our economy locally more resilient to the inevitable financial stresses and downturns that come and go in cycles.  High-tech jobs provide this diversification, and I support seeking these employers for our area.

If we follow through with Project Titan as we have planned
Pensacola and Escambia County will experience a huge
economic benefit from this effort

The project to bring a large MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) facility to Pensacola has been ongoing for the last 8 years.  While I was on the school board in 2012-2013-the local school district's vocational education department began preparing for these jobs.  The city of Pensacola pushed for these jobs. The County chipped in $Millions.  In 2018, the first hangar opened for business and we now have ST Engineering, the world's largest Aviation MRO provider with a significant presence in Escambia County.  (in addition our area boasts the world's largest credit union NFCU, and Ascend Performance Materials the world's largest producer of nylon 6 resin).  Having world-wide industry leaders in Escambia County is a GREAT thing to pursue and to have!

Now-- as we press for the next steps in creating the ST Engineering MRO campus in Pensacola that will employ an additional 1,325 citizens at above average salaries--we have run into a funding shortfall.

The County committed $10 Million to the effort last year, as did the city.

But some other funding sources needed to complete the deal have fallen short.   We are being asked to commit an additional $5 Million to the effort from the county.  I think we need to do this.

Here is why I support pushing forward with this project:

---1325 new jobs will be added that will pay an average of $46K per year plus benefits.  This payroll influx will stimulate housing and retail purchases that will also generate sales tax and property tax revenues for the County

---More than 70 local companies currently do business and supply ST Engineering with goods and services--this expansion of ST will increase sales of goods and services for these and other ST purveyor companies. 

---The 1325 new jobs plus the 400 existing jobs created from ST Engineering's Hangar 1 project will spin off an estimated 3,400 ancillary jobs in our community.

---Upon completion of the build out-ST engineering will pay $1.7 Million yearly in local taxes (County, City, School Board)--of which an estimated $652,470.00 yearly will come to the BCC.

---Millions of dollars will be spent locally and Hundreds of  additional temporary jobs will be created locally to support the design and construction of this campus if the project moves forward.

This project will provide good jobs to the community and a ladder to the middle class that many residents currently do not have.  The naysayers have come out in force to try and kill this project spouting propaganda and rhetoric like... "The amount of money per job is $XXXX--and that's too much" or "We can't afford to do this--we need to pay for infrastructure needs"  Here is the reality that disputes the naysayers--at least in my opinion.

The $210 Million should not be looked at as an amount of money per job...rather, it should be looked at as a pot of money that will be PAYING FOR PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE at the airport---assets that once built will spin revenue out for the city and county and assets that from the point of construction going forward will be the property of the citizens of our community.

And from my perspective as a County Commissioner--we will benefit greatly from leveraging all the benefits of this $210 Million Dollar project (compiled from multiple funding sources) for an investment of just over 7% of the total cost of the project (if we vote to add the $5 Million on Thursday to our original $10 Million commitment bringing our total commitment to $15 Million).  7% to get the benefits we will get is a fantastic deal. And if we look at what the county's tax dollars are paying per job--that number is actually just over $11,000.00 per job.  Do the math, $15 Million divided by 1325 new direct jobs.

Finally, the naysayers do not accept the reality of the situation when they talk about how expensive they believe this project is;  Remember to always think realistically when assessing the arguments of these naysayers.  These folks would have you believe that if we do not do this project, somehow we can still control and receive the benefit of the total project investment locally.  But this is simply not true.  If we do not push this forward, the $56 Million Triumph investment likely goes to one of our neighboring counties to the east, and Escambia loses out Pooof...gone! If this project goes away-ST Engineering will pull out the $35 Million they have earmarked for this deal and spend it elsewhere....Poof, gone! And the various other sources of tax proceeds that would have been spent on this deal---you guessed it---Pooof, gone to another part of the state.

 Bottom line---if we kill this project, this pot of money will ultimately fund some other Florida City's infrastructure.  That would be a huge loss if that happened.  The intelligent play here if we are thinking long game is to push forward with this project for the long-term benefit of our area.

Fixing the Fire Service Budgeting In Escambia County Part II

Is there a way to more intelligently budget for the fire service in Escambia County?  Answer--yes...

It is disappointing when a subject of universal community importance and concern becomes weaponized against those of us that make policy and set budgets using limited resources. 

Unfortunately this happens and it happens frequently in politics at the local level. 

When I was a school board member, when negotiations were not going the way the teacher's union wanted them to go, our meetings would become packed with union members wearing red shirts.  We would have dozens of speakers warning of the dire consequences of not adequately funding education.  Some speakers would become quite animated and aggressive.  It was ugly.  We got through these events, though. We compromised, and education in Escambia County continued.  But at no time did we ever NOT value teachers and education--we just had to make tough budget decisions.

Then in my first year as a county commissioner, the BCC was ridiculed and attacked viciously and unprofessionally in commercials, online, and on billboards when we did not immediately acquiesce to unrealistic and unsustainable salary increase demands from the Sheriff's department.  We went back and forth, did mediation, and eventually we reached a compromise agreement and a 4-year deal. We got the Law Enforcement Trust process fixed and we increased salaries---  But no matter what anyone said about us, no matter who said the board didn't respect and value law enforcement--those statements were always lies and that rhetoric was always pure propaganda--none of it was ever true.  (Unfortunately some very gullible folks actually believed this.  Sadly, some still do.  But it wasn't true--isn't now and it never was.)

So now we come to 2019 and the fire department budget is in the red.  Union negotiations are going on and some members of the career firefighter ranks are pushing us for more resources.  Some are getting aggressive online and at the dais.

Are there legitimate concerns about fire service equipment--yes?  And yes, the MSBU is not fully funding the budget of the fire service.

So now what?

Some folks would just love us to raise tax rates on command.  They say "we need the money, now raise taxes!"

But I'm never going to vote to raise the year over year tax rate on Escambia county property owners if there are other viable solutions to budget issues. I've never voted to increase rates in 12 years in public office--and I'm not starting now. We have to live within our budgets just like households and small businesses do.  And I do believe there are viable options available apart from raising year-over-year tax rates.

FIXING THE ISSUES WITH THE VOLUNTEERS

As I said in Part I of this series, we need to take some steps to help our yearly fire service fund increases become more predictable and larger--I went through some steps to do this in this earlier post.http://jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com/2019/01/fixing-fire-service-budgeting-in.html

But now I want to take it a step further and mention some additional measures that I feel need to be taken to make the agency more efficient going forward.

--First, we have to cut the bureaucratic red tape that is currently creating an unnecessary blockage in the training pipeline (e.g. right now there is a backlog of at least 15 additional volunteer firefighters that only need a live-burn certification to be fully qualified to run calls.  I'm told some of these volunteers have been waiting for 5 months for this certification. Some have gone or are going to neighboring counties for this training because they cannot get through the bureaucracy here in Escambia--which if true is unacceptable.  One knowledgeable individual with whom I spoke had a stark assessment of the reason for the hold up "They can't afford to pay the stipends if all the

Andy Marlette Manipulation....7.0

This cartoon is a parody of Andy Marlette's PNJ cartoon from today--where he accuses me of engaging in unprovoked attacks.  In actuality, Marlette is the one that engages in unprovoked attacks!

So two weeks ago Thursday-- I sent in a viewpoint article.  It was rational, measured and balanced.  I was looking to offer a reasonable compromise on the naming of the replacement Pensacola Bay Bridge that is under construction and will be completed in 2021.

What happened next?

PNJ cartoonist Andy Marlette wrote a scathing hit-piece article the Sunday after I submitted my viewpoint.  Instead of disagreeing with me or my position--he instead attacked me personally--calling me a "troll" and a "goober" (they printed my balanced and rational article the next day, on Monday.....low circulation day.  Through their attempts at condensing the piece I submitted--they also created several grammatical errors as well and left them in the version published......)

Marlette's Sunday article--meanwhile---was roundly criticized by posters on the PNJ site.

"Marlette is a dishonest editorialist"  wrote one facebook poster to the story....

"If you don’t agree with Mr. Bergosh, by all means say so. But to personally attack him by calling him a goober and a troll is really a sad commentary on yourself."  wrote another

"Its more like Marlette is trying to take a grain a sand and turn it into something its not..... 
The PNJ could do so much better giving Marlette his walking papers and just leaving his part of the page as "blank space". said yet another facebook poster

"I appreciate Mr. Bergosh speaking up. I don't know him at all but was happy to see his article and him standing up to do what is RIGHT!"...said another facebook poster to Marlette's hit job article"

So now what happens--I get a cartoon in the Saturday edition, today, that is "scolding" me for interacting with constituents on facebook and writing my opinions  there--insinuating I am engaging in unprovoked  "attacks" on my constituents which is rubbish.

Marlette should have drawn this cartoon with himself as the hate spewer----No problem.  I did it for him!