Wait--We're Going to Pay Nearly $4+ Million in County Funds for WHAT?

 

Will we spend nearly $4 Million and 
"name select" a hospital to inject vaccines
to the general public locally--or should
the state and federal budgets absorb this cost?

As we move through the holidays toward an end to an incredibly tumultuous 2020--the hits keep coming.

And I'm not talking about songs on the Billboard Charts.

I'm talking hits as in gut-punches and body blows.  Uppercuts and elbows to the face. Knees to the groin and spinning backfists to the temple and head.

First, we were hit with COVID 19 which infected 20,000 + residents, killed nearly 360 local citizens, and decimated spring-early summer tourism in our area. Poof, it was gone. (the revenue-NOT the virus)

Throughout the summer, citizens were laid off, businesses struggled, and the economy plugged along uneasily.

Next, we received significant damage from Hurricane Sally in September.  And as a result the county had to front $70 Million for debris hauling.  And although we will receive a majority of this money back in reimbursement from FEMA (75%) and the State (12%)---we will still be on the hook for            $ millions that remain after the reimbursements.  And the reimbursements, well--let's just say they are not always very timely.  As a case in point-I'm told by staff we received some reimbursements owed from IVAN (September, 2004) as recently as just two years ago in 2018.  Just saying.....

And yet early on in 2020--things were looking so great--we even received $8 Million in general fund eligible "found" money as a residual from the BP Oil Spill settlement.  It came as a pleasant, welcome surprise to all of us--out of the clear blue sky.  It was awesome and we all had plans and designs on how we'd spend this windfall in our respective districts.  It was great for about a month.  Don't worry though---that $8 million is gone now, that and then some.  Thanks 2020.  Vaporized into thin air.

And then--FDOT's bridge project went haywire in the wake of Sally-- as their contractor improperly secured dozens of barges--according to multiple law firms and the PNJ-- that subsequently took out the 3-mile bridge--effectively killing many small businesses in Gulf Breeze and vaporizing our early fall business at the area's beaches.  Don't worry though:--we are told FDOT will break with tradition and "do whatever is necessary" to actually complete something on time; they keep saying March 2021 the span damaged by their contractors' barges will be "fixed."  We will see about that---trust me I want to believe that.  Like Fox Mulder's famous office wall-hanging poster--"I want to believe."  I think it will be more like June-July------if things go perfectly from this point forward.  I hope I'm wrong and that FDOT will actually be able to hit a deadline.   I hope I'm wrong and FDOT is right.  We will all see in March, I guess.

We're told FDOT will have the 3-Mile
bridge repaired in March......

But now, after all of the above  (and much more I'm not even bothering to mention) comes word of another unexpected, contentious, out-of- thin air multi-million dollar expenditure we are going to be asked to approve in our first meeting of 2021.  That's right folks--nearly $4 Million dollars are going to be requested of the BCC to pay our local hospitals to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to our area's general population.

But Wait--why are we being asked to pay for this--isn't the state getting money from the FEDS for this?  What about the Army?  What about the "Operation Warp Speed" distribution plan? What about the health department? Isn't the National Guard going to be deployed to vaccinate the public?  Why wouldn't the hospitals be paid/reimbursed directly for this by the FEDS?  Aren't these hospitals already being reimbursed directly for COVID-19 related increased costs?  Too many questions.  

Our $57 Million in CARES act money is programmed and spent already--so where is the additional nearly $4 Million more supposed to come from--------and why are we doing this--paying for this locally?

I'm told that counties around the state, including one nearby to our east, are proactively paying their local hospital corporations (nonprofits and for profits) millions of dollars as their vaccination agents. Our neighboring county has put aside $2.4 Million for this express purpose I have been told.  So this is putting pressure on us to do likewise--is the justification I have heard.

My late mom, God rest her soul, had an apropos saying she used to throw at my brother and I when we were about to make bad choices based upon peer pressure.  "If Joey decides to jump off the cliff--are you going to jump off a cliff, too?"

Of course we want everyone to be vaccinated--we care about the health and safety of our citizens.  But again I ask--why do we have to shoulder this burden locally with local funds--this should be a FED and State cost, right?  I mean, the Federal Treasury is printing money at breakneck speed, the presses are smoking they are moving so fast as we quickly surpass $30 Trillion in debt.  So I have a hard time believing that some of that cheddar is not "supposed" to go to paying for citizen vaccinations.

"Yo, Adrian, we can't take any more
budgetary face-punches!"

This whole topic will be generating some discussion at the meeting.  Some pointed questions are coming that will require some cogent answers.  Because as of right now--we can't spend any more than we've spent already.  2020 has been one catastrophe on top of another, one punch to the head after another; we can't take any more blows to the head or else we'll get "knocked out!"

Can the Board of County Commissioners "STOP" 5G Deployment by the Telecommunications Firms?

Everyone wants light-speed data and consistent coverage on their iPhones; some do not want to see the hardware that enables this ANYWHERE near where they live, though.

This has been a discussion going back several years.

We all want the fastest, most reliable and dependable cell phone service and coverage we can get.

--But some people do not like the way the requisite poles and 5G boxes look--you know, the hardware behind the scenes that makes our iPhones work allowing us to download data quickly.

--Still others worry about potential, perceived ill-effects of these box-devices from a health perspective.

So lots of people THAT ARE ADDICTED to technology and their iPhones DO NOT want these transmitter boxes that enable lightning-fast cellular and data service to be installed ANYWHERE near their houses or communities.  They'd prefer not to see them, period.

Which creates quite a conundrum for those of us who are local-level policymakers.  

Because this request appears to be an impossible one.

What I know is that at the local level we are very, very limited in what we can do to stop these devices from being installed.  We "may" have a limited ability to require modest aesthetic enhancements to the devices before they are deployed.  Beyond that though--State and Federal statutes and associated regulation preclude local governments from balking at where or even if these devices are deployed.

An email from a D4 constituent yesterday purports that some communities have successfully stopped deployment of 5G cell towers in these locations (Miami, Tampa). She didn't send any news links to support this claim nor did she provide proof of this statement.  She simply requests we attempt to stop 5G with respect to the current deployment of these towers at Pensacola Beach--like what she claims these other communities have done.  She even linked a resolution from Coconut Creek that she would like the BCC in Escambia to replicate to slow down the rollout of 5G at the beach.

I have replied to this constituent stating to her that I would request we discuss her request and the relevant cases she has cited at an upcoming meeting of the BCC.  I'd be interested to know more specifically--as I've seen no mainstream news reports of what she claims "happened" in Miami and Tampa.

Should be an interesting discussion--but I do not believe we will have the legal authority to stop the deployment----as again---this local control authority has been stripped away from us by State and Federal statutes so far as we have been advised by our attorney.

But we will see what happens. 

County's Ethics and Compliance Investigation into ECFR Contacting Volunteers' Employers is Closed

In a particularly infamous scene from King Kong--the beast shakes a giant log knocking multiple people off a cliff to their deaths...King Kong didn't want them around so he "knocked them off the log"

I requested a meeting with Administrator Janice Gilley and attorney Alison Rogers yesterday afternoon.

The topic was an investigation into why a county fire official, Craig Ammons, called the employer of several dozen volunteer firefighter candidates in 2019--leading to many of them not being able to serve as volunteer firemen in our community.

The seven page document I received is a quick read;  although it is a public record, the cover requests that it not be disseminated and therefore I will not link it.

The issue stems from several volunteer trainees being told they had to resign, after an official with ECFR called their employer to get clarification on whether or not these particular employees could volunteer with the fire department.  There were concerns that an "unwritten" policy might have been in place with this particular employer which prevented certain employees of this employer from volunteering.

But the investigation revealed there was no such existing written policy.  Upon being called about this--the safety officer of this employer had to check with his direct superior, who then in turn had to check with the his superior in a different part of the country.

The big boss--once contacted--eventually said "not just no, HELL no they can't be volunteer firemen." according to the report.  

And so that is the end of a steady stream of young, energetic volunteers.  What a shame.

My contention all along was simple:  Why are we calling volunteers' employers?  Is that our jobs, to be babysitters of grown men and women?  Is that the protocol? Is it a violation of privacy?  Is it potentially a privacy act violation?  I mean---why do it??

According to the report---this was not and is not our policy (calling volunteers' bosses).  This led to the Administrator questioning why this happened, and why our employee made that call which led to the turning away of  nearly 20 volunteer trainees.  "What concern was it of his whether these people volunteered?" was her question.

As a result of this matter, the official stance going forward is that ECFR will not contact the employers of volunteer candidates;  as should have been the case in the first place--we need to let grown men and women who want to volunteer do just this----and we ought to let them work it out with their employer as this is between them and their employer.

Otherwise this has the unseemly appearance of another attempt by some within ECFR of discouraging volunteers, which in turn costs us more money in personnel expenditures necessary to hire full-time paid firemen.  Although some in ECFR hate it---we are a combination department.  

After reading this report--my opinion is that there was a deliberate attempt to discourage these men and women from volunteering with our fire service.  Why else would we proactively call this boss ---when we never call anyone else's boss?  A part of the conclusion sums it up, when it describes this action creating"..an unprofessional appearance of conduct inconsistent with a public service organization that depends in part, on volunteer services as a basis of necessary support."

We ought to find ways to facilitate and encourage volunteers---not ways to "knock them off the log!"

Others Recognize "Savage" PNJ Stupidity--- and The Deliberate Ignorance of OLF-8's Real Economic Value: JOBS

It was readily apparent to many that the PNJ's hatchet piece "editorial" last Sunday was WAY off base.

I certainly spotted it as what it was immediately:  A directed, ad hominem attack job at the behest of one of the PNJ's advertising patrons, "consultants", developers, and/or a large special interest employer.

 Or all of them.

It was uncalled for.

It was so uncalled for and out of line that I wasn't the only one who knew it was unfair, off-base, and odd. 

The only other print media publication in town called them out for it immediately.

In a series of blog posts, Rick Outzen on IN Weekly gutted the PNJ's very basis for the attack piece--pointing out the two painfully obvious facts that PNJ deliberately and conveniently left out of their hit piece:  1.) this OLF-8 project was always a jobs project.  2.) Nobody ever said the nearby neighbors, via a "vote" would control what happened on this field.    

How was this "embarrassing?"  How were citizens insulted?  Outzen appeared to have been figuratively asking-----while scratching his head over the vicious article's purpose.

In his weekly printed paper, in the "Out Takes" section---Outzen expounded on the reasons he felt this PNJ hit job was so out of step.

He chronicled a number of other high profile land use decisions the BCC and City Council have made historically that have not necessarily moved in lock step with what nearby residents wanted--yet those decisions were never chastised by the PNJ, nor were those politicians that made those choices.  

Why the double standard?

Then--in an echo of what Commissioner Barry stated at the workshop--Outzen states plainly that NFCU's own project directly adjacent to OLF-8 in Beulah shows us all, in stark terms, how the real value of a big jobs deal is in the payroll and the jobs for the community---not in the ad valorem revenue a company's facilities or residential properties produce.   This was illustrated in a very simple comparison between the MASSIVELY HUGE economic impact jobs have as compared to the ad valorem value of properties constructed per acre.  It was a great post--directly on point and exactly what I've been screaming for years.  Jobs, Jobs, Jobs.

Now--Rick Outzen is no "fan" of Jeff Bergosh.  Let's just get that straight right now---and he will be the first one to go after me in an article or a post if I step out of line in my duty as an elected official.  He's done it before often.  

So with this as the backdrop---it really was satisfying to see that even he saw what I saw and what Steven Barry saw and many others saw:  Consultants who couldn't answer the questions that were important to us as the policymakers.  And a sense of tone-deafness about the jobs and economic development aspects of this project that was annoying in a presentation that went on TOO LONG.

And then a local Newspaper Editorial that unfairly attacked the Board Members.

Hatchet Piece Hit Job Journalism--PNJ Editorial Board Strikes Again

PNJ Editor Lisa Nellessen Savage and Cartoonist Andy Marlette unleashed a biased, inaccurate, non-contextualized and caustic fake-news "editorial" today....simply because I have the audacity to disagree with them and those of their ilk.  Far beyond news, it was a fact-barren, truth concealing, directed ad hominem attack.  No wonder NOBODY trusts them...I can't wait until they go out of business

Today’s ridiculous ad hominem attack piece on me from the PNJ comes because I do not support additional residential construction on the OLF-8 field in Beulah. Self-interested special interests and downtown insiders that control the PNJ, their editor Lisa Nellessen Savage, and their two-person editorial board do not control me----- and this burns them up. I disagree with them, and I do not support utilizing this field for any additional housing, period. We have TOO MUCH residential housing out here already, and we need to let our infrastructure catch up and we DO NOT need to compete with private sector developers who are already building plenty of "walkable communities" within "walking distance" of NFCU. I disagree with them on this---and they can't stand it.  I do not genuflect to their "experts" and they go apoplectic.  Remember this: The PNJ "editorial board" doesn't care about good jobs-they have theirs already.  I do care though.  The PNJ does not care about promises we made to the taxpayers as we spent $18 Million in ESCAMBIA COUNTY taxpayers' monies to acquire this land for jobs for ALL Citizens--not simply for the enrichment of one particular community in Escambia County or for one particular employer in Escambia County.  But I do care.  And I disagree with them and they are throwing a tantrum because of it.   I care about keeping our word to the people of the county that financed this decades long project to bring jobs to the entire county; I will not let downtown insiders, the PNJ, Lisa Savage, Dandy Marlette,  and/or any other special interests do a bait and switch job on the taxpayers of this county.  Period.

 

And yes, as a nearly 17 year resident of Beulah right across from the field--this doesn't mean I will not also advocate for some amenities for our community----to include retail along 9-Mile road (restaurants, shops, hopefully a post office and other establishments)--a regional park with tennis courts, a world class walking-jogging trail around the entire property for community use, and first rate stormwater and road/sidewalk infrastructure throughout the property which will allow us the potential to incubate a MINIMUM of 1000 good jobs which will allow us to win up to $30 Million from Triumph Gulf Coast. My goal--no residential but lots of amenities, parks, greenspace, and good jobs for the whole county. This infuriates the paper and the special interests downtown that want high-density, traffic-exacerbating residential construction and a mall-- complete with apartments and townhomes--all the while knowing this would take us totally out of the running for the triumph $30 Million dollar jobs grant. They don't care though--remember, they have theirs already. But I do care, this drives them nuts, and I will remain faithful to the intent of this project no matter what. It is what I campaigned on and I don't care how many inaccurate hit pieces the corrupted, compromised, biased, partisan, and inaccurate PNJ writes about me. What they say means nothing, everyone knows PNJ is corrupted--owned by the downtown insiders and special interests and their advertising "patron."

They're owned, but I will NEVER be.

 

 

 

 

The Next ECFR Fire Chief Hiring Status: Lots of Issues to Fix and 60 Names on a List.......

According to staff the process for hiring the Fire Chief is underway and the eventual  successful candidate will be hired sometime shortly after the new year.  This is good news as solid leadership is DESPERATELY NEEDED!

One of the county positions for which I have advocated the loudest and for which others have as well is the Escambia Fire Chief position. We currently have this position filled with an interim, temporary placeholder. In fact, it's been going on two years since our last permanent Fire Chief, Rusty Nail, left the job shortly after taking the job in the first place after a lengthy search the county conducted. 

 And since this time, this has been the position I believe we most desperately need filled. I've stated the fact bluntly--stated it publicly at meetings and privately to staff: There is a total and complete lack of leadership in that department right now---in part I believe this is due to the lack of a fire chief, a leader.

We need strong, competent leadership in that role and this has been absent for many years now. Too long. And in the meantime--unprofessional conduct has been tolerated. And what is tolerated is condoned. What is tolerated and condoned becomes behavior and culture that is embraced. 

 But this is going to get corrected, and this is going to get fixed. 

Eventual 3rd place finisher, 
BCC candidate signs were
found in ECFR station 6
in August--in violation of
county ordinance-resulting in
a letter of reprimand for one
ECFR Battalion Chief....

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate violation of County Policy regarding political signs on Public Properties and in Public Fire Houses. 

 --We will fix the unprofessional and deliberate efforts to "run-off" well-trained and perfectly capable volunteers--several blatant instances of which are being investigated as I write this. 

Imagine the fantasy world where an
employee is asked a direct question for
which he knows the answer
regarding an investigation and such an
employee responds by saying to his boss
"I know the answer, but I won't tell you!"

 --We will fix the unprofessional, despicable, and unacceptable conduct by those in fire who put out deliberately inaccurate misinformation on social media immediately after a tragic loss of life fire where certain personnel attempted to leverage this tragedy (totally disregarding the victims' families in the process) for union negotiations and bargaining. (when asked which employee it was that posted inappropriate, misleading, and false information online regarding a fire at which a citizen died-- the only three employees that had administrative posting rights and "access" to this site actually told their supervisor when queried "We don't have to tell you who posted it-and we will NOT tell you!" [picture here the image of man holding his thumb to his nose while simultaneously wiggling his other four fingers vigorously while looking at you in the face, laughing while telling you  "na, na, na, na, na, naaaaa--I'm not going to tell you!"]) 

--We will fix the rampant abuse of sick leave by the practice (of which I have been appraised) where 24 hour employees (who accrue sick leave at a high rate) and who legitimately become disabled subsequently have been allowed to "transfer" to a 9-hour billet during their period of disability in order to burn 9 hours of sick leave for each day missed--instead of 24 hours--saving themselves big money on eventual sick leave payouts upon separation. This practice is ending immediately, by the way. (But the fact that it was allowed to happen at all DISGUSTS ME!)

--We will fix the shift-swapping buddy-buddy histrionics which allow some personnel to accumulate long shifts at the overtime rate--maximizing their personal salaries to the detriment of other employees

What Does the COVID-19 Recovered Number Look Like Locally?

Recovery Happens for the VAST majority of individuals that are diagnosed with COVID-19 locally---but what is the number??

One of the metrics I believe we desperately need to add to our daily COVID-19 Dashboard is the number of positive patients that have subsequently "recovered" from COVID-19.  Now, there are a lot of different ways to calculate this---and obviously it is an educated guess or estimate--but it can be done.

The state of Michigan Does it.

Wisconsin Does it.

The country India does it

So why can't we, in Escambia County, do it?

Answer:  We can and we will.  Because I believe we have a duty to provide as much data as we can on this topic----and a good "recovered" number is a vitally important data point.

Otherwise folks are just looking at the TOTAL CASES NUMBER OF 17,177!  (representing nearly 20% of Escambia's population, or 1 in 5 people)  But wait:  That number includes ALL cases since the pandemic started in March.  Many, in fact the VAST MAJORITY of those cases have resolved and recovered (minus the 310 that unfortunately have died and those that are currently infected and fighting the disease).  But if the recovered number, right now, stands at about 13,000 of those 17,177 cases---that is good information to know.  Because that means there are really only 4,177 ACTIVE, CURRENT cases--which is a much smaller percentage (8% roughly or less than 1 in 10 ).  

Because of this and for many other good reasons, we MUST get this data point added to our dashboard.

So I discussed it at the last BCC meeting.  Staff has been looking at the data and is working on a formula.  Meanwhile--here is some initial information on this topic provided by staff:

"Testing data in Escambia County shows 17,177 citizens have tested positive, 1081 (6.3%) have been hospitalized, and 310 (1.8%) have died.   Importantly, 93.7% of citizens who tested positive in Escambia County did not require hospitalization, and 98.2% of citizens who tested positive recovered and did not die.  This can be compared to the total State of Florida residents who have tested positive (1,012,456) where 5.5% have been hospitalized and 1.86% have died."

98.2% locally have recovered thus far, and have not died.

 

............Just How Good Will the OLF-8 Project End Up Being, Financially, for the Taxpayers of Escambia County?

 

According to preliminary estimates presented to me yesterday by DPZ Design--it appears as if the Escambia County Taxpayers may achieve a net return on investment on OLF-8 of between $12Million and as much as $47 Million once this plan is finalized and this land is developed/sold.

Yesterday afternoon I had an individual briefing with the DPZ design team on their four potential plans for OLF-8.

All four plans allow space/acreage such that the creation of a minimum of 1,000 good jobs is achievable.

All four plans include space for community amenities, green space, and trails around the property.

Three of the four plans recommend a significant amount of differing types of residential construction on the property (Single-Family, Loft over Commercial, Townhome, Apartment)

All four allow for commercial/retail along the frontage of 9-Mile road.

Once presented with the materials and given the briefing (which will also be held publicly at an upcoming committee of the whole), I had three basic questions/requests of the team:

1.  Can they get a metric and bring it to the upcoming meeting detailing the short and long term financial impact/benefit to the County if the property generates 1,000 jobs, or 2,000 jobs, or 3,000 jobs etc.?  (This sort of a metric was missing)

2.  Can they get a metric or "star rating" for each plan based upon the likelihood (or not) of each plan securing a Triumph Gulf Coast Grant?

3.  Will the team be able to take input from the commissioners and bring back a hybrid plan based upon what the BCC considers an optimal "mix" of these plans to create a plan that creates jobs and value for the community and the citizens to a degree that it will garner at least 3 votes to move forward?  

The answer to all three questions was "YES"--and I must say there are attributes to each of the plans that I feel are extremely appealing.  I stressed to the DPZ team on the call my continuing belief that whatever the final "plan" is that comes out of the other end of the sausage hopper of design---I believe it will represent a compromise and no entity will get 100% of what they want--but everyone will get some of what they want.

But the financial winner in this whole evolution, it is becoming more and more evident, will be the taxpayers of Escambia County.  

Although we spent nearly $18 Million acquiring this property, we have already recouped $4 Million when we sold 100 acres of it to NFCU.  This leaves us with an outstanding expenditure of $14 Million left to recoup.  Since the time of our acquisition of this property----the value of land in Beulah has gone straight up like a rocket.  

Which begs the question:  Just how good will the OLF-8 project end up being, financially, for the Taxpayers of Escambia County?

Well--- according to the expert analysis of the DPZ team in their presentation yesterday---the property, once divested, will generate proceeds of between  $26.48 Million and $61.77 Million.

Subtracting the remaining $14Million invested--this represents a potential net return to the County's LOST fund of between $12.48Million to $47.77 Million---depending upon how the property is developed and disposed of.

But no matter which way it is sliced and diced---and regardless of how sloppy the deal was as we assembled it like a go-cart already pushed down a hill---it looks as though the taxpayers are going to score a major financial coup with this project!