Inside the DPZ Text Messages and Emails: Part VI "Navy Fed Got Burnt"

 

Why does DPZ feel "Navy Fed got 'burnt' on this deal?"

As I wake up today coming off of what I felt was a good meeting yesterday (beginning at 20:08 of this video), where the commissioners were working together and arrived at a compromise for the development of OLF-8--I can't help but wonder about the text message, above, from Mike Weich of DPZ Co Design to Marina Khoury, also of DPZ Co Design.  In it, Weich states that  he "Just feel(s) bad for Navy Fed...they were 'burnt' on this deal."

This text message comes as a result of a public records request that DPZ fulfilled late last week.  The context of the above quote is:   this was a commentary between these two on a series of unflattering articles, blog posts, news pieces and television stories that came out last month illustrating the fact that there were several "behind the scenes" meetings between Navy Federal Credit Union, a coalition of NFCU employees and some residents, and the county's consultant, DPZ.  In these meetings, county staffers were specifically excluded and the goal of "embarrassing" and undermining the BCC's goals were discussed and DPZ staff was copied on these plans.

Then it was also revealed in these articles that the chief media spokesman for NFCU, Bill Pearson, was simultaneously working with the "NO Commerce Park on OLF 8" campaign against the BCC.  He (Pearson) even helped edit their talking points.  And Marina Khoury was aware of this, as members of the DPZ team were copied on these conversations.  Sadly, at the time these machinations were occurring, nobody at the BCC (DPZ's Client) was notified in real time.  Many believe this was a breach of DPZ's ethical obligation to the BCC, DPZ's sole client here on this OLF-8 project.  This all was discovered after the fact--- which was embarrassing for both NFCU and DPZ.

So perhaps Weich feels NFCU got "burnt" because of the poor way in which DPZ handled these actions--leading to the conduct at issue being discovered through a local journalist's public records request?  If that's why he feels they got "burnt"- he should look in the mirror for the culprit.

But maybe Weich feels NFCU got "burnt" because they didn't successfully kill all the jobs and commerce to be developed on OLF-8?  (This could be valid--as prior to the embarrassing public records emails detailing the NFCU behind the scenes involvement with DPZ in this---what was

supposed to be unbiased process----the originally presented plans had LOTS more residential and LOTS less commerce.  This would have been exactly what NFCU wanted.  But now the latest compromise hybrid plan has 3X the acres for job creation of the previous plans!)

Maybe Weich feels NFCU got "burnt" because they agreed to pay back the county, under certain stipulations, for the cost of the master planning.  This was agreed upon via a memorandum of agreement between the county and NFCU.  Perhaps Weich knows that even though the new hybrid plan was agreed upon by the board, and developed with input from NFCU, Florida West, the BCC, and PEDC--maybe he knows in his heart this isn't exactly what NFCU wanted, yet due to the publicity of the whole DPZ email/text messages fiasco---NFCU will now be all but obligated to pay the full reimbursement to the county--even though he knows this isn't the plan NFCU wanted.

But in the end, if Weich and Khoury feel NFCU got "burnt" in this deal---they should be the ones to apologize to NFCU for it, they allowed it to happen.

I simply get back to the fact that we arrived at a compromise;  nobody (not even NFCU) will get everything they want, and all of us will have to settle for accepting some of what we specifically did NOT want.  That's the way a compromise works, Mike.