OLF 8 Project in District 1 will be a WIN for Escambia County, the Taxpayers, and Beulah!

 

A recent guest editorial and letter to the editor about OLF 8 contained strident opinions presented as facts and half-truths conflated with misstatements.  A letter to the editor in today's PNJ contained the same flawed talking points.  Therefore, I feel obliged to add clarity to this important issue.

The OLF 8 acquisition, master planning, and marketing effort has been a 25-year evolution. 

We’ve recently accepted an all-cash offer for OLF-8, allowing for the construction of restaurants, retail, a town-center, high-wage job areas, and other amenities for all Escambia taxpayers.

The bidder I favored--based upon better initially expressed intentions (Breland)—didn’t show up to the selection meeting held on April 6^th.  They were aware of the meeting and didn’t attend.

DR Horton, by contrast, attended the meeting, presented their plan, and modified their language indicating substantial compliance with the Board’s Master Plan.  They’ll be teaming with Stirling properties for the commercial/light industrial portions of the field, and they upped their offer significantly—to $42 Million Dollars ($7 Million more than Breland’s highest offer).

Also-Horton/Stirling’s plan indicates a piece of the parcel for potential sale to the school board for a Beulah High School if that board wants that. Breland’s rendering had no school site.  Horton/Stirling’s plan also has a town center; the Breland “rendering”has no town center.

Breland’s plan indicates miniscule retail portions, a tiny portion for job creation (light industrial) and the entire balance of the land residential.  Importantly: Breland’s plan didn’t reflect the master plan conformity they assured the board in their initial purchase offer.  

The Horton/Stirling plan remains much more strongly aligned with the agreed upon master plan than does Breland’s—look at initial renderings, side by side, below. Judge for yourself.

DR Horton/Stirling Property OLF 8 Concept
plan (Residential in Green)

Breland OLF8 Concept plan
(Residential in Yellow)

From the beginning of this acquisition process- as the county worked on creating high-paying, high tech jobs on OLF-8-- I forcefully advocated against ANY residential on that field-- a position with which most citizens in Beulah with whom I’ve spoken agree.

Pressure applied on the BCC by some area residents and a few politically connected special interests, however, pushed aside the original plan as solely a regional jobs generator. 

That’s how we got here.

Over the next 60 days, we’ll hammer out an agreement that’ll result in between a $20-$27 million dollar “profit” for the taxpayers— proceeds that will be used county-wide to address legacy deficiencies in infrastructure and fund quality of life enhancements. 

OLF 8 will also generate significant new property tax revenue for the county and the school board; this added revenue allows us to ensure FIRST RESPONDERS are paid competitive wages-assisting us with staffing challenges without raising property tax (millage) rates. 

Therefore, I’d caution readers to always be wary in believing a few voices of discord who want you to believe they represent and speak for everyone.

Remember: these same voices have deftly transitioned and recalibrated their opposition as we’ve responsibly advanced this project. “They’ll never complete this land-swap!” naysayers first howled.  “These commissioners are reckless—they’ll NEVER recoup this investment!” came next.  Now it’s “Commissioners only care about the MONEY.”

It’s very rich how the goal posts move, the attacks change--- but the faces of opposition remain the same.

We’ll never successfully hit the Goldilocks zone for these folks—where the porridge is “just right,” but we’ve tried.  We engaged the community, compromised, and listened.

Now it’s time to act. 

I’m upbeat, positive, and optimistic about the impending OLF8 sale/development.  

With integrity and due consideration, we’ll close this deal to produce a huge win----for everyone!

Dystopian, Fearful, Defeatist, Pessimistic Emails---and My Enthusiastic, Positive, and Realistic Response!

Dystopian, Fearful, Defeatist, Pessimistic, and emotionally-charged emails to me regarding OLF-8's pending development will, in return, receive factual, rational, educated, enthusiastic, and emotionally neutral (Think "Spock-like") responses!  

I've lived the OLF 8 issue since I bought my house right across from the field nearly 20 years ago.  At that time, it was people complaining about the noise of the choppers.  Little did I know then that a nearly decade-long effort was already well underway for the county to acquire that property for jobs from the Navy.....but it was.

Fast forward 11 years to 2015 and I became well aware of the history of the project---and I campaigned in support of a world class, high-tech, clean tech commerce park on OLF-8 to create and provide high-tech, clean-tech, high-paying jobs for the entire region--along with amenities along the 9-Mile Road frontage for nearby residents----as I successfully ran for and won the D1 seat on the BCC.  

Yes--I've lived this issue for a long time now.

Although some will now attempt to re-write history, the facts are the facts:  I supported jobs, and I vehemently DID NOT support any, not one, residential dwelling on that field. NONE.

But then came the upswelling of anger and frustration from neighbors, politically connected companies, and stong special interests----and the original plan went out the window faster than lightning in favor of a watered down footprint for jobs--favoring a much larger mixed use development and some amenities. And yes, some residential on the field was incorporated into this "new direction"--even though very few in Beulah wanted any more residential built there on OLF 8.  Even my most ardent, staunchest political enemies in the area agreed with my assessment that we should NOT be competing with the private sector by sourcing land for homebuilders on OLF 8 because there was too much residential being built in Beulah already and the infrastructure couldn't support more on OLF 8.  

But I was outvoted.  

And then I went through the master planning, swallowed hard, held my nose, gagged and in the spirit of compromise went along with the rest of the board in supporting the master plan as the blueprint going forward for this parcel. It was a hard-fought compromise that left a little something for everyone, a lot of stuff a lot of people didn't want, and very little of what a few people wanted.  Nobody was 100% happy-it was the epitome of a compromise.

That's the fact, Jack.  That's how this happened, and that is how we came to be where we are today, period, end of story.

And now that we have chosen a group with which to partner-----as only one group came to the drop dead meeting yesterday-----I am receiving some emails that are negative.  I am also receiving some that are positive.  The negatives outweigh the positives roughly 2-1.  Here, below, is an example "negative" email and my upbeat, positive, rational, and factual response:

"Jeff,

Please [do] not [use]DR Horton (sic), he is a cheap builder and will add nothing to our area and OLF-8. It would be nice to have decent restaurants. Would be great to have a Post Office,  but as you told me the USPS is closing offices, although there are 2 close together on 29. I go back to MLK and Fairfield by the School District Warehouse to purchase stamps and do mailing. Very inconvenient.

But we say no to DRA Horton(sic), not that it matters. Sounds like a done deal. And traffic will be horrific with more homes and apartments. Oh well, the end of paradise.

Thanks,"

My response:

"Thanks for the email.  I believe we did the best we could-- given the fact that the stronger bidder (Breland) didn’t show up to the selection meeting and given the fact that DR Horton is now teaming with Stirling and upped their offer significantly.  Additionally, to their credit, DR Horton acquiesced to our insistence that they accept a deed restriction limiting their ability to build residential on the light industrial/commercial areas of the parcel.  And they did set aside a 20 acre piece of the parcel for potential sale to the school board for a school if the school board decides they want to pursue that.  And their plan has a town center, Class A medical and office buildings, retail, restaurants, and other amenities for the Beulah community. The half-hearted Breland “rendering” sent to us the night before the meeting that they did not attend indicated a small, miniscule retail parcel on the nine mile frontage, a tiny, miniscule parcel for job creation (commercial, light industrial) on the northeast corner----and the entire balance of the land residential.  It was DOA the minute I saw it, so it was wise they ghosted us and did a no show.

 Remember XXXXX—from the get go I powerfully advocated against ANY residential on that field.  I wanted amenities, retail, restaurants on the frontage and the balance of the land for the creation of high-tech, clean tech jobs (like NFCU in aesthetically pleasing buildings).  But due to the pressure put on my counterparts by local residents, and powerful and politically connected special interests,—that original plan (you know, the reason we spent $18.5 million and 25 years working on this project in the first place—as a regional jobs generator) was thrown out the window.  Over my objections.  That is the true history, well documented, of how we got where we are today. So we did the master plan which I ultimately endorsed and voted to support, in the spirit of compromise.

 With that as the backdrop, we are where we are now with one interested party.  And while the plan is not perfect, I do think this team will work with us.  And over the next 6 months or so we will hammer out an agreement that will result in between a $20-$27 Million dollar “profit” for the taxpayers—which proceeds can be used throughout Beulah, District 1, and the county to address deficiencies in stormwater and traffic infrastructure as well as other quality of life needs.  And remember this, as well:  We have a $155 Million Dollar interchange coming in Beulah which will divert half of the current 9-mile road traffic which all utilizes exit five.  Additionally, Beulah Road—now a state road—will be widened in that plan.  The state is currently constructing significant upgrades on Mobile Hwy from Blue Angel all the way to 9 Mile road through Beulah.  And the Governor’s newly-announced Florida Forward initiative earmarks $162 Million for an ambitious 6-year plan to 6-lane 1-10 through Beulah from the weigh station to Pine Forest road along with a significant re-work of the entire interchange at exit 7.  So infrastructure upgrades and modernization projects are in the works right now and have been in planning since I first took office 6 years ago.

 And the built up field will create jobs and generate significant new ad valorem tax revenue for the county and the school board—which is the real, long horizon plus of this deal.  This added revenue allows us to maintain what we have done this past year:  ensuring our sheriff’s deputies, EMTs, paramedics, firemen, and corrections guards are the highest paid in the region.  All of this without raising the year over year millage (property tax) rates.  Growing the economy allows us to do these great things while keeping the tax burden low.

 So thanks for your email of concern, and please know I am going to do my level best to shepherd this deal toward a finale that produces a huge win for Beulah (where I have lived for 20 years right across from OLF 8), the county, and the region.

 Happy Easter, and have a great weekend."

 

What was Breland's Plan, Anyway?

Breland's conceptual drawing, above, did not/does not jibe with what their written offer committed to doing.......

Like a lot of folks in Beulah in very close proximity to OLF 8---I was extremely excited and optimistic about the proposal put forward by Breland to develop this 536 acre parcel right across the street from my house in my district.   In fact, even though their initial offer was $3 Million less than the first offer from their competitor, DR Horton--I still favored the Breland language, concept, and vision over Horton's--because it most closely mirrored the master plan compromise we all accepted for this property's future development.

But then came last Wednesday, before the all important April 6th deadline the board had set for all interested offerors to bring a plan for OLF 8 to the board.  It was in the press, on tv and all over the radio.  Everyone knew April 6th was Deadline Day.  So I must say I was taken aback when I received a call from the Breland CEO late on the 5th where he essentially told me nobody from his team would be coming to the decision meeting the next day--he was out of the area and nobody would be coming because according to him "nobody told him the Arpil 6th meeting was decision day."

Later that evening we received an email from Breland expressing their continued interest and also double-downing on the idea they didn't have time to show up the next day because they were unaware of the board's meeting and that the 6th was going to be decision day.  Along with that email, a rendering of their concept for OLF 8 was also included.  And it was NOT in line with what their (Breland's) initial offer stated.  NOT in line with the master plan, NOT in line with what the board requested with respect to acreage for high-tech job creation, NOT in line with what the community wanted with respect to retail and restaurant options in the 9-Mile road frontage of the property, LACKING a town center, and NOT at all what folks like me that SUPPORTED the Breland deal over the Horton plan expected.  It was astonishing the degree to which it missed the mark.  It missed the mark spectacularly.  And in all honesty--had Breland's team even showed up to the meeting with this badly deficient plan---for my vote it would have been a non-starter from the word go.  Dead upon arrival.  

Maybe that is the real reason they pulled a no show?  We may not know for sure ever but that is my hunch.  Meanwhile---to those like me that initially supported the Breland concept as verbalized in their offer letter---take a look at what they wanted to do, above.  look at it side by side with their initial letter of intent and analyze the disparities.  And then let's talk.  If you still want to.  I'll be here.