What is the True Story of What is Going to Happen at the Beulah Fire Station?

Some folks on Facebook had speculated on what is going on with Escambia County's Station 2 in Beulah, and unfortunately their speculation was not on point.  So I corrected the record there, and I am going to do likewise here.

First--the BCC voted more than a year ago to purchase the BVFD property upon which Station 2 sits.

For the last year + we have worked to get all the documentation necessary for the title company to be able to close the sale.  It has been a long process, and it is not yet completed.  It is my understanding that now we are on the cusp of getting this transaction finalized.  First American Title is handling this transaction and beginning this week the County Attorney's Office will be calling daily to check progress.  Daily.

Meanwhile--folks are wondering what the modernization of Station 2 will look like.  Here is what I say to that question and also to the question of who it is that will staff that station.  Again, I want to be clear and I want to be on record as the Commissioner from that district and a 15-year resident of Beulah---from facebook:


"The volunteer firefighters from station 2 have worked very hard with their attorney to help us get the deal closed over the last year. It has been a long and circuitous process. The BCC voted to buy the station over one year ago---and so that part is a done deal--and it has been for quite some time. As is the funding of $2.5 Million to modernize that facility. As of my conversation this past week 
with our County Atttorney--the title company is now officially the pinch-point and I have requested our RE attorney, Steve West, to make DAILY calls until we close the deal. Then we will engage an A&E firm to design what will happen next on that property. It will be modernized, there will be showers and bunks and a proper kitchen and meeting space for the personnel, and most importantly ------ This station will remain a volunteer station, with the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department transitioning from owning the property to being a tenant on what will be our newest county property. But volunteers will continue to run that station. And I will not support ANY moves to bring in paid staff to this facility so long as the volunteers continue to do an excellent job and unless they, the volunteers, request day shift coverage or enhanced coverage utilizing paid fire personnel. I support all firefighters and I have tremendous respect and admiration for volunteer firefighters in particular.  So, that is where this stands."

As it pertains to what the $2.5 Million will do:

"We have a $2.5 million budget. my plan is to engage an A&E firm to tell us what we can do with that utilizing the property and what’s currently on the property and that money in order to have a modernized facility. that’s what it means to me unless we have additional funds—which I’ll be looking for as well"

Deer Run Owners, County Staff, and DR Horton Representative Meet

Residents address their County Commissioner, me (left) and Mr. Crain Rogers (right) of D.R. Horton, at a meeting of the homeowners of the Preserve at Deer Run on Thursday, September 29, 2019 in Beulah

The Preserve at Deer Run homeowners, a representative from DR Horton, myself, and county staff met last night in Beulah.  

The residents, several of whom were frustrated for various reasons, requested this meeting.

 The issue of most concern among those with whom I spoke before the meeting was the uncertainty of whether or not a second accessible road would be provided for the residents of the subdivision to use.  

Several residents told me they were assured there would be a second accessible entrance/exit for residents.  But Crain Rogers from D.R. Horton quickly dispelled that rumor.  "The plan from the beginning was to build the boulevard exit in the front, and have an emergency access only in the rear, for use by ambulances and emergency vehicles--as is stipulated in the county's code" Mr. Rogers stated clearly.

Then one couple spoke up and supported the concept of the single in and out access point.  "We lived in a D.R. Horton Subdivision in Santa Rosa county for many years that had one entrance--and that development had 590 homes in it.  The one entrance and exit worked out very well, we liked it" stated the husband.  "If you want a truly gated community, then one exit works the best, otherwise others will use our roads as a cut-through and have access to our subdivision" he continued.

Several residents were visibly unhappy about the realization that the neighborhood would, in fact, have only one entrance. 

"If we're not getting the second entrance, and it sounds like we're not--then we have to get control of these roads and prevent the speeding and the residents' parking on the street!" one man stated.

One woman stated that the solution there was a strong HOA:  "At the last neighborhood we were owners in, the HOA was aggressive about controlling speed by using speed bumps, stop signs, and other methods."  

I mentioned several large subdivisions that have only one entrance and that function well--including

 Marcus Pointe in D1 that has 569 houses and one entrance.  And then I mentioned Nature Trail-a huge subdivision that has 650 homes and two entrances.  "Even with two entrances, there are many Nature Trail residents that DO NOT like the second, back entrance for security reasons" I stated.

It is hard to get a policy on the books that pleases everyone.

I told the residents that we could look at amending the Land Development Code going forward so that large subdivisions would be required to have more than one entrance.  I told the residents I would float that idea at a meeting of my peers and have it looked at by the planning board.  Several residents requested that I do just that--even knowing it would have no bearing on construction in Deer Run.  So I will be doing this.

Residents address their County Commissioner, me (right), Asst. County Engineer Colby Brown (center) and Mr. Crain Rogers (left) of D.R. Horton, at a meeting of the homeowners of the Preserve at Deer Run on Thursday, September 29, 2019 in Beulah

The next issues were about deficiencies with the construction.  Several couples complained about not getting responsive action on serious issues within their individual homes.

"My house has no insulation in it---zero!" complained one man loudly.  "We have called and nobody comes out--why is that" the gentleman asked Crain Rogers.

Another man complained about loose wiring in his front yard that nobody can identify, and nobody is addressing "There is wiring in my front yard sticking out--I've called and nobody says it is theirs.  Cox blames Gulf Power, Gulf Power Blames AT&T--but nobody fixes it and my yard is torn up" Complained this gentleman.

Another woman complained about construction activities associated with the remediation/repair of a storm pond near her house  "It is banging, loud crashing sounds out there starting at the break of dawn every day---and the smell is overwhelming!" she stated.

The D.R. Horton representative, Crain Rogers, explained that the noise is and was associated with the retention pond repairs--which he stated were being wrapped up soon.

Residents address their County Commissioner, me (left) and Mr. Crain Rogers (right) of D.R. Horton, at a meeting of the homeowners of the Preserve at Deer Run on Thursday, September 29, 2019 in Beulah

"I have the contact information for the folks in my organization that can handle these issues" stated Rogers.  Leave me your information here in this binder and I will get you with the folks that can address these issues." he stated.

The meeting lasted for about an hour and a half, and I believe it was a constructive meeting and that most of the residents were glad we held.  I look forward to that neighborhood forming their HOA and getting a handle on some of the issues within its control--and I believe this meeting will be the catalyst to form a strong HOA with strong covenants going forward.

My thanks to all who attended:  residents, staff, and DR Horton representative Crain Rogers..

On AM 1620 This Morning at 6:35

Topics will include the field house, arena proposal, Beach Roundabouts, Alcohol Ordinance and the beach boardwalk, and anything else Andrew wants to discuss..

Always a good interview on AM1620

Check back to get the podcast here.....

Next Steps for the Arena-Field house Triumph Proposal

As it pertains to Escambia County's $25MIllion dollar field house and arena Triumph project, it is time to fish or cut bait..

One week from today the board of county commissioners will vote to either A.) Move forward with the financial analysis and a letter of intent to pursue the new multi-use arena and fieldhouse proposal or B.) Stay in a holding pattern and take no action.

According to staff at today's Committee of the Whole Meeting--the county's Triumph application is on hold until the board makes a decision, one way or the other, on this project.

As I stated in the meeting today--we have a $25 Million dollar proposal at Triumph, it is time to Fish or Cut Bait. 

I am aware that the project's location has become an issue among the various hoteliers that will benefit greatly from this project.  One faction is dead-set on having the project be built downtown,no matter what, come hell or high water and this group is entrenched in this position.  (This group also adamantly opposes the levy of the 5th cent to help pay for the project--knowing full-well that a downtown location all but eliminates the New Market Tax Credits that are essential to make this deal happen). 

The other group of hoteliers is okay with the project moving away from downtown, in order to qualify for the New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) that will add between $16-18 Million to the project.

I personally believe this project will be a winner if we get both the triumph $25Million and at least the $16 Million in NMTCs to help fund this $80 Million dollar project.  For me, the icing on the cake is a written agreeement that the county will spend no Local Option Sales Tax  (LOST) funds on this project, nor will we commit ANY general fund dollars to this deal. 

The difference between the total price and the Triumph and NMTC monies MUST be made up utilizing a portion of the Bed Tax revenue--and I am willing and ready to levy the 5th cent to pitch in to make this deal happen--because I think this is a winner of a deal for the community, no question about it---IF the NMTC and Triumph funds are in play.

But the board, not me alone, must make this decision.  And we will do that next week, next Thursday.

It's time to fish or cut bait.

FY19 ECSO Budget Request Has Been Received

I received the below letter in the mail yesterday afternoon.

The budget amount requested mirrors exactly what we expected to see based upon the settlement agreement we reached last week with the sheriff.  Glad to be moving forward!

IMPACT 100 of Pensacola Bay Area Recognized by the BCC

I was honored to present a proclamation of appreciation at the April 5th BCC regular meeting recognizing IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area.

IMPACT 100 is a ladies philanthropic organization founded locally in 2003 with just over 200 members.  This year, the membership has swelled to over 1000 ladies in our community.

This organization requires members to pay $1000.00 per member in yearly membership dues--and 100% of this money is given back to worthy nonprofits in the local area. 

To date, IMPACT 100 of the Pensacola Bay Area has given more than $10Million dollars to local nonprofits in the Pensacola area.

IMPACT 100 of Pensacola also has the noteworthy distinction of being the LARGEST IMPACT 100 group in the world...Our IMPACT is the largest and many would argue the best in the country.

We are blessed to live in a very caring and giving community--and we're blessed to have so many that want to help and are willing to do so.

Congratulations and a big thank you to IMPACT 100!

BCC and Escambia School Board Hold Joint Meeting

Members of the Board of County Commission and the School Board held a joint meeting on Tuesday. L to R Malcolm Thomas, Grover Robinson, Patty Hightower, Steven Barry, Bill Slayton, Doug Underhill, Gerald Boone, Lee Hansen, Lumon May, Kevin Adams, Jeff Bergosh, Jack Brown

Tuesday evening from 5:00-7:30 the Escambia Board of County Commissioners and the Escambia County School Board held a joint meeting.

Multiple subjects of interest were discussed, including safe walking to school around the county, and the need for more sidewalks.

Much of the discussion focused on the new Beulah Middle School--and the fact that access to that school will be challenging for students who walk due to the lack of sidewalks in the area.  Access coming out of Allegheny Road directly across the street from Beulah Middle School was also a hot-button discussion--as the current FDOT plan calls for that entrance to be a "right-turn only"--which the residents do not want.

We also discussed the graduation rate and the school board gave a presentation delineating the progress made with on-time, four year graduation (currently at 79.5% for 4 year graduation with a standard diploma).  This is a large improvement from the 2008 school year when the on-time, 4-year graduation rate was about 60%.

I once again brought the concept of a SEED style public charter boarding school--but there was no appetite for that here locally-mainly due to the astronomical ongoing costs per student.  But with Triumph grants available-I did think that perhaps this would have been a good funding source for start-up of a school locally.  No support for this from the school board, though.

I had a discussion about the feasibility of bringing a Law School and a Medical School to Pensacola, so that instead of exporting our students and their spending to places like Tallahassee and Mobile--we might keep them (and their expenditures for tuition, housing, food, etc.) here in the greater Pensacola area.  Folks seemed receptive, but not overly so..

My final discussion point was on establishing an Escambia Youth Commission like ones in Fulton County, GA, Seattle Washington, and San Diego California.  Quite surprisingly--this idea was met with much support--even from the members of the school board.  I look forward to working with members of the staff, and the school district, with establishing this new group over the next few months.

The video of the entire meeting can be found here.

Moving Toward a Better Approval Process for Law Enforcement Trust Expenditures

Recent requests made of the BCC by ECSO appear to comport directly with what is contemplated under 932.7055 and this is a good thing.

Although we have both been busy with many other issues of pressing concern, the BCC and the ECSO appear to be moving toward a better approval process for Law Enforcement Trust Expenditures from the County's Law Enforcement Trust Fund.

In multiple conversations with County Administrator Jack Brown, some off-line and several at publicly televised meetings, I have delegated my portion of this process to him and the staff.

Because we have no control of the internal process by which the ECSO vets requests made to them for expenditures, our largest part in the process going forward is the approval step.  The administrator and the staff have some good ideas on this part of the process to put into place.

And a couple of things are happening now with that.

Previously, the BCC would allocate funds on the front end of the process, and the ECSO would fund these outside organizations after the Clerk of the Court's office had received the paperwork from ECSO and certifications from ECSO that the expenditure comported with statute.  The BCC was unaware of the expenditures until "after the fact."  This is/was problematic for a number of reasons, and it is for this reason the BCC voted to move to change this process and also to request an AGO on whether or not this previous process was even legal under the law.  We are still waiting for that opinion....

Now, however,  over the last several weeks, I have received written correspondence like this directly from the Sheriff (via snail mail) requesting approval for expenditures from this fund--complete with back up documentation from ECSO's (new?) process and from the organizations requesting funds.  I think this process--if this is what we will be doing going forward-- comports with the statute.  However-- I continue to believe the previous process did not comport with 932.7055 Florida Statutes.

So Henrique Dias, the CFO for the Sheriff's Office, has now placed several items on the BCC agenda

Kool Aid Chuggers....

Some People Love to Chug Kool Aid--even if it makes them look foolish to do so....

Some people are true believers, they love to chug the Kool Aid.  In fact, they love the Kool Aid so much they shotgun it by the pitcher like frenzied spring-breakers shotgunning  canned-beer at the beach in six-tubed bongzillas....

Some of these folks, had they been around in 1978, would have rushed to the front to chug the Kool Aid in Jonestown.  They would have knocked Jim Jones out of the way and said "Me First!"

These are the Kool Aid Chuggers.  

Chuggers are simpletons that are gullible, believe the propaganda they are fed, and spew out talking

from wikipedia "The vast majority

of parrots are cavity nesters" human parrots 

share this characteristic.

points based upon their flawed notion of reality--- as if what they have to say is somehow coherent at all, or that it is meaningful in any way. Sometimes chuggers know what they say is rubbish, but they say it anyway just because they can.  Sometimes these chuggers can't comprehend the reality of anything so they just regurgitate talking points like a squawking, annoying Parrot sitting in a cage.  Nobody really cares about what the Kool Aid chuggers think, though.  Nobody takes them seriously because people that know can spot them fast.  They are just amusing to watch in their folly and ridiculousness.

Take for example the guy I discussed in a previous entry to this blog.  He talks a lot about how he makes no money, gets no raises, thinks nobody wants him to get raises, etc. etc.  To hear it from this guy, you'd almost think he is on food stamps, working weekends at the Flea Market selling apples from a cart, buying his clothes at the second-hand rummage shop, and eating from the soup kitchen on skid row!  But wait!!, lo and behold, I come across his W-2s for the last several years and what do you know---he has clocked an average of  a 10% year over year pay increase for each of the last three years in a row!  10% per year!!!  (Who in the world would realize ten percent pay increases, year over year, for multiple years running in a string, and then beyatch about someone who got a 4% raise once in three years?  Who the hell would do this?!?, Well the answer is-- a Kool Aid chugger would!

But now I'm told that this same individual is "upset" because other constitutional officers (like his boss the sheriff) received raises totaling a little over 4% this year.  Okay, I'm not Einstein, but here's a quiz:   What is a better pay increase...4% or 10%?  Doesn't take a genius to work that one out, unless you are a Kool Aid Chugger going through life with blinders on like a horse at the racetrack running around in circles forever.....

So again, to refresh this Kool Aid guzzler's memory, here was his pay for the last several years:  Put down the Kool Aid and pay attention:

2014

$40,420.66  (total compensation paid excluding side work which is accounted for via 1099 form that is provided by any private company that pays off-duty wages)

2015

$45,665.39  (total compensation paid excluding side work which is accounted for via 1099 form that is provided by any private company that pays off-duty wages)

2016

$49,884.67   (total compensation paid excluding side work which is accounted for via 1099 form that is provided by any private company that pays off-duty wages)

So yes, this guy clocked increases of 10% per year over the last several years ( I do not have his latest W-2 yet, for 2017)

Okay, now here is where the chugger (and fellow travelers, uh, I mean chuggers) must  pay attention--here are the BCC pay increase percentages over the last three years, and the sheriff's pay increases over the last three years (which, by the way neither the sheriff nor the BCC has any control over--these salaries are set by the state.....)

Pay increases Sheriff:                                                 Pay Increases BCC 

2014     $144,171.00                                                   2014    $76,697.00
2015     $144, 521.00  (.028%--approx.)                       2015    $76,960.00   (.028%--approx.)
2016     $144,940.00   (.03%---approx.)                        2016    $77,270.00   (.03%---approx.)
2017     $151,139.00   (4.25%--approx.)                       2017    $80,664.00   (4.25%--approx.) 

3 yr. avg increase = (1.436%---approx)                         3 yr. avg increase = (1.436%---approx)

So, I guess if this guy still can't figure out he is clocking much bigger increases year over year than his boss and the rest of the constitutional officers like Commissioners are realizing--maybe there is no helping him.  Although he is entitled to his own opinion--he is not entitled to his own facts because #Factsmatter.

Beulah Beltway Meeting Redux

The next Beulah Beltway meeting will be well-organized, well managed, and will be much more orderly than the first one..

.....The first meeting on this subject did not go so well.  We're doing it again.

This time, we are having the meeting in a large venue, with air conditioning, an agenda, and an opportunity for citizens to submit specific questions that can be addressed by the assembled staff.

 Q and A information on this project here

Budget 2017 Part I-The Lay of the Land

I've been a county commissioner for just over 8 months.  This is not my first trip to the budget rodeo, though.... been there and done that for a decade on the school board.  And we went through the recession and made tough choices when I served on that board-- we came out on the other side of the recession in 2011 and 2012 with bruises and cuts but otherwise we made it through.  In 2008-2009 we cut more than $40 million from the School District's budget-----2009-2010 was tough and 2010-2011 we got some relief from the Federal Government in the form of temporary stimulus money.  Through all of these ups and downs -- the school buses still ran, lunches were served, and students learned.  While I did not agree with every aspect of the budget decisions of those days, I'll say this:  Decisions were not always popular, yet disagreements were not personalized so far as I remember.

Fast forward to my new job as one member of the 5 person Board of County Commissioners.  It is dynamic, there are lots of moving parts, and we are responsible for setting the budget for not only our own organization, but we have a hand in setting the budgets for the other constitutional offices as well--to include the property appraiser, the tax collector, the supervisor of elections, the clerk of the courts, and the sheriff's office.  We have had initial budget workshops, multiple meetings, and administrator Jack Brown, as he is required to do, has presented the board with a balanced (tentative) budget.  The property appraiser's office and the tax collector's office budgets have statutorily dictated, formulaic budgets approved by State offices-so we exercise limited control over those budgets other than to fund them.  We have had no issues with those budgets, one is getting a very small increase (tax collector) and one will be receiving a modest increase of just over 4% (property appraiser).

The Clerk of the Courts and the Supervisor of Elections offices are both under our budgetary auspices and control, and both of these offices are receiving budget reductions this year of between 1-2%.  Neither of these offices is being funded for employee pay increases.  While nobody is happy-I have received no complaints from anyone (publicly or in emails) from either of these departments regarding their budgets for this year.

The Sheriff's office is a bit different. I'm still working out the best way to tackle this tough issue.  We work with the ECSO, based upon their budget request that is submitted yearly to the BCC, to fund their operations to a level that is adequate for them to carry out their constitutional, law enforcement functions.  For the past 5 years, the BCC has funded the ECSO with budgetary INCREASES averaging 4% yearly.  This has been adequate to allow for the BCC to fund the sheriff for 3% pay increases for deputies for the last 4 years running.  In addition to this, the ECSO has historically been the largest single recipient of LOST (Local Option Sales Tax) revenue--with the ECSO receiving $52+ million from this source over the last 10 year period.  This year, the ECSO has requested an 8% increase over what was requested and received last year.   8%!  This year, BCC employees have been

On WCOA twice this Week

On Tuesday right before our special meeting on Beach Traffic, the Beach Open Container Ordinance, and the ECAT contract--I was the guest on Rick Outzen's Pensacola Speaks.  We discussed the positive developments surrounding the OLF 8 project, ECAT, the jail as well as other county issues.  You can hear the interview here

And then on Friday Morning, I was called to fill in for District 4 Commissioner Grover Robinson who did not make it to the studio to do his morning interview.  I was happy to fill in and we discussed the emergent issue with the Walton County Sheriff terminating our inmate housing agreement, as well as the ECAT debacle from Tuesday night.  You can hear this interview here 

What does the Data Mean?!?

These are not the droids you're looking for.....

 

This morning I was flipping through the radio dial and heard the tail-end of an interview about the alcohol ordinance on Pensacola Beach's Quietwater Beach Boardwalk.  This revised ordinance-- that I voted against --sought to continue an open-container prohibition on the boardwalk.  The sloppily concocted revision inadvertently allowed open containers in the parking lot and on sidewalks--an unintended consequence--so this ordinance is once again on the agenda for this week.  A couple of things stated during this morning's  interview that were incorrect grabbed my attention....

First off--it was stated that the revised ordinance that was enacted last month did not/does not go into effect until June 1st.  This is incorrect.  According to our attorney, once the board voted upon the revised ordinance, and once that ordinance was transmitted to and received by the Department of State in Tallahassee--it went into effect right then-at that moment.  It has been in force for about two-three weeks now and it will be in force until the next revision is voted upon by the BCC and received by Tallahassee---which will not happen before this weekend's Memorial Day festivities at the beach.  That's number 1.

The second inaccurate statement that was made in this interview was that "One Commissioner (me) was purposely misrepresenting the crime data."  This is untrue.  I am not misrepresenting anything. When this matter was first brought back to the BCC when several local business owners and another commissioner did not want the ordinance to sunset, crime stats were provided as back up to us to help us in our decision making process.

A very topical and cursory glance at two years' worth of data showed that several categories of crimes not only did not go down--- indeed, several categories went up since enactment of the open container ban on the boardwalk.

Several went up significantly.

Now, when the discussion was first had at the agenda review, this initial data was touted by one podium speaker and two commissioners as "proof" that the ban was making the boardwalk safer.  Specifically, these individuals touted "fewer fights and affrays" from the data provided by the Sheriff's office  as proof that the ban was/is working...and that the ordinance should not sunset but rather should be extended.

So I immediately requested several more years' worth of data so a better, more valid analysis could be made. 

Once I received this data, I performed an analysis and I shared these results with my counterparts at meetings and also on this blog here and here. 

Apparently, it is perfectly acceptable to look at one category of crime that appears to have decreased slightly and marginally since the ban (affray)--and it is scientifically sound to say this infraction's decrease is attributable to the ban on open containers being enforced on the boardwalk. 

However, apparently, it is unacceptable to look at the other categories of crimes that have skyrocketed since the ban was enacted (DUI's, Battery on LEOs, non-family disturbances, substance abuse, under 21year old DUI's, miscellaneous crimes, etc. etc.) and draw any connection whatsoever to the alcohol ban at the boardwalk.

Here's the thing, you can't have it both ways.  We either look at all the data or we look at none of it.  I'm not going to suffer fools and stand by as "some" data is cherry picked and paraded around to

Open Containers of Alcohol on Quietwater Beach Part III--Nobody is Happy with the Ordinance Revision

Our newly enacted, amended open-container ordinance for Quietwater Beach  is coming back to the BCC for additional modification next week.

Last month, the board nearly voted to continue the ban on open containers on the boardwalk for an additional two years--despite presentation of data that showed many categories of crime had increased since the ban was enacted.

When it became apparent a two year continuation would have failed by a 3-2 margin, the board made a fumbling, sloppy attempt at an on-the-fly compromise position:  Alcohol would once again be permitted on the boardwalk, but only from 10PM to 6:00AM.  I didn't support this for numerous reasons which I have expressed to the media, on this blog, and also at the meeting.  The compromise passed 4-1 with me voting NO.

...the very next day we started hearing about the unintended consequences of what we had done from our attorney and from the Sheriff's office;  we had crafted the ordinance such that it was vague and ambiguous about the legality of open containers on sidewalks and parking lots beach-wide.  Now we had to go fix our newly enacted rule because we violated one of the tenets of good governance by making things worse, not better, with our actions.

This is why it is dangerous to try to legislate on the dais, on the fly.  The go-cart one tries to assemble while travelling down the hill often crashes, just like rules rushed through fail.  Here's why:

1.  It is an undisputed, known fact of reality that the ban did not reduce, but rather exacerbated the most dangerous criminal offenses like DUIs and Battery on LEO's, so the ordinance should have  sunsetted and a redoubled effort at enforcement should have been made specifically targeting transgressors rather than all of us.

2.  When the amended motion was made, I knew it was fatally flawed because there is a tremendous difference between day drinkers and night time hooligan partiers;  the open container hours on the boardwalk should have been during the day from, say, 10:00AM to 6:00PM--with a prohibition if absolutely necessary taking place from 6:00PM to 10:00AM.  I (and many others) feel the ordinance got these hours backwards because the Geico Owl and everybody else that knows

On WCOA --Talking Rawson Lane, Panhandling, and Alcohol on the Beach

I was invited yesterday morning to appear on WCOA's "Good Morning Pensacola" with Jim Sanborn and Don Parker.  We had a really good chat about a lot of interesting topics to include the vacation of Rawson Lane, the open container ordinance at the Pensacola Beach Boardwalk, panhandling and the homeless, and several other topics.  I always appreciate the opportunity to come on the radio with these guys!

Listen to the interview here (part 1) and here (part 2)

What's Escambia County's Credit Rating?

Escambia County is about to Bond $83Million dollars to help re-build our jail.  This requires that investors know what our financial condition is, and this is based upon a specific "rating" from a rating agency.  Moody's investors service examined our books, met with our personnel, and has issued their rating of Escambia County.  Moody's has rated the bonds at Aa3 while affirming the county's Aa2 issuer rating.

What does this mean?  You can read detailed information about this ratings system here if you are so inclined.  We are strong financially, and in a good position to borrow offering low risk to the investors who purchase the bonds.

You can read Moody's complete report on Escambia County here.  This report has a lot of interesting data about the County and the way we have managed debt historically. 

From the Report:

Credit Strengths

  

» Rebounding tax base with proximity to military bases

» Solid debt service coverage with low outstanding debt

 

Coffee with the Commissioner 4-27-2017

Citizens and Escambia County Commissioner Jeff Bergosh discuss issues
of concern at April's "Coffee With the Commissioner" Event, 4-27-17

This morning, 4-27-2017, we held our third "coffee with the commissioner" event in District 1. 

We appreciated the opportunity to meet with a small group of about a half-dozen citizens, informally, to discuss issues related to their individual concerns in District 1--to include:

--drainage problems on Pond Farm Road

--Traffic Light signalization issues at Dog Track Road and Hwy 98

--traffic congestion on Hwy 98

--Misspelled words on the entrance to the Navy Hospital Marquee at Hwy 98  (Naval, misspelled as "Navel")

--trash on the roadways

--growth management


We also spent some time just talking current events and national political issues. 

I appreciate McDonalds on Blue Angel and Hwy 98 for allowing us to host our meeting at their establishment.

I also want to thank Debby Kenney, my aide, for arranging the site.

And last but not least I want to express my appreciation to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office for sending Deputy Chief Eric Haines to this morning's coffee and also to this past Monday's Town Hall meeting at Bellview Middle School.

District 1 Town Hall Meeting 4-24-2017

Town Hall Meeting Toinght, Coffee With the Commissioner Thursday

---District 1 Town Hall

• Date: Monday, April 24, 2017 - Monday, April 24, 2017
• Time: All Day6:00 PM
• Location:
• Location: Pensacola
• Address: 6201 Mobile Hwy.
• Additional Location Info: Bellview Middle School Cafeteria
• Contact: Debbie Kenney
• Email: district1@myescambia.com
• Phone: 850-595-4910

 

Residents are invited to discuss issues with Commissioner Bergosh at the second of six town hall style meetings planned for the year at various locations throughout District 1. More than one commissioner may attend this event. 

 

 

---April Coffee with the Commissioner – Jeff Bergosh, District 1

• Date: Thursday, April 27, 2017 - Thursday, April 27, 2017
• Time: All Day6:30 AM
• Location:
• Location: Pensacola, Florida
• Address: 5 S Blue Angel Pkwy.
• Additional Location Info: McDonald's Restaurant
• Contact: Debbie Kenney
• Email: district1@myescambia.com
• Phone: 850-595-4910

 

Join District 1 Commissioner Bergosh in this informal setting with no agenda or appointment needed, anytime between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. Residents are encouraged to stop by with any comments or concerns they would like to discuss with their District 1 Commissioner in this informal setting with no agenda or appointments needed. More than one commissioner may attend this event. 

On WCOA's Good Morning Pensacola

Topics to include:

-OLF 8/OLF X  Land Swap with the U.S. Navy

-Open Container Ordinance at the Beach

-Pensacola Beach Traffic


Listen live later this morning at 7:35, or listen to the Podcast (s) here (part I) and here (part II)