Big Day for Escambia County and the US Navy Tomorrow

Tomorrow at around 11:00 AM, a chopper like the one pictured above will leave the OLF 8 field in Beulah for the last time ---and Escambia County will shortly thereafter own this property.

Tomorrow the United States Navy and Escambia County will exchange deeds to transfer the property know as OLF 8 in Beulah to Escambia County, and OLF X in Santa Rosa County, to the U.S. Navy.

At 11:00AM,  a navy helicopter will land at OLF 8 in Beulah, and for the last time this helicopter will leave the field.  This will be the last time a Navy helicopter leaves this field.  This is a ceremonial act know as a "fly off"

Once airborne, I'm told a call will be made from the chopper directly to Navy Officials on the ground signifying that the helicopter has left and that the transfer of the property deed is authorized.

Three hours later, at 2:00PM, a small contingent of U.S Navy Officials, County Commissioners, and County staff will meet in the office of the County Attorney in Downtown Pensacola and at this point, the property deeds will be officially transferred, and we will officially own this property at this point.

Tomorrow is a big day for Escambia County and for the US Navy.  Huge day.

What is Going to Happen at OLF 8?

The BCC had a good discussion today concerning the way forward on OLF 8 in Beulah

Chairman of the Board Lumon May signed the RE Deed today for the OLF 8/OLF X land swap.

This is happening.  At the end of this month, we will own the property in Beulah known as OLF 8.

And now we have two offers on the table for the purchase of OLF 8.  One from Navy Federal Credit Union and one from a private development partnership.

The total of these offers is $22.2 Million dollars, and the county has spent roughly $17.5 Million to acquire this property.  If we were to simply sell this property we would have a windfall of $4.7 Million PLUS our seed money of $17.5 Million back all at once.  This money would be put into LOST categorical funds and it would be available for use on infrastructure projects county-wide, in each of our 5 commission districts.  So we are coming to a head, we are at a decision point.  Something is going to occur.

This all said--------- what is going to happen at OLF 8?

The board discussed this all at today's committee of the whole.

I'm still going to push for the jobs creation aspect of this project--because to just sell 530 acres to a developer would  KILL our $30 Million dollar Triumph jobs project while simultaneously all but guaranteeing that more high-density, high-impact traffic producing residential housing units would be built on the field.  I do not support more residential and neither do the residents that live out in Beulah like I do. These residents know what I know---our infrastructure is not ready and cannot handle any more residential.  We have too much already.

One commissioner made it known that he wants to sell right away, as soon as possible, and recapitalize the public's money. He also stated flatly he did not support economic development incentives from the government. This commissioner is/was alone in this position so far as I could tell from today's discussion.

I would only support doing this (selling the property outright for the highest price we could get) if there were not three votes on the dais to stick with the jobs creation.

Luckily, there are three votes,  as the other four of us want to maintain the focus on job creation and providing some amenities for the community; they want us to follow through with the master planning process utilizing the document we arrived at via compromise two months ago.  This was my takeaway from listening intently to the discussion taking place today.

This is good news for nearby residents who have told me in no uncertain terms that they do not want more traffic-producing, gridlock exacerbating residential housing out here at OLF 8.  They know what I know:  Having 1000 good jobs on the back of the field in nicely designed, attractive facilities and with a predictable traffic flow (8:00AM and 5:00PM) beats the alternative of thousands of high density residential units with multiple cars per unit going every which way all day and night 24-7, 365 days a year.  The jobs project will simply be much easier to accomodate than any more residential given our insufficient existing infrastructure....

Obviously there are folks that wanted no further development.  There are those that hate NFCU.  There are those that wish Beulah today was like Beulah in 1960.   I get that, but I don't have a time machine and this project was rolling down the runway full-speed ahead and with $Millions of Dollars of taxpayer money invested when I joined the board in late 2016.  I inherited this project.  But I am smart enough to see the best way forward in this circumstance is to go the jobs route, demanding some amenities for the residents, and bolstering our existing infrastructure with the resultant grant monies.  This is the intelligent way forward that apparently all but one commissioner sees with crystal clarity...

Mikey---He Likes It!

When Mikey grew up he realized he had been duped...Quiche actually tastes delicious and it is a healthier breakfast food than sugar/cinnamon coated carbs.....But Mikey liked it, the way the sugar-cereal tasted.

I remember the commercial from the 1970's where they gave a boy a bowl of cereal, and it was supposedly a test.  Would Mikey like the "Life" Cereal?  The talking point was that he would HATE it because Life cereal is/was allegedly "Nutritious."   Of course it was a funny shtick.--of course he was going to love it--whole milk over straight carbs covered in sugar and cinnamon.  Who wouldn't love that?

The real test would have been to set the bowl of Life next to a plate of Quiche.  Quiche, with eggs, cheese and spinach--it is delicious and healthy.  Protein, low-carb, and delicious.  Mikey--given the choice between quiche and a huge bowl of Life would throw the quiche across the room like a Frisbee and gobble down the cereal like Pac Man eating the dots...woka woka woka woka woka... 

Heck, it might as well be a choice between a steaming plate of Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Eggplant  OR a bowl filled with Ice Cream, birthday cake, and chocolate bars.  What would Mikey pick?

I see a parallel between this funny choice, above, and the much more serious and important choice about what to do with OLF 8 once we acquire it later this year.

The easy path would be to take the land, build a beautiful clock tower, cobblestone city circle, add in lots of retail stores, a giant park, a nature preserve, lots of buffer zone acreage for NFCU, and an additional 100 acres for NFCU so they could build more parking for their employees, as well as an NFCU employee-only recreation center.  If we hit the easy button, we could sell off  the remaining

Here Is What I DON'T Support!

developers have circulated a rendering illustrating their desire to use about half of the OLF 8 site for a hotel, and apartments and multi-family residential properties.  I don't support building apartments, condo's, multi-family homes, and a hotel on this site...we have ENOUGH of these already under construction in Beulah

A developer has put together his "vision" for the OLF 8 site.  It has now been circulated on social media.  More residential properties and a hotel.  More call center and low-paying office and retail office jobs, and no high-tech, clean and high paying jobs with a future.  I do not support this vision.  Here is what I told him, via an email, below.

Yes, This Would Be Like That...

In a blog entry I posted last week, I asked a hypothetical (and real) question.

Everybody knows it was immoral, unethical, and illegal to use a $1.00 Food Stamp Bill to go to a store and buy a $.07 cent pack of kool aid, keeping the $.93 cents, and then repeating the process over and over until you cobbled enough money in change to buy what you really wanted (cigarettes and alcohol) but what you could not purchase with food stamps.  I saw people do this as a bagger when I worked at a local supermarket here in Pensacola in the 1980s.  It was ridiculous but nobody stopped the practice so it continued.....

But what about a county using LOST funding to purchase a property for "economic development" purposes (specifically allowed under statute)--and then subsequently selling such a property and depositing the proceeds not back into the LOST fund (where uses are restricted) but to the general fund instead(which has more flexibility with respect to what can be purchased/how the funds can be utilized)?  Nobody seemed to know for sure.

So I asked the question on Sunday--in writing.   Now we have the answer, (see below).  As I suspected, this shell game scheme  cannot be done.  Proceeds realized from the sale of property acquired with LOST funds must be deposited back into the same LOST fund from which such purchase funding originated.  So to the developer that thinks we should sell the OLF 8 property for "what we have in it and use the money to take care of operating expenses"--as I told you in person Friday, that is not legal.  see below.

Wouldn't This be Kind of Like That?

Of course it wasn't right and it wasn't  legal for people to purchase $.07 cent Kool Aid packs with $1.00 food stamps in order to cobble together enough change to buy alcohol and cigarettes........

There is now, officially, a movement afoot to pressure the Escambia Board of County Commissioners to "sell" the property in Beulah known as OLF 8 to the "private market" for "development....

Forget the fact that we do not even own it yet.  

Forget the fact that the plan from day one has been to develop that property to create jobs (good paying, high-tech manufacturing and assembly jobs).  

Forget the Restore Act Grant and the Triumph Grant that if pursued and won (The OLF 8 Commerce Park was the #1 Economic Development project as rated by the Restore Act Committee) would exponentially increase the value of that property (by injecting $Millions of dollars into the construction of infrastructure on that land) for the Escambia County taxpayers who have paid the bill to work toward acquiring that property.

Forget all of that.  

Now, all that matters is that this property be sold to the highest bidder so someone can double, triple, or quadruple what they spend for this and build more condos, townhomes, a private park,  single family homes, a giant parking lot, and a large open-space buffer-zone and low-wage service jobs on this site. ( we already have enough town homes and condos and single-family homes being built in Beulah--we have enough.  We also already have enough dead-end, low wage service sector jobs in Escambia County as well---we can do better!)

The logic goes a little something like this (paraphrased below), according to one developer with whom I recently spoke.

“Why don’t you sell the land for what you have in it, and let the private sector develop it, and you can use the proceeds to help with your budget problem over the next several years?”   

But wait a minute--would this even be legal?  I believe, even if we were to countenance the nonsense idea of selling the property outright, once we acquire it, for "what we have in it plus a dollar"--I believe those proceeds would have to go right back into our LOST fund--because that is where the money to acquire that property came from in the first place.  So I asked the question.  And I got a nebulous confirmation back that I am probably right about this.  

I mean, just imagine if counties around the state could sell property acquired by LOST funds and then subsequently dump those funds back into their respective general funds?!?could this not become a shell game that counties around the state could play when financial times get tough by “entering” the private real estate markets locally, purchasing “needed” buildings and property with LOST monies, and then turning around and “declaring surplus” and selling the same properties on the market (regardless of profit or loss—even if the sale price back was $.50 cents on the dollar) to generate desperately needed money for their respective general funds? 

To me this would be a shell game, and I can't imagine it would be legal.  As a matter of fact, it reminds me of what I witnessed back in the 1980's working as a bagger at a locally-owned supermarket chain here in Pensacola.  Parents would send their kids into the store, one at a time, over and over, with $1.00 dollar food stamp bills and they would purchase $.07 cent "kool aid" packs---and they would receive the change back in 

If you buy $.07 cent kool aid packets with $1.00 Bill Food Stamp coupons, you receive $.93 cents in change back in real money currency that can be used to purchase anything---that's why people did it--even though it wasn't right....

regular coin currency.  And they would do this over and over, until eventually the parent would come in and purchase a carton of Doral or Newport Cigarettes and a 12 pack of Bush--- all with loose change.  It was wrong, but it happened.  They

Planning for Growth in the Northwest Portion of District 1

I will be releasing more information later this week on a citizen's advisory committee that I will be forming to provide input for managing the tremendous growth in the Northwest portion of District 1.  This will be on Next Thursday's agenda

I am bringing a resolution to the June 7th BCC Meeting to establish a 9-member citizens advisory committee to advise on and provide input upon the planning for growth in the Northwest portion of District 1.  Geographically, the area this group will focus on will be Beulah, the Pine Forest, Wilde Lake, and Longleaf areas as indicated on the above map and corresponding to precincts 43, 5, and 68.

Specifically, this group of volunteers, whom I will select from applications from the public (limited to citizens that reside in Escambia County)-- will be tasked with providing policy recommendations in the following categories of pressing interest:

--enhancing the quality of life

--addressing transportation issues of importance

--providing recommendations/advice on managing growth

--providing input to help in the development of a Master Plan for this area that will complement and
 comport with the Master Plan for OLF-8 that will be developed in the 2018-2019 timeframe.

Additionally, this  "Northwest District 1 Advisory Committee" (“Committee”) shall explore, research, provide technical or practical expertise, and make recommendations to the District 1 member of the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners regarding those additional issues of importance to

OLF X Construction is Moving Forward

Construction of OLF X in Santa Rosa County Florida, May 2018

Construction of OLF X in Santa Rosa County Florida, May 2018

As was announced at our last Committee of the Whole meeting several weeks back, the project to swap property in Santa Rosa County (OLF X) with property in Escambia County (OLF 8) with the U.S. Navy is rapidly moving forward.  It has been a long time coming....

I'm told the Navy is moving ahead with initial scheduling of the ceremonial hand off, scheduled to occur later this year.  The BCC anticipates a late December, early January timeframe for the BCC acquisition of OLF 8 in Beulah to be completed. 

We are getting to the finish line of the first part of this project.  Part II will be the development of the property in Beulah--more on that part later.

Construction of OLF X in Santa Rosa County Florida, May 2018

But before we get to do that, we have to finish the construction of the new OLF X in Santa Rosa County for the U.S. Navy.  And work toward that goal is continuing.

OLF 8 in Beulah--What are the Next Steps?

The next steps toward acquiring and developing the 636 acres of land in Beulah known as OLF 8 will be happening over the next few months.

Beginning with the Committee of the Whole Meeting Thursday--the BCC as a body will begin discussing the way forward with OLF 8.

For my part, I haven't wavered;  I want high-tech manufacturing and an upscale commerce park for this land.  I want to use it to create jobs.  I want good-paying, high-tech assembly and light manufacturing, combined with some amenities that will enhance the community like a walking track around the property, perhaps several retail establishments along 9-Mile road, and even a 10-15 acre site in the southeast corner of the property for the next elementary school that we need in Beulah.

If we are intelligent with the way we design and develop this property, we will recoup the taxpayers' investment in this deal, complete with hefty grants to finish the development of the property to include drainage and roads.  Triumph and Restore funds will come to this property and help us financially if, again, we utilize this property for its highest and best use--to grow the tax base and create jobs--lots of jobs.

On the other hand---If we are not intelligent and we set aside large swaths of this property as a "buffer zone" and build a community recreation park and a "town center"--I think the grant money goes away.  I do not want to build a new "city" in Beulah--no more than folks in Cantonment want to build a city there and no more than folks in Perdido want to build a city there.  Newsflash--just because an area is growing doesn't mean that area MUST incorporate and become a CITY with more taxes and redundant layers of government.  A suburb of a city can have amenities, and that is what I am aiming for.  Amenities like a better fire station, a library, and a post office.  How about more food options than the Tom Thumb and/or delivery pizza?  Check, I want restaurants too--for our community.  Not for a new "Town."  Most residents I have spoken with do not want a new Town called Beulah--and neither do I.

We do, however, want good jobs, good infrastructure, and amenities.

And all three are coming.

 Meanwhile, however, we must be smart and do the intelligent thing.  We need to get a master plan done for OLF 8, figure out the highest and best uses, and plow forward.

And this will be a huge enhancement to the community, and it will look amazing, and it will spin off jobs that will benefit the entire county.

If we are smart about it.

On 1370 WCOA Discussing the Sheriff's Budget Mediation and OLF 8

I was a guest on 1370 WCOA this morning speaking about the recent budget mediation debacle and also about the latest contract to complete the work for acquiring OLF 8 in Beulah.

Good interview, great to be invited to speak on the issues!

Listen to the Podcast of the show here

What's The Value of OLF 8 in Beulah?

If the hypnotist tells you the value of a property is $4.75 Million, but the appraisal says the same property is worth $18Million, who are you going to believe, the hypnotist or your lyin' eyes?

Now that the vote at the BCC has been made and by a 4-1 margin, phase II construction will be commencing at OLF X in Santa Rosa County, we are now entering the final stretch toward acquiring, finally, the property in Beulah known as OLF8.

Now, there are still many disgruntled naysayers that are out and about--trying to somehow portray this land swap as a sham, a scam, a "bad deal" and/or an outright ripoff for the taxpayer.  There are even people that know better spouting off saying this land is only worth  $4.75 Million.  This is an outright lie.  The property just as it sits was appraised several years back for nearly $18 Million (see the summary appraisal in the two pictures below).  The values out here have done nothing but go straight up since this appraisal was conducted--so what is the OLF8 really worth today?  Let's just say it is worth more than $18 Million--that is a given, and that is more than we will have expended to get title to this land.

So, to the taxpayers and to my constituents in District 1 I say this:  I would not have done the deal the way the BCC did it--and I admit it was sloppy and choppy. I came into office as this project was well underway.    But---this property is worth more in just cash value alone as it sits, than what we will end up spending to acquire it.  Just look at the appraisal below from several years back.  Once we acquire it later this year, we will very shortly thereafter be awarded a massive restore act grant nearly equal to the amount we have spent to acquire this land, and this grant will pay the costs to develop this property.  And once the property is developed and infrastructure is put in (at no additional cost to the County's General Fund or LOST fund) and a master plan is completed--what will the value of OLF8 be then, at that time, as an improved 636 acre site?  (Hint, a LOT MORE than what the appraisal from several years ago lists)

So please be informed--  don't listen to partisans that have personal vendettas against this deal and massive axes to grind against community leaders who worked to support this deal.  The naysayers would have you look at the actual appraisal I'm publishing below, juxtaposed with what THEY SAY OLF8 is worth, and ask you point blank "Who are you gonna believe---me or your lying eyes!"

Sadly, there are folks that are not checking the facts, believing things that are not true.  It is really fascinating to watch how easily some  people become captivated by the smooth talkers who have managed to perfect the art of manipulating people like miniature Gumby dolls.

But on this issue--please--open your eyes for just a moment, do not fall victim to the Jedi mind trick, and look at the appraisal below. Don't allow yourselves to be manipulated--

District 1 Town Hall Meeting Tonight

Our next town hall meeting will be held tonight, Tuesday September 29th at 6:00 PM at Beulah Elementary School, 6201 Helms Road, Pensacola, 32526.

Issues to be discussed this evening include:

--Growth Management, discussion on growth in NW Pensacola/Beulah area

--OLF 8/OLFX Land Swap with the Navy

--Traffic/roadway Improvements scheduled/contemplated for the area

--Budget Issues confronting the BCC (Including the Sheriff's Budget Issue)

--Jail Update

--Update on Mass Transit

--Library for District 1

--Beulah Fire Station Renovations

--Master Plan for Beulah

I look forward to meeting and hearing from interested constituents, and staff will be on hand to answer constituent questions as well.

What Do You Do When You Are Trapped Under Ice?

Imagine being trapped under ice?  No, I'm not talking about the Punk-Rock band or the Metallica song--but actually being personally trapped under the ice in a flowing river?  First thing you would have to be is smart or you would be dead.

You would have to be focused on getting downriver to where you could see an opening.  If you could hold your breath long enough to get there, you could come up for air, pull yourself out of the river, and potentially survive.

But what if you were indecisive, upset about being trapped under ice and wanting to swim backwards, against the current, to get out where you fell in?  Would that be smart?  I don't think so.  Once you are trapped under ice, you would have to think quickly and act quickly to make the smartest possible decisions or death would be inevitable.  There would be no time for idle thoughts, abulia, or inaction, such as stopping your swim to contemplate how you found yourself trapped under ice...

"They told me the ice was thick enough to hold my weight--how could they do that?"

"I should not have fallen through the ice, I do not accept that I did, I refuse to accept this situation"

"I'm going to get that person who told me the ice was thick enough!"

etc. etc.

Here is the thing:  In this scenario, you are where you are, and the only thing you can do is make it to the next opening down river.  You can't go back in time and make the situation not occur.  You are not Stephen Hawking, you do not own a time-machine, you are not Superman (who could fly around the

OLFX/OLF8 Special Meeting Monday

A special meeting has been scheduled for Monday, June 19th at 3:30 PM in the Board's Chambers.  The subject of the meeting is the continuing quest to bring our OLF8/OLFX land-swap with the Navy in for a landing.

The project has been in the works for decades, was the #1 Ranked Economic Development project from the Restore Act Committee, and has the potential to create as many as 4000 good paying jobs for Escambia County.

The deal almost died, however, because of cost escalations that continued to pile up for a variety of reasons.  Last month Congressman Matt Gaetz intervened to bring the parties back together with the goal of having the Navy give some concessions on the requirements to  lower costs.  That effort was successful and this meeting Monday will be a follow-on to see what else can be done to keep this effort moving forward and reduce costs further.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend this meeting.

For additional information on the overall project, check out this post and this one.

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 

Good News on the OLF8 OLFX Land Swap

The Board of County Commissioners received a very important letter this week from Rear Admiral Bette Bolivar, Commander, Navy Region Southeast regarding the OLF 8  / OLF X   land swap deal. 

This project has been in the works for many, many years and is a very important economic development project for District 1 and Escambia County.  It was the #1 rated economic development project from the restore act committee.

Over the last several years, however,  the project's costs have continuously escalated and the requirements for the OLF X landing field in Santa Rosa County have continued to grow.  Because this project's costs have continued to escalate, Escambia County had faced the very realistic possibility of having to walk away from this deal.

Last month, the County threw out a "Hail Mary" pass and contacted Matt Gaetz who committed to help facilitate the completion of this land swap deal.  Additionally, Administrator Jack Brown wrote to the Navy on behalf of the commissioners in an attempt to keep the project on track.  In his letter, he asked for some concessions from the Navy to keep the costs from escalating further.

This week we have received the Navy's response, from Admiral Bolivar.  From the letter:

"After thorough review, evaluation, and consideration of the requirements for Navy helicopter outlying landing fields in the Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field Training Complex, and with the concurrence of CNATRA's and higher headquarters, we have determined several items may be deferred from the initial stated requirements.."

Although reluctant to put a price on the concessions, Administrator Jack Brown stated that "an initial look at what has been offered points to potentially $1-2 Million dollars the County will save on improvements to OLF X in Santa Rosa County."

Because this is such a huge project for District 1 and all of Escambia County--and as the District 1 representative on the BCC-I applaud the efforts of the County Staff and the Navy to help reduce the costs associated with this project.  Hopefully this concession will allow us to keep moving forward with this very worthwhile project!

OLF 8 Project: Encouraging News Presented to BCC

At yesterday's BCC public forum, Congressman Matt Gaetz updated the commissioners on a number of important issues facing the panhandle.

One of significant interest to me was the OLF8/OLFX land swap project with the U.S. Navy.

This project has run over budget, and the whole initiative was teetering on implosion due to a number of factors I've discussed in depth on multiple entries on this blog.

But, just when many were about to throw in the towel on this project, Congressman Gaetz reported that a high-level Admiral from the Navy will be coming to Pensacola to meet with the congressman, the county, retired Admiral Robert Kelly, developer Jim Cronley, and other interested persons regarding this land swap.

"The Navy is willing to offer some concessions in order to make this project happen" Congressman Gaetz told the commission yesterday.

This was very welcome news and we are thankful that the congressman has set this up, and we are thankful that the Navy is willing to come to the table and work with us to get this project done---a project that will benefit both the county and the Navy!

This is encouraging!

OLF8, Beulah, and Master Plans.....Part I

BACKGROUND

We are blessed to live in a wonderful, vibrant community.  We are also blessed in that we have a group of several dozen men and women in our community that have done very well for themselves in business.  We’re blessed because many of these men and women want to give back to make Pensacola and Escambia County better.  They give back to our community in many ways that enrich our lives and make our community and Pensacola better.  We should be thankful for these men and women.  I won’t name them, I’d leave someone out and that would not be good, but anyone who pays attention to local news can work out many of these names on their own with very little effort.

GOOD MEN, GOOD INTENTIONS, AND OLF 8

I have served on the Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Committee for a decade, and in that time I have met many great members of the military and the business community who have served on this board.  The common thread of this committee is that all at the table understand the tremendous value the military brings to the panhandle of Florida in general, and to Pensacola and Escambia County in particular.  It is with this mindset that when the Navy approached the Chamber of Commerce about a potential land swap that could allow Escambia County to take possession of OLF8 in Beulah, many of these great community leaders stepped up to the plate.  They knew two things.  1.) This deal could greatly benefit military aviation training, potentially making Whiting Field “BRAC proof” (BRAC is an acronym for the onerous Base Realignment and Closure process that occasionally takes place, moving military components or shutting them down completely) keeping this training and all of its related jobs here in the two county area instead of transferring to Alabama, Texas, or the West Coast.  2.) This deal could give the county much needed and in-demand space for large-scale, high tech manufacturing.  So this group of leaders, including a retired Admiral, several members of the staff of the Chamber, Commercial Real Estate Developers, and others began working on the feasibility of such a swap.

OLF8 COMMERCE PARK, INDECISION, LEADERDSHIP FAILURES, AND DEVASTATING COST OVERRUNS…

With the devastating aftermath of the BP Oil Spill, settlement monies awarded from this event will help to restore our environment as well as restoring our economy locally.  With the rankings of projects under multiple broad areas, the OLF8 project ranked number 1 under economic development.  The group of community leaders that had helped to foster this deal, including the Admiral, have recently been shown the door.  After all of the hard work put in and the time and resources spent in helping the chamber and the county bring this project to the finish line, this committee of citizens was recently told their services “were no longer needed.”  Now, the entire deal is fraught with cost overruns, the Navy is in the cat-bird seat requiring enhancements to the OLFX site in Santa Rosa County that were never part of the original deal.  If the Admiral and others had still been involved in these late-stage, last minute discussions, many that are very familiar with this entire process believe these additional demands could have been negotiated away to keep the project within budget.  But some individuals with an incomplete understanding of the whole project demanded that this group, the group of citizens and leaders that brought the county to the dance on this deal, be thrown out of the dancehall just as the band began to play.  Now the project is over budget by more than a million dollars, and we don’t have the deal done yet.  Other issues are not resolved with OLFX, issues many do not even realize exist.  The smartest guy in the room hasn’t a clue about some of these issues that are now putting the entire plan in peril because when you fire the team that got you to the table, you lose ALL of their corporate knowledge on the subject as well as their personal relationships developed with the players.  This turn of events has been devastating for the entire deal and for the taxpayers. Meanwhile, some people bloviate about how terrible this deal is, yet these same people vote “YES” for every vote taken on this project that comes before them.  Spock from Star Trek would call this “fascinating.”

ESCAMBIA’S TRACK RECORD WITH COMMERCE PARKS

If it were a baseball prospect in the major leagues, it would be batting .750 and going for a record setting contract of astronomical value….as Forest Gump might say “GAZILLIONS!” Yes, Escambia is batting .750 on its commerce parks.  Let’s look it over:  Heritage Oaks, sold out, an incredible