Today on the Wake Up Call: A Visit with Michelle Salzman and and Ice Flyers Owner Greg Harris

Today on the wake-up call live on WPNN 103.7 ---we spoke with Greg Harris, owner of the Pensacola Ice Flyers.  He talked about the successes the team has had, the historic nature of this season representing 30 years of professional Hockey in Pensacola, and he talked about this upcoming season with opening day on October 18^th.  We also talked with State Representative Michelle Salzman about  the mental health task force, food giveaways in the district, the DOGE effort coming to Escambia County, and the recent school board tax increase.  Then, we discussed multiple issues from around the country that traditional media outlets just won’t cover---because we will always cover interesting, important stories that are not politically correct and won’t otherwise be reported.  That’s what we do on the Wake Up Call!  😊

We are live each weekday morning from 6:00AM-8:00AM on WPNN-Pensacola's Information Station, where local, conservative morning-drive talk radio is ALIVE and Well and where we give you the most powerful 2 hour(s) in local morning drive talk radio.

Information, weather, traffic, humor, and educated, intelligent discourse with no PC filters....

The Wakeup Call with Jeff Bergosh on WPNN FM 103.7: Radio UNRESTRAINED!

- you can listen to this morning’s show here

 

Bay Center will be Back Open at 100% Starting in June for H.S. Graduations!

The board of county commissioners discussed this last month when the topic of facility utilization came up in the context of the Bay Center's financial woes.  In some large venues in Florida--it was already 75% or 100% capacity being used as early as March of this year.  Meanwhile, the Bay Center in Pensacola was stuck at 50% for reasons that did not seem rational.  When this was discussed in our recent meeting where we extended additional funding to the Bay Center to get them through October--I left that meeting with the feeling that we would go to 75% May 1st and 100% on June 1st.

But then I received a letter of concern from a Santa Rosa County School Parent regarding their graduation ceremonies to be held at the Bay Center on June 5th.  Apparently---these schools' parents were told the Bay Center's capacity was still capped at 75% and that tickets for family members would have to be "rationed."  from the email:

"Good morning, Board of County Commissioners,

 

I am writing to you to request your assistance with the Santa Rosa County Schools Graduation Ceremonies to be held on June 5 at the Pensacola Bay Center.  Currently, the graduates are being restricted to the number of tickets that can obtain for their families that only allows 75% capacity per XXXXXXXXXXXX at the Pensacola Bay Center.  We are respectfully requesting to increase capacity to 100% for this once in a lifetime event in lieu of the Governor’s Executive Order Number 21-102 (see attached) and your recommendations on April 15.  

 

At the April 15, 2021, Committee of the Whole Workshop in Escambia County, the discussion ensued about the capacity limitations of the Pensacola Bay Center and the capacity limitation was increased to 75% on May 1 with recommendation to proceed to 100% on June 1.  However, with the Florida Governor’s Executive Order Number 21-202, dated May 3, 2021, Section 1 iterates “all local COVID-19 restrictions and mandates on individuals and businesses are hereby suspended”.   It also references the Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees Public Health Advisory stating that continuing COVID-19 restrictions on individuals, including long-term use of face coverings and withdrawal from social and recreational gatherings, pose a risk of adverse and unintended consequences and all restrictions are now eliminated per the Governor’s Executive Order 21-102.  This should alleviate any capacity restrictions or the use of face coverings at the Pensacola Bay Center.

 

Per this information, there should be no restrictions on graduation tickets.  I would respectfully request your assistance with informing the Pensacola Bay Center that they no longer have to place any limitations on their capacity for venue attendees.   This would allow the proud families to attend their high school graduate’s once in a lifetime event and not force the graduates to choose between family members that are near and the ones that have traveled much distance to attend! I sincerely appreciate all that you can help with to get this issue resolved. 

Sincerely,

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXX

Proud Parent of a XXXXXXXXXXXXX Senior"

I responded in agreement with the opinion expressed in this email ---with a copy to our Administrator Janice Gilley.  In short order, Janice sent the following back to this parent:

"I have advised XXXXXX to go to 100% as the guidance has significantly changed in the past several.  Congratulations to the graduates. 

Best,

Janice P. Gilley
County Administrator
221 Palafox Place
Pensacola, Florida 32502"

---

Civic Center Parking: What is the Right Price for Parking?

What is the right price for parking to charge patrons who are attending events at the Pensacola Civic Center?

I received the below email comment from a frustrated constituent:

"I’d like to who [SIC] approved another $2.00 increase in parking Fees at the BC after raising the parking fees $5.00 just about a year ago? $12.00 to park at a substandard facility is a slap in the face to the patrons."

So I asked staff to look into this issue--and the max charged in lots controlled by the Civic Center is supposed to be $10.00--not $12.00.  Here is what I found out from my staff query about the parking:

The Bay Center has 3 parking lots in front and 1 in back that hold approx. 1,069 parking spaces  

       

• Front                        288
• Trolley 1                  138
• Trolley 2                  178
• Back                         465

        Total                      1,069

 (historically, the Civic Center had 16 acres for event parking before the tech park was built across the street on the south side of the facility)

• The Parking ticket fees are collected in the parking lot by the Winterfest organization. Bay Center has a contract with Winterfest.
• Parking fees are $10 for all tickets in Bay Center lots, other lots managed by Winterfest can be $20 or more per space.
• All tickets are reconciled to cash collected per event.
• Event and parking fees are separate and collected separately.
• Event parking is $10.
• Hockey can charge up to $12 for parking in the front lot--all other lots are $10 for Hockey.

(Comparable location event parking fees:)

• New Orleans - $20-50
• Mississippi Coliseum - $10
• Mobile - $5 (Generally do not have events)
• Tallahassee Arena - $10
• Baton Rouge - $10
• Warf - Free

 History of fees:

• 1985-1993 - $1
• 1993-2014 - $3 + Ticket price
• 2014 - $5
• 2015 - $10/Events/Concerts   $5 Hockey
• January 2019 – All parking $10