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| Area elected leaders and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tour the Port of Pensacola, 11-1-2022. (from left, Escambia County Commission Chairman Jeff Bergosh, Pensacola Mayor-elect D.C. Reeves, Governor Ron DeSantis, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson, and Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender) |
Prior to the election hoopla of the political rally at Pensacola's Fish House Restaurant downtown yesterday, an even more important and profound visit occurred at the Port of Pensacola.
Don't get me wrong, I was at the rally and it was fantastic. You can all read about it here and here. DeSantis hit all the high notes of the campaign, contrasting Florida's better approach to a number of hot button-issues (NO sex-change surgeries for adolescents, NO school lock downs, NO community lockdowns, NO mandatory masking, NO mandatory vaccines for children, NO vaccine passports, better tax policy, more intelligent budgeting, better public safety, better infrastructure, etc.) than that of his opponent's platform, the President's agenda, or any of the big blue states' current policy. And he's right, by the way, Florida has it right. And DeSantis will win next week by a 9-point margin, that is my prediction.
But the big visit before the rally is/was more important than any political speech delivered after.
Locally elected leaders and area businessmen as well as the team from American Magic met at the port and saw the plans for a world class sailing facility for Pensacola where our bay and area could potentially be the premiere sailing and training facility in the nation. That is the big deal. There is a Triumph Gulf Coast ask in the works to help fund this endeavor--which would be a massive win for our area. The County and City are already benefitting from over $4 Million dollars in direct spending from the more than 100 personnel from American Magic who have been here for the last several years training for the upcoming America's Cup race in Spain in a few years. The team's presence here will have a financial impact of more than $8 Million dollars total in just the next 18 months. Your can read all about the team, their goals, and their vision for their future Pensacola area plans here.
The tourist development commission, a board upon which I sit, voted overwhelmingly to recommend to the county commission that we spend $500,000.00 to support American Magic's training here from bed tax revenues, and the BCC voted this forward--which represents a great return on investment.
Going forward, the next steps are to solidify our area as the official training grounds for the American Magic via the committment of space at the port and some funding to match private funding and Triumph money which will allow for the construction of this modern, state-of-the art training facility here in Escambia County.
If area leaders can make this happen--we will have a brand new industry here that will benefit youth, the sport of sailing, and the entire community for years to come.
So yes, it was great to see the Governor get geared up for the ride on American Magic yesterday on Pensacola Bay on a perfect weather morning. I'm sure it was a pleasant departure from his hectic campaign schedule and the blur of meetings, greetings, speeches and campaign stops. I know one thing: he won't see any more sophisticated sailboat racing equipment and sailing team members anywhere else he goes in the state. We have a lock on that here in Pensacola Bay! That--and the economic impact of a relationship between Pensacola/Sailing/American Magic/State Leadership---is why the meeting before the rally was so much more important. See the additional photos from yesterday, below.
