.jpg)
I'm humbled for the support, and very appreciative of his vote of confidence and the kind words. I look forward to the working with the Sheriff over the next four years!
This morning the screening board for the NW Florida Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association interviewed all the candidates for the District 1 Republican primary election for County Commissioner.
I was just notified by telephone that I was selected, unanimously, as the candidate they will be endorsing in this election.
PBA representative Chase Horne called with the news. "We will be making a formal announcement and putting out a press release on Monday indicating you have our endorsement---but in the meantime you are free to announce this however you would like" said Mr. Horne.
Thank you very much for this powerful, prestigious endorsement--I am very grateful and look forward to working collaboratively with PBA over the next four years to make our Sheriff's Office and our Corrections Division the envy of the region!
I've known Congressman Matt Gaetz for over ten years. When he was in the Florida legislature, I worked with he and his father, Don Gaetz, on some significant legislation related to public education. In 2007 I went to Tallahassee to support the Teacher Merit Award Plan--signature legislation from then Senator Don Gaetz who was at that time serving his first term in the legislature.
In 2018 I called Rep. Gaetz to ask his opinion on opening a "back door" out of the burgeoning NFCU campus onto a federal roadway rest stop--to ease traffic congestion in Beulah. He looked into the matter and was happy to assist. Unfortunately--what we tried to do could not be accomplished.
In 2020--as COVID 19 was ravaging the nation, I spoke with now Congressman Gaetz on the implications on local governments of the shut downs, beach closures, etc.
In 2021, Congressman Gaetz came onto my Coffee with the Commissioner program on Facebook and we talked about a lot of important issues.
And recently--the chairmen of the boards of all four panhandle counties worked with Congressman Matt Gaetz on supporting the increasing of the amount of housing allowances for our military men and women in the panhandle, and nationwide.
I've had Rep. Gaetz's phone number for years--but I've rarely called him. But he has always been receptive when I have reached out.
And he has been incredibly helpful many times.
So when I spoke with him recently about my campaign for re-election to the county commission and potentially earning his support and endorsement--he was receptive--which was humbling.
After all--he is one of the most influential Republican figures in the United States of America. Period.
I'm pleased to announce that as of this evening, Matt Gaetz has now officially endorsed me in the August 20th Republican primary election for Escambia County Commissioner, District 1.
He has also made a generous contribution to my campaign account.
Thank you very much Matt for the gracious words and support----keep up the great work in DC!
At last week's meeting of the Florida/Alabama Transportation Planning Organization, some fairly significant news was shared with the group assembled in Gulf Breeze.
A long awaited project to resurface the state's Sorrento Road from Bauer Road Eastward to Blue Angel Parkway is fully designed, funded, and will be let to a contract this December.
Currently--this roadway is littered with potholes and uneven pavement. It has also been the scene of numerous fatal accidents over the last several years.
This project will resurface the road, add paved shoulders, and other improvements. The larger project to 4-lane this roadway is moving up the priority list---from #18 (where it lingered under a former commissioner) to now being #6 under new district leadership.
Look for much more on this roadway-but in the meantime--take a look at the project details, below.
People are upset about the "homeless" situation in Pensacola.
Folks are camping in the woods, starting fires, doing drugs, panhandling, and engaging in antisocial activities that most find unsightly.
So folks want action.
The county has enacted an effective ordinance to prevent folks from creating distractions on the roadways and on road medians and islands in the county. It was a well-written ordinance that allowed for sheriff's deputies to enforce it. So the city duplicated it and enacted it there, too. Word for word.
Now the county is giving homeless individuals one-way tickets out of our area.
It is called project reconnect.
And it is working, and it is cost effective.
We find folks who are homeless but who have families and/or support systems elsewhere, in their hometowns, or other places. Once we confirm they have such support--we pay their one-way ticket back. We have earmarked $30,000.00 for this program and have assisted DOZENS in getting back home. And we have not even spent one third of the allocation in doing this.
Recently, commissioners were given this update from staff on this important initiative:
"So far, this program has relocated 38 homeless individuals to various location throughout the United States back to Family, Friends, and Supportive Housing. We have spent $9,470.33 for those individuals out of the original $30,000 that the County allocated. In 2017 a study was completed and the average cost of long-term homelessness in Central Florida was $36,000 per year per person that was spent on inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room fees, incarceration and other systems associated with homelessness. This means we have saved Escambia County taxpayers $1,368,000.00 a year by locating the 38 individuals back to other communities where they have a support system."
 |
| If it is, indeed, illegal to merely possess the personal identification information of Florida Citizens by folks who are unauthorized--why has nothing been done about the multiple individuals that have now publicly admitted possession of such data in direct contravention to 817.5685 Florida Statutes? I am going to ask and find out....... |
Earlier today---I saw that some information was published to an online, Facebook chat site that is relevant and pertinant to continuing litigation the county has with several defendants.
Folks have GOT to realize that publishing information that is ILL-GOTTEN and unlawful to possess and disseminate will come with severe consequences.
Because identity theft and hacking of folks' personal information is an ongoing, vexing problem for prosecutors, law enforcement, and local governments at all levels.
These unlawful disseminations of sensitive data can lead to hacking, identity-theft, and other nefarious actions by bad actors who break the law.
So I had no choice but to notify Law Enforcement and County Legal about what had occurred. We will see what happens from here, but this is serious stuff..........
From my email, today:
"Good Morning Agent XXXXXXXX,
District 1 Commissioner
Escambia Board of County Commissioners
221 Palafox Place Suite 400
Pensacola, FL 32502
850-595-4910 office
850-377-2209 Voicemail
www.jeffbergoshblog.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/CommissionerBergosh/
Twitter-- @jeffbergosh"
