Mobile might land another major company

I was reading the PNJ this morning and saw a tweet from Louis Cooper about Bayer possibly constructing a manufacturing plant in Mobile. According to the article (linked below), the plant would employ 180 people with an average salary of $75,000.  The local Economic Development Board has already approved over $32 Million in tax incentives.  It may sound like they are giving away the farm but according to the article;

"A cost-benefit analysis provided by the chamber, however, indicates the Bayer project would generate an estimated $8.2 million in taxes unaffected by the abatements in the first year alone, and about $2.3 million of that would benefit Mobile County Public Schools directly through ad valorem taxes. Those estimated figures soar to $91.2 million and $46.7 million over the next 20 years."  

Until Northwest Florida can begin to offer these types of incentives, we will continue to miss out of these great opportunities.

Al.com Blog

Cars returned safely

I am happy to report that both my car and Felicia's car have been returned home safely.  I have to thank Chief Simmions, Detective Goss, Office Hallman, and the rest of the Pensacola Police Department for all there hard work.  They did a great job.  Keep up the good work.

Big News for Pensacola and Escambia County

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2013

Contact:               Derek Cosson, Public Information Officer

(850) 436.5626

Hayward secures nearly $20 million in funding for fish hatchery

After nearly two years of lobbying, Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward announced today that the City of Pensacola has secured nearly $20 million in funding for a planned fish hatchery at the Bruce Beach site.

Originally presented to the City Council in June 2011, the Florida Gulf Coast Marine Fisheries Hatchery and Enhancement Center is slated to include a state-of-the-art saltwater fish hatchery, an integrated coastal habitat plant production facility, and a venue for public outreach and education on marine resources conservation. The Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Hayward to negotiate a lease for the proposed hatchery at the Bruce Beach site, located south of Main Street west of the Community Maritime Park.

“This is a huge win for Pensacola,” said Mayor Hayward. “This hatchery will be a tremendous asset for our community and our region. Over the past two years, I’ve been fighting every day to make sure Pensacola gets the funding and the resources we deserve. I want to thank Governor Rick Scott for his continued leadership and advocacy for our state and for Northwest Florida.”

Governor Scott included the planned hatchery in his announcement this morning of $58 million in projects designed to aid the Florida Gulf Coast’s recovery from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Funding for the projects comes from $100 million set aside by BP for early restoration projects through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process. Of the $58 million in total projects announced today by Governor Scott, more than $34 million will directly benefit Escambia County.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Florida has the nation’s largest recreational fishing industry, contributing in excess of $5 billion annually to the state’s economy and supporting one of the largest saltwater fishing-related tourism industries in the world. The Deepwater Horizon spill severely impacted recreational and commercial fishing and associated businesses.

For more information on the project, please see fmfei.org.

City Board Vacancies

The City of Pensacola is accepting nominations for the following boards:

1. General Pension Board - General Pension Board Form

2. Human Relations Commission - Human Relations Commission From

3. Human Services Appropriations Committee - Human Services Appropriations Committee

4. Pensacola - Escambia Development Commission - Pensacola - Escambia Development Commission

Please contact me if you wish to join one of these City Boards.

City Council nomination for Mass Transit Advisory Committee

Last night at the BOCC meeting, the commissioners approved a measure to allow the City Council to nominate a citizen to represent the Council on the Mass Transit Advisory Committee (MTAC).  At the COW meeting on Monday I will be nominating Barbara Mayall.  Barbara lives in my neighborhood and I have gotten to her over the past several months.  She is very involved in the city and the county and has a strong passion for Mass Transit.  I believe she is the best person to represent the Council.

This is a small except from her resume:

Good meeting with Fred Gunther

As many of you have read in today's PNJ, I was quoted as saying Fred Gunther should be removed from the CMPA Board because I believed he had committed an ethics violation.  I did believe that he needed to be removed but. this morning Fred called me and wanted to meet to discuss what had happened at the CMPA meeting on Wed.  Just prior to Fred coming by my office to talk, I read a statement Fred had sent to the PNJ.

He states:

"If anyone believes I have violated Florida’s Code of Ethics, they should file a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics and allow me to properly defend myself against these allegations. I should have the right to protect my good name and not be tried by the media or by City Council based upon unsubstantiated allegations."

When Fred arrived at my office, I quickly let him know that I was impressed by his statement and that I would not be pushing for him to be removed. Fred believes he did the right thing and wants to defend himself.  I have heard from several people that they were planning on filing a complaint with the Commission.  If a code of ethics violation is brought before the Florida Commission and a violation did occur, I will then support removal of Fred from the board at that time.

You can see Fred's full statement here:

Fire Boat Christening

I was honored to help christen the new fire boat for the City of Pensacola.