LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT OUT TO LUNCH. Was that an open green bottle of beer Alan Gray was drinking while walking along Main Street to City Hall with webmaster Derek Cosson this week? Hope he pays for those open tab accounts he has with the bars he has helped so much. And - was Commissioner May under the influence when he was yelling out the car window downtown just before a commissioners meeting? Is that why he giggles so much at the meetings? And - why didnt the governors unmarked security cars have blue lights flashing as they escorted him through and almost hit North Hill protesters who were crossing at Barracks and Main streets on the way to the Fish House this morning? (Should be lots of video forthcoming from local media that were there - unless, of course, they take marching orders as well.) The local residents signs asked Gov. Rick Scott and Mayor Ashton Hayward to “Protect Our Families.” The wildly unpopular proposed pardon and parole building is in Councilwoman Jewel Cannada-Wynn’s district. The mayor had a name tag for her on the table, but the councilwoman chose not to show. ++++++++ Meanwhile, T.S. Strickland comments on 3 local issues as the battle of North Hill heats up, a controversial fish hatchery gets a makeover, and county officials move to temporarily shutter a pioneering homeless camp. North Hill With the Florida Department of Corrections less than two weeks away from relocating its Pensacola probation and parole offices, North Hill residents are working furiously to stop the facility from moving to their neighborhood. Despite strident opposition from neighbors, however, state officials are not backing down. Last Friday, one day after angry residents stormed City Hall to protest the move, a brand new Department of Corrections sign popped up in front of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant. But the residents aren’t giving up, either. The North Hill Preservation Association has filed four separate complaints with city and state officials. As of Tuesday, Association President Melanie Nichols reported they had received no response. Meanwhile, a North Hill couple has filed suit against the city. Joshua and Rachel Trahan are asking Judge Gary Bergosh to rule that the facility is not permitted under the city’s zoning laws and to direct officials to revoke the developer’s building permits. No hearing has yet been set in the case. Hatchery State and city officials continue to tweak plans for a controversial fish hatchery proposed for the Pensacola bayfront, in the hopes of obtaining a lease for the facility from the Pensacola City Council later this spring. In a letter sent earlier this month to Chasidy Hobbs, chairwoman of the city’s Environmental Advisory Board, project lead Gil McRae said officials were taking steps to ensure public input was taken into account as the project moved forward. McRae said the state planned to establish two citizen committees that would advise officials, among other things, on the design of the hatchery, what species would be cultured there, what stocking strategies and protocols would be used and what conservation and education programs would be pursued by the facility’s staff. Sean’s Outpost County Commissioners on Tuesday moved to temporarily shutter Satoshi Forest, a homeless camp located off Massachussetts Ave. The camp is operated by homeless outreach Sean’s Outpost, which has attracted international attention in recent months for their pioneering use of bitcoin as a funding model. Commissioners voted 3-0 on Tuesday to direct County Attorney Allison Rogers to file suit against the group. The item — added to the agenda shortly before the meeting — passed with no discussion and with Commissioners Gene Valentino and Grover Robinson absent. The county is asking a judge to demand that the group remove all unpermitted tents or other temporary shelters until they obtain approval to operate the camp through the county’s development review process. Sean’s Outpost is currently working with county staff to obtain any needed permits. Since the initial notice of violation was issued in January, the case has been pending before Special Magistrate Janet Landers. Commissioners earlier this month asked Rogers whether it would be possible to remove Landers from her post, accusing the magistrate of being overly sympathetic to Sean’s Outpost. Rogers has not yet weighed in on that question. pnj/article/20140320/NEWS01/303200010/T-S-Strickland-Escambia-County-takes-aim-at-homeless-camp
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:59:25 +0000
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