Commissioner Gordon Goodin Speaks at June 25th UPA meeting:
Santa
Rosa County Commissioner Gordon Goodin was the guest
speaker at June’s meeting. After giving a presentation on
roads, economic development and the budget,
Commissioner
Goodin responded to both written questions and questions from
the floor. Following is a summary of his comments – not an
actual transcription. Prepared by Julie B. Connerley
Q: What is the county’s position on
drinking water and source protection?
A. The greenbelt/greenway area located in East Milton between Eglin Air Force Base and Blackwater River Forest contains the recharge area for the Fairpoint Regional Water Utility which all of us drink (City of Gulf Breeze, Midway, Holley-Navarre, Navarre Beach).
We have now identified what are the recharge areas for that sand and gravel aquifer and will put requirements or restrictions into our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code that will not allow industrial uses out there, for example, a C&D landfill, or any kind of landfill.
A. The greenbelt/greenway area located in East Milton between Eglin Air Force Base and Blackwater River Forest contains the recharge area for the Fairpoint Regional Water Utility which all of us drink (City of Gulf Breeze, Midway, Holley-Navarre, Navarre Beach).
We have now identified what are the recharge areas for that sand and gravel aquifer and will put requirements or restrictions into our Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code that will not allow industrial uses out there, for example, a C&D landfill, or any kind of landfill.
Q: What is the county’s plan for
making our county more bike and walking friendly? Do you
support the addition of pedestrian lights or zebra crossings for
Highway 98
and alternative transportation?
A. I agree completely. Look at the multi-use path along Highway 98 in the Naval Live Oaks as alternative transportation.
A year and half ago I took some recreation funds from District 4 (Goodin’s district) and asked them to build a multi-purpose path. It went along East Bay Blvd. up State Road 87 as far as possible towards a big subdivision, then down another road because we have three schools in the area.
A. I agree completely. Look at the multi-use path along Highway 98 in the Naval Live Oaks as alternative transportation.
A year and half ago I took some recreation funds from District 4 (Goodin’s district) and asked them to build a multi-purpose path. It went along East Bay Blvd. up State Road 87 as far as possible towards a big subdivision, then down another road because we have three schools in the area.
A couple of weeks ago I asked them to approve
another cross connection from the high school to the YMCA and
the nearby athletic complex. When first constructed, District 4
constituents questioned the need. Now everyone wants a
multi-use path in his neighborhood.
At a recent board meeting, District 5 Commissioner, Lane Lynchard, suggested that we take some of the impact fees collected from building permits in the county’s south end and use that money to build multi-purpose and bike paths across this end of the county.
We have a couple projects -- interconnections, between subdivisions and ways to keep people off Highway 98 and State Road 87 already in the pipeline.
At a recent board meeting, District 5 Commissioner, Lane Lynchard, suggested that we take some of the impact fees collected from building permits in the county’s south end and use that money to build multi-purpose and bike paths across this end of the county.
We have a couple projects -- interconnections, between subdivisions and ways to keep people off Highway 98 and State Road 87 already in the pipeline.
Q: Are the sports associations
complying with the required accounting funding request rules?
A. A few years ago, Navarre’s sports association was questioned about their continued request for county funds. We had the same scenario with the Pace operation.
A. A few years ago, Navarre’s sports association was questioned about their continued request for county funds. We had the same scenario with the Pace operation.
When told to produce their accounting
records, it was learned that these volunteer organizations
weren’t very knowledgeable about
accounting
procedures. Both straightened out their inadequacies and
led the way for all county sports organizations to follow suit.
However, in some cases, like the East Milton park, it probably should have never been built because it lacks surrounding population support. The county is trying to help them through getting more businesses, jail and sheriff’s office leagues participation out there.
Navarre Youth Sports Association, along with Tiger Point and East Milton, are holding soccer tournaments, bringing people to the area, staying on Navarre Beach.
However, in some cases, like the East Milton park, it probably should have never been built because it lacks surrounding population support. The county is trying to help them through getting more businesses, jail and sheriff’s office leagues participation out there.
Navarre Youth Sports Association, along with Tiger Point and East Milton, are holding soccer tournaments, bringing people to the area, staying on Navarre Beach.
Specifically addressing the issues of Tiger
Point Recreation Park, Commissioner Goodin said they were in
transition, and there is a little problem there.
As a volunteer parent-run organization, there
were personality conflicts involved and some families have moved
to the Navarre sports association. Since they are not asking
for any tax monies right now, he is expecting them to sort
things out. If they ask for money, then the county will ask to
see the books.
At the same time, the commissioner recognized that parent-run organizations are there for the benefit of their children and optimally, should be able to do what they do best – coaching and running the concession stands. Some of the sports parks, if managed correctly, could eventually be fiscally sound enough to hire personnel to take care of the business aspects.
At the same time, the commissioner recognized that parent-run organizations are there for the benefit of their children and optimally, should be able to do what they do best – coaching and running the concession stands. Some of the sports parks, if managed correctly, could eventually be fiscally sound enough to hire personnel to take care of the business aspects.
Q: What is happening with the
building plans for the PJC Annex that was supposed to begin in
June 2009?
A. Goodin said he always heard completion would be 2011. As he understands it, In last year’s legislature, not this current session, PICO (construction) dollars were designated for the design and architecture of this campus.
A. Goodin said he always heard completion would be 2011. As he understands it, In last year’s legislature, not this current session, PICO (construction) dollars were designated for the design and architecture of this campus.
They have been working with the school
boards, and Gulf Breeze and
Navarre
chambers to make sure they will be offering programs that fit
this community.
Some dual enrollment from this joint use facility will relieve pressure for both Navarre and Gulf Breeze High Schools that we desperately need. For Navarre High, they are talking about taking up to 2500 kids, and over 1400 from Gulf Breeze High.
Some dual enrollment from this joint use facility will relieve pressure for both Navarre and Gulf Breeze High Schools that we desperately need. For Navarre High, they are talking about taking up to 2500 kids, and over 1400 from Gulf Breeze High.
Q: What are your concerns about the
Zoo?
A. The commissioner allowed that he was on the short end of the stick the first time temporary funding for the Zoo came before the commission, but felt no one would support it this time around. He was opposed to spending any tax dollars to subsidize The Zoo-Northwest Florida. Instead, he suggested that the Zoo remove deed restrictions on some of its property, then sell it to businesses that could stimulate the economy, but didn’t need an industrial park location.
A. The commissioner allowed that he was on the short end of the stick the first time temporary funding for the Zoo came before the commission, but felt no one would support it this time around. He was opposed to spending any tax dollars to subsidize The Zoo-Northwest Florida. Instead, he suggested that the Zoo remove deed restrictions on some of its property, then sell it to businesses that could stimulate the economy, but didn’t need an industrial park location.
Q. What is your position on
billboards/signs along Highway 98 and designating it a scenic
highway?
A. Highway 98 always had that cluttered look and Goodin admits he complained about it more than anything else—until he got elected Commissioner and his priorities were changed.
A. Highway 98 always had that cluttered look and Goodin admits he complained about it more than anything else—until he got elected Commissioner and his priorities were changed.
He doesn’t like billboards, and does not
understand the value of billboards along Highway 98, or State
Road 87. He does see the value on an Interstate, but along
Highway 98, for example, there aren’t that many local companies
advertising.
The off-premise signs are the signs one sees in the medians. Traveling to the UPA meeting, he made a list of those he saw and read out 26 different types of business concerns, including one for his own church and restaurants he enjoyed patronizing.
The county did a fairly good job of enforcing off-premise sign regulations. But since the hurricanes, many businesses complained that the storms destroyed their businesses and they didn’t have money to replace their signs, so the county eased up on its sign enforcement rules.
About the time the county began enforcing the sign ordinance again, the economy bottomed out. So, the issue becomes one of if you have an ordinance, enforce it, otherwise get rid of it.
The county decided to keep the ordinance and make it complaint driven code enforcement. Goodin said that if you see an off-premise sign that you don’t like, you can call the code enforcement, and if we have anybody left in that department, we’ll write a letter advising them to take the signs down. If after 30 days they have not complied, we’ll take them in front of a county judge.
As far as billboards, he had an ordinance, which is actually a state statute that states we cannot force those billboards to go away.
Commissioner Goodin recounted his experience with dealing with billboard companies in the Ft. Lauderdale area more than 25 years ago, noting that these companies have lots of money and are in it for the long haul to keep their signs up.
When developing the Navarre Town Center, the issue of restricting billboards came up. The county tried to initiate a plan that if a billboard was destroyed more than 50%, it could not be rebuilt. Billboard companies were adamant in their confrontation. Tempers flared. Some local residents who were opposed to billboards eventually did not have the courage of their convictions to stand up against the powerful billboard companies.
Where a group like this (UPA) is so important is that you need grassroots support throughout the community to take on the billboard industry. They will pit business against business unless you can provide a united front.
The other aspect of Highway 98 that bothers Goodin is all the components in the air – it’s a visual chaos of poles and wires. If you drive from Daphne to Fairhope, the right-of-way is set aside with a row of pine trees blocking all the chaos. They still have the billboards, but the trees block the utilities. It just feels different.
While Gulf Power doesn’t want to bury their utilities, with the amount of cables already in the right-of-way, there isn’t any room left. More property would have to be purchased if we did want to bury cables.
He’s not sure we have the courage of our convictions or our pocketbooks to get this project done, but he also knows that if we don’t have a good grassroots support, it won’t go anywhere.
The off-premise signs are the signs one sees in the medians. Traveling to the UPA meeting, he made a list of those he saw and read out 26 different types of business concerns, including one for his own church and restaurants he enjoyed patronizing.
The county did a fairly good job of enforcing off-premise sign regulations. But since the hurricanes, many businesses complained that the storms destroyed their businesses and they didn’t have money to replace their signs, so the county eased up on its sign enforcement rules.
About the time the county began enforcing the sign ordinance again, the economy bottomed out. So, the issue becomes one of if you have an ordinance, enforce it, otherwise get rid of it.
The county decided to keep the ordinance and make it complaint driven code enforcement. Goodin said that if you see an off-premise sign that you don’t like, you can call the code enforcement, and if we have anybody left in that department, we’ll write a letter advising them to take the signs down. If after 30 days they have not complied, we’ll take them in front of a county judge.
As far as billboards, he had an ordinance, which is actually a state statute that states we cannot force those billboards to go away.
Commissioner Goodin recounted his experience with dealing with billboard companies in the Ft. Lauderdale area more than 25 years ago, noting that these companies have lots of money and are in it for the long haul to keep their signs up.
When developing the Navarre Town Center, the issue of restricting billboards came up. The county tried to initiate a plan that if a billboard was destroyed more than 50%, it could not be rebuilt. Billboard companies were adamant in their confrontation. Tempers flared. Some local residents who were opposed to billboards eventually did not have the courage of their convictions to stand up against the powerful billboard companies.
Where a group like this (UPA) is so important is that you need grassroots support throughout the community to take on the billboard industry. They will pit business against business unless you can provide a united front.
The other aspect of Highway 98 that bothers Goodin is all the components in the air – it’s a visual chaos of poles and wires. If you drive from Daphne to Fairhope, the right-of-way is set aside with a row of pine trees blocking all the chaos. They still have the billboards, but the trees block the utilities. It just feels different.
While Gulf Power doesn’t want to bury their utilities, with the amount of cables already in the right-of-way, there isn’t any room left. More property would have to be purchased if we did want to bury cables.
He’s not sure we have the courage of our convictions or our pocketbooks to get this project done, but he also knows that if we don’t have a good grassroots support, it won’t go anywhere.
Commissioner Goodin pledged his support as
long as he is involved, adding that it will get personal and it
will get expensive.
In response to a question from the floor
regarding a request 6-8 years ago from billboard companies to
increase the density of signage on Highway 98, Goodin advised
that it has been denied every time they have requested it.
Q From the floor: What about a multi-path for
Highway 399 and the status of plans to four-lane it?
A. He chose to address areas near the schools for the multi-purpose paths initially for a reason. The school board does not reimburse the county for picking up students within two miles of school. His objective was to take care of the children first.
In the city of Gulf Breeze, you have got sidewalks everywhere, and school buses picking children up, but we are not being reimbursed for that. Following that, we would like to complete East Bay Blvd.
A. He chose to address areas near the schools for the multi-purpose paths initially for a reason. The school board does not reimburse the county for picking up students within two miles of school. His objective was to take care of the children first.
In the city of Gulf Breeze, you have got sidewalks everywhere, and school buses picking children up, but we are not being reimbursed for that. Following that, we would like to complete East Bay Blvd.
However, he doesn’t think he will live long enough to see
that entire project completed because of the expense associated
with leveling ditches and relocating the number of pipes where
the multi-path would be constructed.
As for the four-laning project, it probably won’t happen. Instead, the Navy has decided that the property along East Bay Blvd. is no longer surplus land, and the deal to acquire it is off.
As for the four-laning project, it probably won’t happen. Instead, the Navy has decided that the property along East Bay Blvd. is no longer surplus land, and the deal to acquire it is off.
Q From the floor: You don’t have anything concrete
going in there, but mentioned some good prospects. Did you offer
Bill Pullum an option on that land rather than the $4 million?
A. We didn’t. Because if we have that land in our inventory, we can immediately make those deals. When folks show up to discuss deals they can move faster than we in government can.
In the case of the Pullum property we took money that had been generated from previous land sales in our old industrial park along with some franchise fee money that will be replenished before the year’s out and purchased the land so we would have that flexibility.
One of the biggest reasons we did it is because if we have that option and now all of a sudden Pullum (or whomever) decides that the property is worth more than what we agreed to in the past and they decide they want to start negotiating, or they were not willing to negotiate on first right of refusal at a guaranteed price, whether it took us 5 months or 5 years, we could not lock down the price of the land.
Then, once we make the sale, we offer the business an incentive -- they provide a certain number of jobs at 150% of the average wage in Santa Rosa County and maintain it for up to 10 years. We give them discounts on their property taxes.
These are retention dollars that we don’t need to have a real estate negotiation going on while we’re trying to put a package together. It was not a unanimous vote, but we did it that way to eliminate those headaches.
Part of the Pullum property controversy revolved around the appraisal. First the county’s appraiser came in and pegged it at $900,000. Then Bill (Pullum) had another appraiser come in and that person appraised it at $3.3 million. The county wanted the property, but couldn’t come to a price.
A. We didn’t. Because if we have that land in our inventory, we can immediately make those deals. When folks show up to discuss deals they can move faster than we in government can.
In the case of the Pullum property we took money that had been generated from previous land sales in our old industrial park along with some franchise fee money that will be replenished before the year’s out and purchased the land so we would have that flexibility.
One of the biggest reasons we did it is because if we have that option and now all of a sudden Pullum (or whomever) decides that the property is worth more than what we agreed to in the past and they decide they want to start negotiating, or they were not willing to negotiate on first right of refusal at a guaranteed price, whether it took us 5 months or 5 years, we could not lock down the price of the land.
Then, once we make the sale, we offer the business an incentive -- they provide a certain number of jobs at 150% of the average wage in Santa Rosa County and maintain it for up to 10 years. We give them discounts on their property taxes.
These are retention dollars that we don’t need to have a real estate negotiation going on while we’re trying to put a package together. It was not a unanimous vote, but we did it that way to eliminate those headaches.
Part of the Pullum property controversy revolved around the appraisal. First the county’s appraiser came in and pegged it at $900,000. Then Bill (Pullum) had another appraiser come in and that person appraised it at $3.3 million. The county wanted the property, but couldn’t come to a price.
The county’s attorney and Team
Santa Rosa then hired yet another appraiser in Pensacola
typically used by the court system to settle disputes, to review
the property.
Commissioner Goodin ended the Pullum property explanation by reviewing two other county land purchases that had questionable county appraisals.
Commissioner Goodin ended the Pullum property explanation by reviewing two other county land purchases that had questionable county appraisals.