Local Politics

An Anonymous Survey Is Testing Pensacola Voters While Pushing Cemex’s Case at the Port

A poll circulating ahead of the August 18 primary asks about the mayor’s race, then spends a dozen questions building the case for keeping Cemex at the Port of Pensacola.

An opinion survey is making the rounds in the Pensacola area, and while it’s dressed up as a general poll of “important issues in Florida,” most of its questions are aimed at one thing: Cemex’s lease at the Port of Pensacola.

• I don’t know yet who is behind it. There’s no sponsor listed on the document, no disclosure of who paid for it, and no indication of who will see the results. But the structure of the survey and the way its questions are written follow a pattern political consultants call a push poll: a survey designed less to measure opinion than to shape it by feeding respondents one-sided information framed as neutral polling.

How It Starts

The survey opens innocently enough. It asks which local issue matters most to them—such as housing affordability, K-12 education, crime, roadways, and jobs—and whether the City of Pensacola is headed in the right direction—a standard question in the annual Quality of Life Survey.

It then runs a name-recognition and favorability screen on a list of local figures, companies and institutions, including:

• Mayor D.C. Reeves
• Allison Patton
• The Pensacola Chamber of Commerce
• Ron DeSantis
• Cemex and Ready Mix USA
• Martin Marietta
• Offshore Inland Marina
• American Magic
• Birdon America
• Project Maeve
• The Pensacola City Council
• The Propeller Club of Pensacola

From there it moves into the August 18 municipal primary itself, testing a head-to-head matchup among Alicia Trawick, Jermaine J. Williams, D.C. Reeves, Eric W. Shorter, Jasmine Brown and Ann Hill.

Then the Poll Turns Into a Cemex Sales Pitch

“If Cemex is forced out, our community loses every dollar.”

After the mayoral question, the survey pivots to the Port of Pensacola and remains focused on it for the rest of the questionnaire. It first asks whether the Port of Pensacola should remain a working waterfront, whether the city is growing too fast, and whether Cemex should be allowed to continue leasing its space.

Then comes the tell. The survey presents respondents with a series of one-sided statements, not questions, and asks whether each one makes them more or less likely to support extending Cemex’s lease. Among them:

• Cemex’s continued operation will generate $346 million in economic activity over 20 years, including $91 million in wages and $28 million in new tax revenue
• Cemex supported the Three-Mile Bridge, Baptist Hospital, Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital and the VT MAE hangar at Pensacola International Airport
• If Cemex is forced out, concrete costs and construction delays will rise because the next-nearest port is hours away
• Redevelopment ideas like shipbuilding or “high-end condos” are framed as “risky, untested propositions” compared with Cemex’s track record

Only one question in the entire block runs counter to Cemex, framing cement dust and noise as a downtown quality-of-life concern. Everything else in that section is built to move opinion in one direction.

•  Whoever commissioned this wants to know two things at once: who’s likely to win the mayor’s race, and which messages will move public opinion toward keeping Cemex at the port.

What’s Left Unanswered

• Who paid for this survey and who is conducting it?
• Is it being used to shape messaging for a lobbying push, a campaign, or both?
• Will any of the results be made public, or is this strictly internal research?

You can complete the survey: http://votercx.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_et97ueFxNkSYjLU?UID=24q1vpl

SURVEY

The following is an opinion survey about important issues in Florida.

This brief survey will only take a few minutes of your time, and completing it will help make our community a better place to live. Your opinions matter – even if you’re not sure how to answer every question.

*In which county in Florida are you currently registered to vote?

—–

Which one of the following local issues is most important to you?

• Housing affordability
• K-12 education
• Climate change and environment
• Local parks and recreation
• Crime and public safety
• Port and working waterfront
• Downtown development
• Roadways and traffic
• Jobs and the economy
• Unsure

—–

Generally speaking, would you say things in the City of Pensacola are headed in the right direction or off on the wrong track?

• Definitely the wrong track
• Mostly the wrong track
• Mostly the right direction
• Definitely the right direction
• Unsure

—–

For each of the following, please indicate if you have heard of the person, organization, governmental entity, or project, and if you have, whether you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of them. If you haven’t heard of a name, choose so.

Very unfavorable; Somewhat unfavorable; Somewhat favorable; Very favorable; No opinion; Never heard of

• Allison Patton
• Pensacola Chamber of Commerce
• D.C. Reeves
• American Magic
• Ron DeSantis
• Martin Marietta
• Offshore Inland Marina
• Cemex
• Project Maeve
• Ready Mix USA
• Birdon America
• The Pensacola City Council
• The Propeller Club of Pensacola

—–

Thinking about the August 18 primary municipal election…

If the August 18 primary municipal election was held today between the following candidates, and you had to make a choice, who would you vote for?

• Definitely Alicia Trawick
• Probably Alicia Trawick
• Definitely Jermaine J. Williams
• Probably Jermaine J. Williams
• Definitely D.C. Reeves
• Probably D.C. Reeves
• Definitely Eric W. Shorter
• Probably Eric W. Shorter
• Definitely Jasmine Brown
• Probably Jasmine Brown
• Definitely Ann Hill
• Probably Ann Hill
• Undecided

—–

Now thinking about local issues at the Port of Pensacola…

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

The Port of Pensacola should remain a working waterfront that supports cargo, construction materials, jobs, and other maritime industries.

• Strongly disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat agree
• Strongly agree
• Unsure

—–

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

Pensacola is growing too fast, and too many new apartments and condos are going up in town. All this new development threatens to forever harm the character of our community while worsening traffic, noise, and parking problems for everyone.

• Strongly disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat agree
• Strongly agree
• Unsure

—–

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:

For more than 25 years, Cemex has been a good neighbor at the Port of Pensacola. The company provides local jobs and supports area families without a record of major issues at the port. Cemex should be allowed to continue leasing their space.

• Strongly disagree
• Somewhat disagree
• Neither agree nor disagree
• Somewhat agree
• Strongly agree
• Unsure

—–

Generally speaking, would you rather see the Port of Pensacola continue as a working cargo port that ships goods and materials, or be redeveloped for other uses such as housing, retail, or recreation?

• Definitely continue as a working cargo port
• Probably continue as a working cargo port
• Probably redevelop for other uses
• Definitely redevelop for other uses
• Unsure

—–

Cemex, a building materials supplier also known as Ready Mix USA, currently leases space at the Port of Pensacola. Would you support or oppose the City extending Cemex’s lease at the Port of Pensacola?

• Strongly support
• Somewhat support
• Neither support nor oppose
• Somewhat oppose
• Strongly oppose
• Unsure

—–

The following is information about Cemex’s operations at the Port of Pensacola and the proposed lease extension. Select whether the information makes you more or less likely to support extending Cemex’s lease at the Port of Pensacola.

The Port of Pensacola has room for more than one use. It is reasonable to open up some parts of the port for new development or new industries. But Pensacola should also keep reliable, established tenants like Cemex, whose economic benefits and steady rent payments to the port are already proven.

• Much more likely
• Somewhat more likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat less likely
• Much less likely
• Unsure

Pensacola’s waterfront should serve the whole community, not just developers. Keeping Cemex at the port helps preserve a working waterfront that supports local jobs and the regional economy, instead of turning more public waterfront land into private apartments and retail development.

• Much more likely
• Somewhat more likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat less likely
• Much less likely
• Unsure

Cemex has been an active partner in Pensacola by supplying the materials and expertise used to build key local projects. They have supported landmark efforts such as the Three-Mile Bridge, Baptist Hospital, Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, and the VT MAE hangar at Pensacola International Airport, helping build the infrastructure our region relies on.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

Cemex’s continued operation at the Port of Pensacola will generate $346 million in economic activity for Pensacola and Escambia County over the next 20 years. That includes $91 million in wages, $28 million in new tax revenue, and 100 good local jobs each year. If Cemex is forced out, our community loses every dollar.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

If Cemex is forced out, every home, road, bridge, and building project in the Pensacola area will face higher concrete costs and longer delays because the nearest alternative port is hours away.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

Cemex’s operations at the Port of Pensacola support 100 local jobs and $91 million in wages for Pensacola families over the next 20 years. If Cemex is forced out, those jobs and wages go with them.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

Cemex’s continued operation at the port will generate $28 million in new tax revenue for Pensacola over 20 years. That funds roads, schools, and public safety without raising taxes on a single Pensacola resident.

• Much more likely
• Somewhat more likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat less likely
• Much less likely
• Unsure

Pensacola’s port already has the infrastructure to receive the aggregate materials used in concrete, asphalt, roads, schools, hospitals, and homes. If these operations are pushed out of Pensacola, those same materials will have to be shipped to ports much farther away and then trucked back into the region – adding traffic, fuel use, emissions, and costs. Pensacola should keep this existing port use rather than shifting the environmental burden elsewhere.

• Much more likely
• Somewhat more likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat less likely
• Much less likely
• Unsure

While some of these ideas for re-use of the port for shipbuilding and high-end condos sound great, these types of government ideas often don’t work out as planned. Cemex has been a good paying, good job producing tenant of the port for decades and we shouldn’t risk losing steady port income, hundreds of good jobs and tens of millions of dollars in positive economic impact on risky, untested propositions.

• Much more likely
• Somewhat more likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat less likely
• Much less likely
• Unsure

Cemex’s continued operation at the Port of Pensacola will generate $346 million in total economic activity for Pensacola and Escambia County over the next 20 years. If Cemex is forced out, our community loses every dollar.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

Cement and bulk cargo operations bring noise, dust, and pollution to downtown Pensacola. Our waterfront should be a clean, healthy place for families, not a 24-hour industrial site.

• Much less likely
• Somewhat less likely
• Makes no difference
• Somewhat more likely
• Much more likely
• Unsure

—–

The City of Pensacola is also considering bringing a military shipbuilding facility known publicly as Project Maeve to the Port of Pensacola. The facility could bring up to 2,000 jobs, with production workers earning an average of $68,000 and engineers and support staff earning an average of $112,000.

Would you support or oppose bringing the Project Maeve shipbuilding facility to the Port of Pensacola?

• Strongly support
• Somewhat support
• Neither support nor oppose
• Somewhat oppose
• Strongly oppose
• Unsure

—–

If you had to choose ONE primary use for the Port of Pensacola going forward, which of the following would you choose?

• Yachting, marina, and recreational waterfront uses
• Continued cargo shipping operations, with military shipbuilding facilities
• Residential and mixed-use development, including apartments and retail
• Unsure

—–

In a few of your own words, what would you most like to see happen at the Port of Pensacola in the coming years?

—–

And now several final questions for statistical purposes only to ensure this is an accurate and representative survey…

Are you female or male?

• Female
• Male

What is your age as of today?

And thinking about your views toward politics and government, would you say you are…

• Very liberal
• Somewhat liberal
• Moderate
• Somewhat conservative
• Very conservative
• Unsure

How are you currently registered as a voter in Florida?

• Democrat
• Other
• Republican
• No Party Affiliation
• Unsure

How long have you lived in the City of Pensacola?

• I have lived here my entire life
• More than 20 years
• 11 to 20 years
• 6 to 10 years
• 2 to 5 years
• Less than 2 years
• Unsure

Are you or is a member of your household a veteran or an active duty military servicemember?

• Yes, I am a veteran
• Yes, I am an active duty military servicemember
• Yes, a member of my household is a veteran or an active duty military servicemember
• No, I am not a veteran or an active duty servicemember and neither is anyone else in my household
• Unsure

What is your current housing situation?

• Live with family or friends
• Rent apartment or condo
• Rent single family home or townhome
• Own condo or apartment
• Own townhouse or rowhouse
• Own single family detached house
• Unsure

About how often do you or someone in your household fish recreationally in the waters around Pensacola?

• At least once a week
• At least once a month
• A few times a year
• Rarely
• Never
• Unsure

Do you currently have any children in K-12 schools, either public or private?

• No
• Yes
• Unsure

What annual household income range do you fall within out of the following options?

• Less than $25,000
• $25,000 – $49,999
• $50,000 – $74,999
• $75,000 – $99,999
• $100,000 – $124,999
• $125,000 – $199,999
• $200,000+
• Unsure

Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?

• Black or African American
• Hispanic or Latino
• White or Caucasian
• Asian or Pacific Islander
• Other
• Unsure

What’s the highest level of education you have completed?

• Some high school
• High school diploma/GED
• Technical Certification
• Some college or Associate’s Degree
• Four-year undergraduate or Bachelor’s Degree
• Graduate degree or further
• Unsure