As predicted – County Commission wants to dissolve SRIA

Over the summer, we had heard the Escambia County Administrator George Touart was pressuring County Atty. Janet Lander to write a legal opinion that the county commission could abolish the Santa Rosa Island Authority without a vote by the state legislature.  Well they can’t but they will vote on Thursday on whether to ask the legislature to abolish the SRIA (Commission may abolish SRIA).

It’s interesting that Touart and Whitehead are pushing this issue during the lame duck period before Gene Valentino and Grover Robinson IV (who still faces a general election, but is expected to win) take office. Pensacola Beach is in Robinson’s district.

Why abolish SRIA? The buzz is that they want to raise the residential building cap on Pensacola Beach.

What about Buck Lee? The SRIA executive director believes he will be a county department head and no longer have the SRIA holding down his salary or voting on his contract.

There is definitely a consolidation of power happening – first, don’t rollback ad valorem rates and keep $31 million tax windfall; second, creation of finance dept to cut out Ernie Lee Magaha; third abolish SRIA.

What’s next?