Through a public records request, I have the bids made by Gulf Equipment and Roads Inc on the Maplewood drainage project. As you would expect, the two companies have differences on several…
Category: News
Valentino/Roads remix (updated)
So here is what we have with the Maplewoods drainage project: 1. Bids are open Nov. 18. Gulf Equipment is the low bidder at $1,768,621. Purchasing Department prepares recommendation for Gulf to…
County Purchasing Rules are clear
Escambia County has a set of general terms and conditions for all its sealed bids (Read). The Maplewood drainage project request for bids clearly states on page 14 that these terms and…
Roads Inc awarded $1.94 million last half ’09
Roads, Inc has done very well with Escambia County since June 2009 7/23 Awarded Molino Road Resurfacing $858,713.50 and Saufley Field Road Resurfacing $433,836 8/15 Innerarity Point MSBU $342,430.45 10/1 Santa Monica…
Valentino backtracks…too little, too late?
Escambia Commissioner Gene Valentino has a problem. He can’t get his stories straight, according to the PNJ. We know that he met with Cody Rawson of Roads, Inc in November 2009 in…
Roads wanted to protest its own bid, no really
Here is the video of Russell Weaver of Roads Inc. The heart of his argument is that Roads Inc’s protest of its own bid “broke new ground.” …”I don’t know how to…
Did Valentino solicit campaign contributions from his office?
The Florida Statutes state it is illegal for an elected official to solicit campaign contributions from his government office. PNJ reporter Jamie Page reports on his blog that Comm. Gene Valentino told…
Why the county has sealed bids
Why is the sealed bid process so sacred? Because Escambia County has a history of backroom deals and preferential treatment for certain contractors. It wasn’t that long ago when four county commissioners…
Three-Mile Bridge has six years left?
Navarre Press is reporting Jim DeVries of the Florida Department of Transportation told members of the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization yesterday at their meeting in Milton that the Pensacola Bay Bridge is…
Proposed new county bid process
1. Open bids 2. Ask – “Did anybody make a mistake?” 3. Ask – “Can anybody beat the lowest bid?” 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until everyone answers “No” or the…
Roads, Inc Circus has second act today
The Escambia County Commission will meet again today. Reportedly Comm. Kevin White will make a motion to reconsider the rebidding of the Maplewoods drainage project. The Associated General Contractors (AGC) has been…
Another one of Cody’s tricks
That’s what local contractors are telling the IN about Roads, Inc. convincing the Escambia County Commission to rebid the Maplewoods drainage project. Few doubt there was any mistake in the bid made…
CRA 2010 plan: Gateways, Round-a-bouts, Road Diets
The CRA 2010 plan tackles transportation in downtown Pensacola: EAST GATEWAY The East Gateway Improvement Project is envisioned to call attention to downtown for both area residents and beach visitors. Currently, the…
Liberty Counsel to sue Santa Rosa schools
Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group that has offices in Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., has told the Daily News that it plans to sue the Santa Rosa County School District for…
Bid integrity
There are four hot topics being discussed around town: Malcolm Thomas and the Brownsville Middle School fiasco Consolidation – what will happen next? Victor Steen case – $10 million lawsuit and the…
Ard video not to be released until inquest
Just got off the phone with State Attorney Bill Eddins. He says that the video from the camera inside Officer Ard’s patrol car will not be released to the media and the…
Eddins calls for inquest on Steen death
Under Florida Statutes, Sec. 936.003: “The state attorney may petition the county court in the county in which the body was found to hold an inquest into any death for which an…
CRA 2010 plan connects with waterfront and parks
PENSACOLA BAYWALK The CRA 2010 Plan includes a continuous Baywalk where pedestrians and cyclists can access, transgress and enjoy Pensacola Bay from the Pensacola Area Welcome Center to Bruce Beach Series of…
Would you buy a school from this man?
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has told the IN that he didn’t know about the 1.4-million water leak at Brownsville Middle School until Friday, Jan. 8—after we made the public records request for the…
What’s the problem with consolidation?
The bill that passed by the Florida Legislature gives the Escambia County Consolidation Commission this charge: To study and develop a proposed consolidation plan for local governments or unification of administrative services…