Mayor’s Office press release: Statement from Pensacola City Administrator Bill Reynolds:
“At a meeting this afternoon as part of the permitting process for Occupy Pensacola conducted by city staff, representatives of the organization stated that they had no intention of applying for a permit under the applicable city code for their further 24 hour, daily use of the public property on the north lawn of City Hall.
During the course of the Occupy activities, the City has tried to work with the Occupy movement. Over the past weeks, the movement has grown from a few campers to the erection of large tent structures and other facilities. This increase in population and construction has not only stressed the environment in which they currently reside and greatly increased public health concerns, but has also increased costs and potential liability for the City.
The City of Pensacola has a responsibility to provide for public health, safety and welfare and for the protection and proper maintenance of public areas – all of which Title 11, Article VI Special Events is designed to ensure. As part of that responsibility, the Mayor requested that the Occupy group submit a permit application to the City. This permitting process allows the City to secure appropriate contact information from the group’s leadership, protects the City from liability by establishing requirements for insurance and bonds, sets clear guidelines for the beginning, conduction, and ending of the group’s activities, and requires Occupy Pensacola to cover the costs of any and all further service for water, electricity, and sanitation.
Other events have to submit to these processes in order to move forward with their planned events. Occupy Pensacola must as well.”