The daily newspaper has an article on how the volunteers that have organized the Pensacola Veterans Day believe that they have been given the runaround by the city of Pensacola.
The Florida Department of Transportation toughened requirements this year for its “Maintenance of Traffic†permits, requiring that they be prepared by a civil engineer or someone trained in meeting the agency specifications. Since Bayfront Parkway and Garden Streets are state roads, every downtown parade–Veterans Day, Fiesta, Mardi Gras, MLK and others that use or cross those streets–will need to get such a permit.
City staff has been aware of this new requirement since last summer.
I began hearing about the problem yesterday, but didn’t have time to look into it.
According to the PNJ article, efforts by city officials to help the volunteers obtain FDOT permit had stalled.
County Commissioner Lumon May asked Larry Newsom, the county’s assistant administrator, to help with the FDOT application. It appears the parade will be allowed thanks to the efforts of the county and the cooperation of DOT.
