The BOCC referred the economic development to the PEDC for further discussion. Here are Commissioner Valentino’s comments on today’s meeting (the emphasis is his):
-
I’m excited and grateful that the dialogue and engaging conversation surrounding economic dev and the future of it will continue to the next PEDC meeting….
·Today we realized and all agreed on how similar both plans are in concept. It gets down to one obvious difference at the end of the day and one that the constituents and business leaders feel is worth further public discussion.
·If the Chamber is recommending something CLEARLY outside the Chamber but, CLEARLY aligned to the Chamber, when I’m suggesting something completely and distinctively new and different that stands on its own, I feel people will begin to share their enthusiasm publicly as they did with me privately for something new and different….A “GAME CHANGERâ€
· We gain considerable, unprecedented competitive advantage by saying to the outside world that it’s a new day in Escambia County when it comes to economic development. We need this now more than ever….
Best regards,
Gene M. Valentino