Daily Outtakes: Can we trust $2.3 million with these guys?

One difficult question has not been asked during the Escambia County Commission and the Tourism Council debates about how to help fund the construction of the General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Monument and Plaza:

Should over $2 million of state, county and city tax dollars be handed over to a private group that has not released its financial statements or any details of the project’s cost that has escalated from $500,000 to $2.3 million?

Escalating Costs

Chappie_5684-2 - Rick's Blog — 2018 Version

The Chappie James Monument and Plaza began as a simple but significant tribute to the Pensacola native. It was part of the larger effort to name the new Pensacola Bay Bridge in honor of Gen. James.

A rendering by Alan Gray, released to the media and published in the PNJ on Feb. 19, 2018, showed a life-size statue in front of a replica of his fighter jet.

Over the next two years, the newly formed General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Memorial Foundation, led by Cris Dosev, lobbied for the bridge’s naming. In July 2019, the joint committee formed by Escambia County and the City of Gulf Breeze unanimously agreed to name the new Pensacola Bay Bridge in honor of Gen. James. State Sen. Doug Broxson announced he would submit the bill to make it happen.

Broxson said, “This new bridge will stand as a memorial to our native son and a truly great American, Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James.”

TIMELINE

In July 2020, the week after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill naming the bridge, the PNJ reported that the Foundation announced that it would raise funds to build a memorial to honor James, with an initial estimated cost of $500,000.

Cris Dosev said they had recruited a national advisory board to take the fundraising campaign national. “We are not looking to just make it a local-area issue of raising money. We wanted to make it a national campaign.”

In September 2021, the Pensacola City Council voted to fund $250,000 toward the memorial, taking it away from local option sales tax dollars allocated to the Sanders Beach Community Center. Dosev told the council that he was seeking $100,000 for the county and was raising the rest from private donors.

In February 2022, Dosev told PNJ he expects the project to run close to $1 million. With the city council approving a land lease, private fundraising could begin. “Once we get this lease agreement set, then all our focus will be toward fundraising.”

In April 2022, the City of Pensacola took possession of the F-4 Phantom Jet. Ed Dwight was the lead sculptor of the 10-ft statue. Foundation treasurer Butch Hansen told the PNJ that the goal was to have it ready the same day as the new bridge was completed.

Chappie James Memorial Plaza — 2022 Version

In May 2022, the foundation released its first designs for the memorial plaza. Dosez said the goal was to complete the plaza by the end of 2022, with a dedication ceremony in the first quarter of 2023.

In June 2022, the PNJ published photos of the F-4 Phantom II being restored at the Naval Aviation Museum.

In January 2023, the PNJ announced the construction of the memorial plaza “will start gearing up soon.” Dosev described the foundation as being in its “terminal phase, where they are focused on the completion of the project.” Project start date: “April 1 or early spring.”

In March 2023, sculptor Ed Dwight visited the Dixon School of Arts & Science. The date of completion had been moved to fall 2023.

In April 2023, Sen. Doug Broxson gets $700,000 for the memorial plaza in the state budget.

March 2025: The reported project cost is $2.3 million.

We don’t know how much has been raised privately or what has been spent.
We don’t know what contracts have been signed and if they were competitively bid.

Lack of Financial Transparency

It has become evident that despite all its bluster and name-calling, the General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Memorial Foundation has trouble raising funds from the private sector. This explains why it is desperate for taxpayers to pick up the tab while they dodge questions from elected officials about their finances and the project’s actual cost.

HOW MUCH IN PRIVATE DOLLARS?

In February, the Foundation’s president, Cris Dosez, said the organization had raised $1.3 million. Commission Lumon May asked, “You’ve raised $1.3 million private dollars?”

Dosev responded, “Let me ask you this. When somebody comes here from the country of Singapore, does anybody ask them about private dollars? And we’ve given them $220 million. Okay, so we don’t have a problem giving people money, even people that are foreign.”

May tried to press him. Dosev interrupted and talked over the commissioner, “So we’ve already raised $1.3 million. Nobody assisted us in that effort other than Senator Broxton when we raised the funds. But at the end of the day, our organization raised that money, put that money together and the money is sitting there waiting to be expended for building this museum.”

WHAT ENDOWMENT?

In March, Ken Pyle, secretary of Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr. Memorial Foundation, appeared before the county commission. He stated that the foundation expects to have a $250,000 endowment after construction to handle the project’s maintenance.

Commissioner May asked how much the Foundation has in the endowment.

“We believe after construction we’ll have $250,000 at 5% interest,” said Pylel. “That provides about $12,000 a year, and that would be sufficient to wash the airplane in any other maintenance.”

May said, “That would be private donations? I’m sure that you couldn’t take the leftover from TDC and government money to put in an endowment.”

Pyle replied, “I don’t know that’s not allowed.”

Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger said any TDC monies would be used for reimbursement and that they are unavailable for an endowment.

FUNDING CONCERNS

State Rep. Alex Andrade has shared his concerns about how the Foundation has used the $700,000 from the state, especially how the Foundation appears to have changed what they’re doing.

When Sen. Broxson secured the funds in 2023, the public and lawmakers were led to believe that the $700K would be enough to complete the project. Dosev told the PNJ that construction was gearing up and would start by April 1 or early spring. The public was told the project would be completed by Fall 2023.

“I’m looking into whether they violated the terms of their appropriation request from two years ago,” Andrade texted Inweekly yesterday.

2 thoughts on “Daily Outtakes: Can we trust $2.3 million with these guys?”

Melissa Pino says:

April 1, 2025 at 1:14 pm

Here you go, Rick:

Nope.

Asked and answered.
CJ Lewis says:

April 1, 2025 at 11:34 am

Thanks for the best explanation of this mess to date. For the record, the Foundation’s website currently refers to the project as an “open air museum.” I very clearly recall hearing Cris Dosev describe the project to the TDC as a “memorial plaza open air museum.” The Florida AG’s website lists 76 opinions that mention “museum.” To ensure that the city knows what its signing up for in perpetuity, the city should ask the Florida AG to advise on the “museum” claim, mindful that we already have another Chappie James Museum. Someone should audit everything so the public knows what public and private entities have agreed to fund what, what money they’ve handed over to date, and with what conditions such as the need for a match, and what the Foundation has spent. I know that I want to know how much the Foundation members have donated of their own money. Maybe the best solution is a life-size statute of General James at Veterans Memorial Park.

Daily Outtakes: Can we trust $2.3 million with these guys?

Escalating Costs

TIMELINE

Lack of Financial Transparency

HOW MUCH IN PRIVATE DOLLARS?

WHAT ENDOWMENT?

FUNDING CONCERNS

2 thoughts on “Daily Outtakes: Can we trust $2.3 million with these guys?”

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