Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward has on the table a deal that could bring a $100-million investment to the troubled Port of Pensacola, create $5-million annual payroll and generate $1 million of annual revenue. Though his port director, port economic development director, consultant and possible even his economic policy director have been working with FloridaWest on the proposal for at least five months, the public first learned of it a week ago when we published the data sheet on this blog.
There will be a move tonight to hold off on discussing the Incoa proposal until after Moffett & Nichol completes its study, which will be delivered to the council in early October. I think that’s too long a delay.
The Incoa proposal forces us to look at the future of the Port now. It makes the discussion real. Until now, the narrative has been no business wants to lease the warehouses at the Port. The only viable use is condos, hotels and retail, according to the narrative.
Incoa makes us say what we want at the Port–which is a discussion we’ve needed for decades.
Hayward should invite the Incoa officials to a town hall meeting and let them present the details to public. City officials should talk about their discussions and due diligence regarding the proposal. FloridaWest can talk about the state job creation incentives. Moffett & Nichol can provide input at the meeting, based on their knowledge of port development. And the public can ask questions.
Then Mayor Hayward can make a recommendation to the Pensacola City Council, and the council can vote.
