Why is the sealed bid process so sacred? Because Escambia County has a history of backroom deals and preferential treatment for certain contractors. It wasn’t that long ago when four county commissioners…
Three-Mile Bridge has six years left?
Navarre Press is reporting Jim DeVries of the Florida Department of Transportation told members of the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization yesterday at their meeting in Milton that the Pensacola Bay Bridge is…
Proposed new county bid process
1. Open bids 2. Ask – “Did anybody make a mistake?” 3. Ask – “Can anybody beat the lowest bid?” 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until everyone answers “No” or the…
Roads, Inc Circus has second act today
The Escambia County Commission will meet again today. Reportedly Comm. Kevin White will make a motion to reconsider the rebidding of the Maplewoods drainage project. The Associated General Contractors (AGC) has been…
Another one of Cody’s tricks
That’s what local contractors are telling the IN about Roads, Inc. convincing the Escambia County Commission to rebid the Maplewoods drainage project. Few doubt there was any mistake in the bid made…
CRA 2010 plan: Gateways, Round-a-bouts, Road Diets
The CRA 2010 plan tackles transportation in downtown Pensacola: EAST GATEWAY The East Gateway Improvement Project is envisioned to call attention to downtown for both area residents and beach visitors. Currently, the…
Liberty Counsel to sue Santa Rosa schools
Liberty Counsel, a conservative Christian group that has offices in Florida, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., has told the Daily News that it plans to sue the Santa Rosa County School District for…
Bid integrity
There are four hot topics being discussed around town: Malcolm Thomas and the Brownsville Middle School fiasco Consolidation – what will happen next? Victor Steen case – $10 million lawsuit and the…
Ard video not to be released until inquest
Just got off the phone with State Attorney Bill Eddins. He says that the video from the camera inside Officer Ard’s patrol car will not be released to the media and the…
Eddins calls for inquest on Steen death
Under Florida Statutes, Sec. 936.003: “The state attorney may petition the county court in the county in which the body was found to hold an inquest into any death for which an…
CRA 2010 plan connects with waterfront and parks
PENSACOLA BAYWALK The CRA 2010 Plan includes a continuous Baywalk where pedestrians and cyclists can access, transgress and enjoy Pensacola Bay from the Pensacola Area Welcome Center to Bruce Beach Series of…
Would you buy a school from this man?
Superintendent Malcolm Thomas has told the IN that he didn’t know about the 1.4-million water leak at Brownsville Middle School until Friday, Jan. 8—after we made the public records request for the…
What’s the problem with consolidation?
The bill that passed by the Florida Legislature gives the Escambia County Consolidation Commission this charge: To study and develop a proposed consolidation plan for local governments or unification of administrative services…
CRA population trends
Consultant, Looney, Ricks & Kiss, assessed population trends as part of their work on the CRA 2010 plan, which will be presented to the Pensacola City Council on Thursday, Jan. 14. EDUCATION…
CRA has population and real estate issues
The 2010 plan for the CRA that will be represented to the Pensacola City Council has an assessment of the population and real estate trends for downtown Pensacola and the CRA district….
Thomas failed to reveal leak
When Superintendent Malcolm Thomas was negotiating last month with Friendship Missionary Baptist Church over the sale of Brownsville Middle School, he failed to tell Pastor LuTimothy May, the school board and the…
Road, Inc. still gets special treatment
Cody Rawson and his road construction company, Road’s Inc., is still getting preferential treatment from the Escambia Board of County Commission. Jamie Page reports on his blog. Commissioners Robertson, Robinson, Valentino and…
CRA 2010 plan has merit
Becky Bray, Pensacola CRA administrator, her boss, Thaddeus Cohen and their consultant, Looney, Ricks & Kiss, should be commended for the 2010 plan for the CRA. The plan will be presented to…
Pensacola connection to Rubio
The Miami Herald and St. Pete Times are reporting on the race for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate between Gov. Charlie Crist and former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio. They…
It was pot in Nodine’s truck
The Mobile Press Register is reporting that the substance found in the county truck driven by Mobile Commissioner Stephen Nodine was in fact marijuana. Read more.
