RB Buzz: Lee wants county job

There are consistent rumblings from Pensacola Beach that Santa Rosa Island Authority Buck Lee has been lobbying Escambia County Commissioners to abolish the SRIA and his job. Lee believes that he would be hired by County Administrator George Touart to head any new county department put in charge of the beach.

For Lee, it would be a good deal. His relationship with the SRIA board is tenuous. They could vote to not renew his contract. Once inside the county bureaucracy, all he has to do is keep Touart happy….and maybe Commissioner Whitehead.

This past March, Lee’s own department heads said they didn’t like working for him. The SRIA board renewed his contract, but he was warned that he needed to have:

• Better interaction with staff.
• Better delegation of responsibilities.
• Better relationships with staffers.
• More effective leadership role in trying to solve the Island Authority’s financial concerns.

Lee’s salary is $86,759 annually plus benefits and a $700 per month travel allowance.His contract is up in May, 2007.