By Jeremy Morrison
Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson again addressed concerns about Carpenters Creek restoration work near Davis Highway Monday, clarifying some moving parts of the effort — in particular the specifics regarding a previous assertion regarding a multi-jurisdictional effort to pivot from the Florida Department of Transportation, currently engaged in shoring up a collapsed embankment on site, to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, which the mayor insist is better suited to address and fund restoration needs.
In short, Mayor Robinson said it was he who had engaged in direct talks with FDEP about potentially working with the city and Escambia County to fund restoration efforts on Carpenters Creek with money from Natural Resources Damage Assessment funds. Following the mayor’s previous comments regarding the matter, Escambia County Commissioner Robert Bender clarified that he had not directly communicated with FDEP.
“Commissioner Bender has been very focused on the solution at the actual creek, but he hasn’t been focused on finding the funding, that was me that went and decided to go to DOT, I mean DEP, because I knew they had the NRDA funding available,†Mayor Robinson said. “I don’t know any money that DOT has to get this done one way or another.â€
Bringing up another FDOT construction site along Carpenters Creek, Robinson said that the city communicated with the agency over the weekend about a recurring incident at its 9th Avenue construction site involving red clay draining from the site into the creek and Bayou Texar during heavy rains.
“I contacted them immediately, FDOT, and told them that that was unacceptable,†Robinson said, adding that he requested the agency present the city with a plan to address the issue from happening again. “This is the second time the contractor has had challenges and we want to know what the plan is going forward.â€
Mum on the Monument
Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit reversed a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Norther District of Florida which dismissed a lawsuit against the city for removing the Confederate monument that previously sat at the top of the hill on Palafox. Finding that the district court had no jurisdiction over the matter, the recent ruling kicks the issue back to state court; an attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case has said he intends to push for the monument to be reinstalled.
Mayor Robinson said Monday that the city will not be commenting on the ongoing legal matter, but also stressed that he feels comfortable defending the city’s position:†the city council had every right to do what they did.â€
“In fact, we believe the federal court that, again, they’re not saying that the council did anything wrong, we expect to defend that, if anyone intends to sue us or challenge us anywhere in state court then we will do the same, it doesn’t change our defense or our belief,†Robinson said. “Certainly we believe that the council had every right and we don’t think the federal government should be telling us we couldn’t do it.â€
This legal challenge to the city’s move to remove the Confederate monument was moved to federal court at the city’s request. Though the fed’s decision to dismiss the lawsuit has now been reversed, Robinson said that the city’s legal strategy will be the same as it always would have been.
“Whatever the venue is doesn’t change our position one way or the other,†the mayor said.
A Tale of Two Trails
After working through a few issues with nearby property owners, Mayor Robinson said the new America’s First Settlement Trail will be installed this week weather permitting. The trail — a three mile history tour featuring informational plaques and a brick paver trial — is a collaboration between the city, Visit Pensacola and the A1S Trail Foundation.
This initial installation, dubbed phase 1, will feature a maroon stripe of paint instead of the bricks.
“W’d obviously love to go to phase 2, which is a brick situation,†Mayor Robinson said, explaining that an eventual move to bricks will require additional funding.
While the city is participating in the creation of one trail, it is rethinking one of its other trial ambitions. While Baars Park was initially intended to be part of the city’s contribution to the Florida Paddling Trails Association’s Blueway paddling trails, it looks like it may be getting dropped from that effort.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about passive parks,†Mayor Robinson said, adding that Pensacola City Councilman Jared Moore intends to bring forth a proposal to designate Baars Park as a passive park, which would imply a lower impact designate Baars Park as a passive park, which would imply a lower impact environment.
Asked if removing the site from the city’s Bluewater bid, potentially falling below a minimum-launch threshold, would impact the city’s chances of securing the designation, Mayor Robinson said he felt it would be simple enough to place another launch site on the trail in the place of Baars Park.
“Well, I think we can find any number of other places to create that length. We have any number of other options if we go around Escambia Bay,†Robinson said.