In 2001, the Santa Rosa Island Authority resisted pressure to increase lifeguard protection on Pensacola Beach. Less than a half mile of Pensacola Beach’s 8.5 miles of shoreline was guarded that year and 27 swimmers died on local beaches. In 2002 a 18-year-old student drowned during his charter school’s field trip to Pensacola Beach.
It would not be until two years later that the SRIA board adopted recommendations made by the U.S. Lifesaving Association. They increased lifeguard pay, hired Public Safety Manager Bob West and bought new lifesaving equipment. Drownings dropped to…zero in 2004.
Yesterday a jury awarded $1 million verdict to the family of high school student who drowned back in 2002. SRIA was found to be 15% liable – $150,000.
In July, 2004 I wrote this Outtakes after the U.S.L.A. recommendations were implemented:
MORE THAN MONEY Last week was a tough week. Our “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” issue was hard-hitting, edgy and drew praise and criticism. All the news stories and opinions were strong—provoking thought and debate—which is just the way I like.
After one particularly long day, I shared a drink with an old veteran of local politics. The talk got around to why doesn’t anything ever truly change in Pensacola?
“Simple,” my mentor shared. “As long as people are making money here, things will never change, Rick.”
He may have a point. Investors are doubling and tripling their investments in condominiums on Pensacola Beach. Why should they care about poor parking, drownings or a sewage plant dumping into the Sound? It’s not hurting their pocketbooks. If somehow we could place a moratorium on all property sales on Santa Rosa Island until these issue were addressed, then you damn well could be sure they would be addressed. Heck, there would probably be line of people ready to lay brick for a beach parking garage.
We have Pensacola City staffers tying up the Port of Pensacola with 30-year leases, selling youth baseball parks to profit airport operations and monopolizing council meetings with personal tirades. We have elected officials who feel free to live outside their districts, even outside the county, without fear of reprisal. We have a drinking water system that was so polluted a major chemical company agreed to $70-million to area residents. We have the state’s worst public library system.
However, many of our businesses and developers are having banner years. I worry that our prosperity may one day come back to bite us on the butts. We will wake up and see that the rest of the world – including Gulf Shores, Destin and South Walton County, has passed us by while a small few have fattened their bank accounts.
At times I feel like Peter Finch’s character, newsman Howard Beale,in the movie “Network” who urges viewers to shout, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.” We don’t have to accept all this mediocrity. I sure as hell won’t anymore and my votes this election season will reflect our need for change. I hope yours will, too.
Unfortunately, two months later Hurricane Ivan hit and we elected nearly all the incumbents.
