Escambia County’s two new commissioners have an affinity for operating outside the sunshine. District 4 Commissioner Ashlee Hofberger ordered county
staff to drop a new changing room building on Pensacola Beach that was ready to begin construction and reallocate the remaining funds to a decorative arch at the foot of the Bob Sikes Bridge.
- Hofberger rushed her pet project and avoided any public input, only to see her design ideas blasted by the public.
District 1 Commissioner Steve Stroberger canceled a $2.8 million RESTORE project that would have constructed additional public access on Perdido Key, where current public access points are routinely overwhelmed.
- Less than year after the county commission approved Amendment 3, Stroberger pushed staff to drop the project and resurrect a five-year-old project to expand the Galvez Landing boat launch.
Stroberger will have to defend his unilateral decision tonight for the first time at his town hall. The reason for dropping beach access given in Amendment 4 is: “Due to the property owner’s desire to sell at a price far above its appraised value, the County has decided that the purchase of the property would not be a prudent use of RESTORE Direct Component funds.”
- The commissioner will need to prove that statement tonight.
Background
Description of the beach access project:
Planning Assistance $147,600
Property Acquisition $2.75 million…