InWeekly
columns
Outtakes
Winners & Losers
Rants & Raves
The Last Word
news
Cover Story
The Buzz
News
News of the Weird
a & e
A&E Features
Music
Hot Times
Community Outreach
monthly guides
Health & Wellness
Stay Local
blogs
Rick's Blog
extras
Best Of The Coast 2009
Power List 2010
Eat Guide 2010
Green Matters 2010
2010 Rising Stars
2010 Law Guide
Stay Local 2010
2010 Lush Guide
Doing His Duty
U.S. District Court Judge Lacey Collier committed to Pensacola's progress
Lacey Collier jokes that he didn't know what he was getting into when he agreed to replace the late U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Jack Fetterman on the Community Maritime Park Association board of trustees.In the first official meeting in September, after Pensacola voters overwhelming approved the $70 million development on the downtown waterfront, Collier was chosen chairman and then had to read the resignation letters of Quint Studer, owner of healthcare consulting company Studer Group and the minor league baseball team the Pensacola Pelicans, and John Cavanaugh, University of West Florida president. Both helped spearhead the project.
Collier says being the Community Maritime Park chairman is a full-time job. But he's happy to see the project through for the late Pensacola Mayor Emeritus Vince Whibbs and Fetterman, who convinced him to get involved in the first place.
"Certainly, they are both my heroes and they were right on top of it," he says. "This is one of the most significant projects in Pensacola history. But I thought with President Cavanaugh and Studer on the board, I could sit back and watch those two big time guys operate, attend a few meetings and maybe get the opportunity to go to the opening game at the new ballpark. So, I go to the first meeting and first thing they do is elect me chairman. Then, my first duty is to read their letters of resignation."
Collier laughs as he recalls the memory now.
But the 72-year old Senior U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Florida is not one to shrink from duty, whatever it is.
After years of being asked to visit Escambia Westgate Center by his friend Joe Denmon, who Collier often scuba dived with, Collier finally visited the school for the mentally disabled children. Denmon is an Escambia Westgate Center behavior specialist.
Touched by the students and their learning that day, Collier helped replace two rundown station wagons with brand new mini-vans to take the children on field trips.
One thing led to another and Collier played a key role in helping build the nearly $1.7 million school named in his honor—The Lacey A. Collier Snoezelen Complex. It's an 11,000-square-foot educational facility that includes multi-sensory rooms to help improve the lives of children with severe disabilities. Supporters of the sensory complex, considered a cutting-edge, flagship project, hope to embark on expansion within the next year.
Collier remembers telling Susan Berry, Escambia Westgate Center principal, "Dare to dream." She came back with a $2.7 million plan for a school for mentally disabled children.
"I don't think a single person believed it could be done," he says. "I'd like to tell you I did. But, frankly, I thought 'This is impossible.' You have to see it to believe it. Visitors from all over the world have come to see it. There's nothing like it of its scope."
As he embarks on another "impossible" task, Collier recently sat down for over an hour with the Independent News in his district court office and talked about Gov. Charlie Crist's veto of $2.5 million for environmental cleanup at the Maritime Park site, his view that the Florida Sunshine Law hampers the park board, the sinking of the USS Oriskany and his three, rare Portuguese Water Dogs.
IN: What do you think about Gov. Charlie Crist's veto of $2.5 million for cleanup of the 30-acre Community Maritime Park site? Will it delay the project, which includes a multi-use ballpark, maritime museum and conference center?
COLLIER: Originally, we were awarded it in Trillium One but lost it when it wasn't claimed or used. We were not asking for any extra money that we weren't in line for. If we wanted, we could just stay in line and get it in three to five years down the road. What's the difference? It's a hardship but it won't delay anything. We'll just have to spend our own money. Hopefully, we'll be able to recoup some of it.
IN: The property is polluted with some arsenic and leaching of petroleum from the site into Pensacola Bay. How is the plan for remediation and environmental permits from state and federal agencies coming along?
COLLIER: We have to put a two-foot cap on the property and build a bulk head on the east side. We're working hand in hand with the DEP [Florida Department of Environmental Protection] and [U.S. Army] Corps of Engineers to come up with a plan that meets the approval of all. They've really been extremely supportive. Because of the work done on the festival park plan they really are attune to what the problems are.
IN: What do you think of the 13-member Community Maritime Park Board and the progress it's made in about six months?
COLLIER: We're starting from ground zero. There's a lot that has to happen. I'm getting to know everyone on the board and their strengths. We don't all agree all the time. Regretfully, the Sunshine Law is a great handicap in getting anything done. I can't even speak to people. To be honest, I'm afraid to be seen socially with any of them because somebody will make a comment. You always have naysayers out there who think the whole world is crooked. But I know our motives are pure. All I hope my reward is, is maybe a front row seat at the opening game in the new ballpark.
IN: You were born in Tuscaloosa and often visited Pensacola growing up. You went through Naval flight school in Pensacola in 1955. Which Pensacola do you most like, the past, present or future?
COLLIER: We always came down here to the Gulf Coast for vacation from Destin over to Gulf Shores, when all it was was a dirt road that dead ended at the beach. Back in '55 about 4,500 cadets were going through flight training every year. There was a cadet on every street corner. This was a Navy town. I loved those days. I've always loved it here. The problem as I see it is Pensacola has always had a very vocal minority of negative people. Negativism has held Pensacola back. And we had a void of real leaders for a period of time. Just look at South Walton, South Okaloosa and South Baldwin counties booming and here we sit. Escambia County has lost out, not only economically but politically. We used to be the capital of Northwest Florida and now it ain't so. We've been just treading water and in a stream that means you're losing ground. The referendum [on the Maritime Park] showed me that maybe we're going to head up stream yet. That maybe we've said no to the negative current. So, the Pensacola I like best? The future one is the one I really, really have good feelings about.
IN: The Community Maritime Park Association has narrowed down the list to four firms to compete for developing the park. What do you think of the companies—Land Capital Group, Hammes Company, Carter Real Estate and Trinity Capital Advisors?
COLLIER: They are all extremely qualified. I'm impressed. These are people who've built stadiums. One built the Miami arena that the Miami Heat play in. Another did the renovations to the Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field. One other one built the stadium for the Atlanta Braves. I just use that as an example of the quality of these people. And they area all excited about this project. One of the people from the group that built the Miami arena said this was the best waterfront location he has ever seen.
IN: Besides the Community Maritime Park, what other achievements are you most proud of?
COLLIER: Snoezelen. Joe Denmon, a big, big super guy, kept telling me about Westgate. I never heard of it. He kept trying to get me out there. I kept putting it off for about two or three years. You can't help but be moved by all the kids. It could be one of your kids. We're all just blessed. I call them the innocents of the world. They didn't ask for this. We do all these things and spend all this money for juvenile delinquents. I'm not opposed to that but we don't do anything for these children and it shouldn't be that way. Well, they had these two, old, beat up station wagons with no windshield wipers. They were important because they would take five or six kids to let them experience every day places. I remember thinking to myself, 'This can't be.' They were two piles of junk literally held together by coat hangers. I just happened to know they could seek money from the forfeiture fund designated for educational purposes. The city police department and sheriff's office each approved $15,000 for new vans. I felt good about it. But Susan Berry is very persistent. I said, 'What else can I help you with?' I made the fatal mistake of telling her to go back and sit down with her people and decide what they wanted, if money wasn't an object. I told her, 'Dare to dream.' She comes back later with a $2.7 million plan. As I like to say, 'Impossible takes a little bit longer.' But we came up with the money.
IN: You were involved with Fetterman in helping sink the USS Oriskany here last year. How was that?
COLLIER: Interestingly, this was a test project for the Navy. They have 99 other ships to dispose of. It cost $16 million to sink the Oriskany and $22 million to give it away as scrap metal. The engineers told us how all their life they built ships not to sink, even if you dropped bombs on them. So, it was a valuable experience to the Navy, as well as Pensacola. I'd like to see us get at least two more.
IN: When are you going to retire?
COLLIER: Technically, I am retired. With senior status I can do as much or as little as I care to do. I truly enjoy the courtroom and trial work, so I'm still fully involved. But there are two things I truly enjoy as a senior judge. I don't have to hang around all day and deal with administrative things, like paying the light bill and I don't have to wear a tie all day. I hate ties.
IN: When you're not working your two full-time jobs, as judge and Maritime Park board chairman, what are you doing?
COLLIER: We have three Portuguese Water Dogs. In Portugal, they used to live and work on boats. They would swim messages back and forth between boats and the shore and helped herd fish into the nets. They were really part of the crew more than they were pets. It's the best breed I've ever had. I got ours from a lady in Seattle. We had to fill out a six-page application and tell her how much money we made, how big our yard was, how tall our fence was. They're not for everyone.
COLLIER FAST FACTS
• Born in 1935 in Demopolis, Ala.
• Enrolled in the U.S. Navy flight school in Pensacola in 1955, and achieved the rank of Lieutenant Commander by the time of his retirement in 1975.
• Earned a law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1977. Also holds two bachelor's degrees and a master's degree in political science from the University of West Florida.
• Appointed to a vacant First Judicial Circuit court seat in 1984, and just seven years later in 1991 he applied for, and was selected, as a federal judge for the Northern District of Florida.
