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How does Pensacola, Alabama sound? Well, get used to hearing it. The Pensacola City Council and the Escambia County Commission have passed a joint resolution asking that Mobile and the state of Alabama annex the county and its largest city.
"Everything is brighter in Alabama," Mayor John Fogg tells his fellow elected officials. "Mobile is bursting at its seams. Northrup Grumman has been awarded a $40- billion contract to build the new Air Force Refueling Tanker. They already have ThyssenKrupp Steel Mill, Air Bus, a NASCAR track, and a new regional cancer center coming to South Alabama, not to mention all the vendors and sub-contracting companies which attach themselves to all of these industries."
"I'm tired of fighting with Tallahassee and knuckleheads like state Rep. Dave Murzin," County Commission Chairman Mike Whitehead says. "Let Murzin recommend to his fellow lawmakers that the new state anthem be 'Bye, Bye, Bye' by NSYNC."
The county commission offered to change the name of the county to "Escambia 2.0," after rejecting PensaBama and Alacola. However, Escambia 2.0 ensures that there would be no conflicts with Escambia County, Ala.
"It's the least we can do," Commissioner Grover Robinson says. "We will be raking in millions in support from the Alabama Legislature."
Joe
Gilchrist, owner of the Florabama Lounge and Package Store, has taken a
conciliatory view to the annexation and has offered to change the name
of his world famous bar to the Bamabama Lounge.
STATE INCENTIVES
Early
this month, Northrop Grumman and European Aeronautic Defence and Space
Co. were selected over Boeing to supply the Air Force with 179 aerial
refueling tankers, KC-45-the second largest Pentagon contract ever.
EADS already had a relationship with Mobile. In 2005, EADS, the parent
company of European aircraft maker Airbus, selected Mobile over three
other Southern sites for a $600 million factory.
EADS went to
Mobile because of $120 million in cash and tax incentives from the
city, county and state. In return, Mobile gets a potential investment
of $600 million from EADS to build its plants and more than 1,000 jobs,
paying an average weekly wage of $1,250, double what manufacturing work
now pays in Mobile.
In April 2007, ThyssenKrupp AG of Germany
announced that Alabama had won out over Louisiana in the high-stakes
competition for a 2,700-employee steel mill plant to be built north of
Mobile. The Alabama Legislature approved a constitutional amendment to
increase the borrowing limit of an economic development bonding
authority by $400 million. The state has also earmarked $900 million
worth of Gulf Opportunity Zone bonds authorized by Congress.
Designed
to spur economic development in Gulf Coast states affected by the 2005
hurricanes, the GO Zone Act allows states to pass on government-rate,
tax-free bonding authority to private industry. Florida is not part of
the GO Zone, even though, it suffered from Hurricane Dennis.
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has pledged to work for similar incentives to help Pensacola and Escambia 2.0 create higher paying jobs.
"There
is no reason why we can duplicate our Mobile successes in Pensacola,"
Riley says. "Congressman Jo Bonner (R-Mobile) has already pledged to
get Escambia County 2.0 added to the GO Zone Act."
BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE
While
Pensacola likes to brag about its healthcare, Mobile is seeing an
unprecedented wave of expansion in healthcare services. University of
South Alabama trustees recently approved plans for a $50 million-plus
expansion of USA Children's & Women's Hospital. The new $75 million
Mitchell Cancer Institute should be completed by June.
In
Saraland, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family are building the Alabama
Motorsports Park, which will be fully operational by 2010. The complex
will boast three racing venues: an oval track, a road course and a
karting track.
In addition to motorsports, the master plan
includes a wide variety of commercial enterprises including
residential, hospitality, retail, restaurants and location based
entertainment. Former four-term Mobile Mayor Mike Dow is president
of the investor group.
Meanwhile, Pensacola still has yet to
break ground on its $70 million Vince Whibbs Sr. Community Maritime
Park or new downtown public library and relocate the Main Street sewage
treatment plant.
FASTER PACE
"Things
move faster in South Alabama," Dow says. "It will be quite an
adjustment for city and county officials. We actually get things done
in Mobile.
"I hope Pensacola is ready to move out of the Twilight Zone and into the 21st Century," he adds.
So are we, Mike. So are we.
More Top Stories
SHOCKING FINDS AT MILTON DIG
While
examining the damaged timbers at a construction site near Milton, Dr.
Judy Bense revealed that the wooden artifacts do not represent a mill
site as originally thought.
DOWNTOWN WILL STINK FOREVER
Emerald
Coast Utility Authority staff informed its board members that moving
its Main Street sewage treatment plant will not improve the air quality
of downtown Pensacola.
KINGDOM OF MIDWAY
Frustrated
by its defeat at the polls, the Midway Fire Department staged a
military coup March 20 and has taken over the entire Midway fire
district.
DISNEY PLANS CATFISH PARK
There has been growing buzz that Walt Disney World may be planning a new theme park that would be aimed at catfish lovers.
COUNCIL OUSTED!
The
Pensacola Charter Review Commission made a startling discovery last
week when it found a missing page of the 1930s city charter that stated
all council members can only serve two terms.
UWF FOOTBALL BY 2010
The
University of West Florida Board of Trustees approved the addition of
football to the intercollegiate athletic program at its
regularly-scheduled meeting on March 15.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Who says our local lawmakers are working hard in Tallahassee? Not the IN.