Rob Williamson
The City of Gulf Breeze has once again tabled a decision to show support for a downtown Milton site for a new Santa Rosa County Courthouse.
Discussion of a resolution in support of the Pine Street location in Milton for the courthouse came in front of the city council last Tuesday, but the talk was pushed back to Monday’s (Nov. 16) agenda. On Monday, the council voted again to table drawing up a resolution in support of the Pine Street location blaming their delay around continued back and forth discussions from Santa Rosa County commissioners on the particular site.
According to Gulf Breeze City Manager Edwin ‘Buz’ Eddy, the city had never endorsed a site for the county courthouse in the past, and that the city was approached by a county commissioner who asked the city to consider adopting a resolution in support of the Pine Street location.
“We were asked to put that on our agenda by a county commissioner…Rob Williamson,” Eddy said.
When questioned as to why he approached the City of Gulf Breeze about the endorsement for the location, Williamson denied any particular ties to the Pine Street location.
“I talked to them (Gulf Breeze) about the Pine Street location of the courthouse. I did the same with the City of Milton and Navarre Chamber,” Williamson said. “I talked with councilmen in Jay as well.”
The Pine Street location, which includes 5 acres of property south of the current courthouse, was endorsed by the Milton City Council earlier this month, which Williamson admitted to talking to the city (of Milton) about.
According to Milton’s City Manager Brian Watkins, Milton has always voted to support any site in downtown Milton. Watkins said in the past, Milton has voted in support of several sites, and the Pine Street location is not the first to be endorsed by the city.
“The city has always, and still does support keeping the courthouse in, or adjacent to its current location in downtown Milton,” Watkins said.
In the past, several downtown Milton locations for the new courthouse have been proposed. But the City of Gulf Breeze never endorsed those sights.
“We put it on the agenda because that was the position (Williamson) was advocating, and we are supportive of him and what he’s trying to do,” Eddy said.
So far three commissioners are in favor of the Pine Street site, but Williamson said he went out and advocated the particular site to get the ball rolling on the new courthouse project.
“It would be like if someone was trying to take the hospital out of (the City of) Gulf Breeze. I would think that the City of Milton would stand behind Gulf Breeze to keep it there,” Williamson said. “I’m trying to do something that hasn’t been done in the past, and that is trying to ask people if they are in favor of this — yes or no. And if they are in favor of it, feel free to say that publicly.”
When asked by a reporter if the City of Gulf Breeze had ever been approached by any other commissioners about supporting a particular site for the courthouse, Williamson said, “evidently not.”
The commissioner said his approach with the government entities had nothing to do with the particular location, and if the county been looking anywhere else to put the courthouse, he would have done the same thing he did with the Pine Street location.
“My actions have been consistent with somebody who wants to get a judicial center built. Period,” Williamson said. “This has nothing to do with location. The only thing I care about is getting results. If it had been anywhere else, yes, I would have approached the City (of Gulf Breeze).”
At their commission meeting last Thursday, commissioners were unable to agree on the Pine Street location, and tabled their discussion on the location to their next meeting in December.
Commissioner Jayer Williamson told commissioners at last Thursday’s county commission meeting that he was not ready to vote on the site without more information.
Commissioners Don Salter and Bob Cole were hesitant on voting in favor of the Pine Street location at last Thursday’s meeting noting numerous cons about the site like noise from the nearby railroad, which could disrupt court cases.
“Commissioner Jayer Williamson, commissioner Lane Lynchard, and myself have all three agreed on multiple occasions that the downtown Milton site is the preferred site. We just have to pick which downtown location is best,” Williamson said.
The commissioner stated that regardless of any circumstances, a “courthouse will be built soon”.
“I’m trying to get this project off the to-do list so Santa Rosa County can move forward. If the taxpayers don’t see a benefit personally, well, you saw the results. It missed by 6,000 votes less than a year ago…I see us going down that same path. Regardless of the outcome of the local option sales tax vote, we are building a courthouse,” the commissioner said.
