Yesterday was a marathon day for Santa Rosa County Commissioners, who started off with public forum at 8:30 a.m. and ended after 10 p.m., following a rezoning meeting in which the board approved an RV Resort on Navarre Beach, which will be near the expected landing of the future new Navarre Beach Bridge.
During the course of those meeetings, it was encouraging to see a trio of commissioners fight back against lies which had been spread on social media. They made decisions which were in the best interest of all the constituents they serve, not just a small group of discontents.
What led up to yesterday’s showdown has been the increasing frequency of false information and half-truths spread by a small but loud group of dishonest people who use social media to incite gullible citizens. I nicknamed them the Pitchfork Posse.
One of the worst dishonest agitators is Kendall Creighton, a former staffer in Al Gore’s office of environmental policy who also worked on his failed 2020 Presidential campaign. Kendall, who is an officer of Save Our Soundside, attacks Conservative Republican leaders with vicious videos posted to the Save Santa Rosa Facebook page. You can expect Kendall AKA “Save Santa Rosa” to make a video or two attacking Commission Chairman Colten Wright, who displayed exemplary leadership against the liars yesterday. If Kendall is making attack videos against them, you need to vote FOR them on next year’s ballot. Remember that!
Another dishonest agitator is Democrat Jim Sutton, current president of the Navarre Beach Leasesholders and Residents Association, which only has around 250 paid members, according to Sutton during a NBLRA meeting earlier this year. Sutton recently took to social media, making financial allegations against Chris Ferrara, who holds the lease on a 23-acre parcel on Navarre Beach.
Ferrara, who lives in Baton Rouge, asked commissioners to amend his lease so that he could use his property for a 171-lot upscale RV Resort instead of building a 700+ condotel featuring multiple high-rise buildings.
Jim Sutton wrote on Facebook “The Louisiana based developer doesn’t have the financing.”
Well if Jim had actually looked into Ferrara’s financing he would have seen a contribution to a Boys & Girls Club valued at $28 million. So Jim, stop lying. Behind the scenes, Jim was reportedly trying to set up meetings with commissioners for an Alabama Developer, Patrick Moulton, who supposedly wanted to buy Ferrara’s property to develop a condominium project.
Another one of the dishonest agitators is Wes Siler of Preserve Navarre, a registered social welfare organization pushing to incorporate Navarre. Wes joined his buddy Jim at the rezoning meeting, suggesting commissioners “buy” the property from Ferrara, who made it clear his property is NOT for sale. That shows how ignorant Wes is about business and government. Right after the meeting, Siler the Liar made a video using Preserve Navarre’s Facebook page, claiming commissioners “again” didn’t listen to Navarre. What a lie!! All over social media citizens have been saying they prefer a 171-lot RV park over a high rises with 700+ condotel units.
I greatly appreciate Commission Chairman Colten Wright, District 1 Commissioner Sam Parker and District 3 Commissioner James Calkins listening to ALL their constituents, not just blowhard Pitchfork Posse members who seemingly thrive on agitating the community in order to push their liberal, self-serving agendas.
Additionally, during yesterday’s regular committee meeting, Chairman Wright also delivered a punch to Chris Curb of Flood Defenders, calling him out for not being an engineer yet referring to “fellow engineers.”
During the same discussion Wright delivered a blow to Tom McLaughlin of Pensacola News Journal without calling him out by name. In my opinion, Tom is a lazy reporter who drinks the Kool-Aid spoon fed to him by Pitchfork Posse members. He does that instead of doing his own homework, which would require actual work. Tom probably still uses a Rolodex and only seems to have a hand full of Santa Rosa contacts on file because he interviews the same citizens over and over. But we all know PNJ hates and attacks Conservative Republicans, promoting liberals.
I could go on and on, but will close by thanking Colten, Sam and James for displaying TRUE Conservative, Republican leadership. Only 16% of Santa Rosa County voters are registered Democrats. The supermajority of Santa Rosa County’s registered voters are Republican, so this trio truly is representing their constituents by confronting liberal lies and voting in Conservative ways.
