WELCOME TO PROTECT NAVARRE

WELCOME TO PROTECT NAVARRE!! We are a newly formed anti-incorporation group which started April 16, 2023. Contact us to become a member via protectnavarre@gmail.com. Thank you for reading our information!!
 
A Truth Finder in Paradise
 
By Chelle Concha, Lead Researcher for Protect Navarre
 

JUNE 2023

For this month’s column we’re taking a deep dive into Santa Rosa County’s allocations for District 4 (Navarre) Parks & Recreation over the past four years, focusing on youth sports.

A review of requested county data showed Capacity Improvements and Park Improvements for 2020-2023 in District 4 totaled $6,121,800, surpassing the other five districts by more than $2 million. But most of that allocation goes toward improvements at Navarre Beach, our beautiful treasure which is enjoyed by locals and visitors.

Meanwhile, Navarre’s mainland parks are getting the short end of the stick, leaving our youth with substandard sports facilities, which are managed by Navarre Youth Sports Association (NYSA), a non-profit organization serving at least 2,500 youth.

According to NYSA President Chrissy Flanigan, the association has been struggling to address a lengthy list of necessary repairs. A list so long, I personally found it almost unfathomable that so many needs are being left unmet by our county. Although outdoor basketball courts were recently resurfaced, she says other requests to the county and District 4 Commissioner Ray Eddington have so far been ignored.

Additionally, because of capacity-related issues and the condition of the existing facilities, NYSA is having to turn families away.

Therefore, Protect Navarre would like to offer a potential first step in the right direction. Each year District 4 receives $50,000 in discretionary funds, and so far during the 2022-2023 fiscal year the following has been expended:

• $2,000.00 Children of Milton
• $2,000.00 My Father’s Arrows, Inc. (Jay)
• $1,000.00 Milton Future Farmers of America
• $1,000.00 Jay Future Farmer of America
• $1,000.00 Central Future Farmers of America (Allentown community)
• $2,000.00 Navarre High Softball

Nearly 78% of Eddington’s discretionary spending to date has been spent to support programs in others other districts.

He’s planning to give $8,000 to the Holley-Navarre Senior Center, leaving a balance of $33,000 to spend by September 30 or carry forward into the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

Therefore, we implore Commissioner Eddington to allocate this $33,000 remaining balance toward repairs/improvements at county parks which are NYSA-managed facilities. This is not a want but a NEED to make the Navarre’s youth and its future, a priority.

If you agree, please email Commissioner Eddington at District4@santarosa.fl.gov and ask him to allocate the remaining balance of his discretionary funds to NYSA for repairs/improvements.

When Protect Navarre finds a disparity, we will work hard within our community and with our county officials and county employees to make things right. We will never believe that the only way to address our problems is to incorporate, which only creates a new layer of city government with more taxes, fees and bureaucracy.

MAY 2023 

I retired to Navarre in June of 2021. My plan was to simply live and let live. I wanted to enjoy a peaceful existence in paradise, helping in my church community and other community-based organizations.

I joined Preserve Navarre, a pro-incorporation group, on October of 2021. However, by the beginning of January of 2022, I had left that organization as it became crystal clear that group wasn’t trying to preserve anything at all. They were also spreading false narratives and/or half-truths.

I do believe that the intentions of Preserve Navarre’s membership are mostly good and that they believe that only a shiny new $9 million city hall costing us $22 million plus per year can save Navarre.

But what they think we need and what we actually need, in my opinion, are two very different stories.

My conclusions will always be based on research and fact finding here, not cherry-picking data to get the answer I am seeking. After deep diving into the talking points, which at first made the idea of a City of Navarre seem appealing, I discovered some truths, which I would like to share.

MYTH #1 NAVARRE GETS LEFT-OVER BED TAX BREADCRUMBS: The pro-incorporation side claims almost all tourist development tax revenues (AKA bed taxes) “go to Milton” and that Navarre is left with a miniscule amount of the leftover bread crumbs.

THE TRUTH: NAVARRE AND NAVARRE BEACH GET THE LION’S SHARE OF BED TAXES. I met with Julie White, the director of tourism for the Santa Rosa County. Here is what I learned:

Santa Rosa County’s bed tax is at 5 pennies. The “fifth penny” is set aside solely for Navarre Beach Renourishment, which takes place every 7-10 years. The other 4 pennies fund the Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Office and Navarre Beach Department budget. Ultimately the Navarre Beach Department is under the Tourist Development Office, which is an enterprise fund. Enterprise fund means the citizens of Santa Rosa County are not paying for that county budget to operate. Instead, visitors to Santa Rosa County, staying in overnight accommodations (ex: hotel, condos and Airbnbs), fund the department and its projects.

Per Florida Statutes, the Santa Rosa County Clerk of Court collects local bed taxes. So, technically, those funds do “go to Milton,” but they do not stay there.

There is an appointed Tourist Development Council which makes the recommendations on how the county expends the bed taxes.

The council makes recommendations to the county commission.The most recent spreadsheet, which breaks down all capital expenditures which have been funded from by Santa Rosa County’s bed taxes since 2018, can be viewed online at ssrnews.com/protect-navarre.

If you have a chance and the interest, please take a close look at the document. The left-hand side shows projects funded or allocated north of the Yellow River, totaling $279,733. The right-hand column shows projects funded or allocated south of Yellow River, totaling, $4,375,881. Clearly there is a large difference with the bulk of the funding going to South County!
It’s also noteworthy that this spreadsheet does not include any bed tax funding utilized for the multi-million dollar improvements at Navarre Park.

Once you take the time to look at both sides of the spreadsheet and take Navarre Park funding into account, the facts reveal that Navarre and Navarre Beach have and continues to consistently get the lion’s share of bed tax dollars.

When we are made to feel like we are being cheated by our brothers and sisters on the north end of the county, it is easy to feel like something major has got change. This, my friends, is the famous divide and conquer strategy. When we are being fed half-truths and then the real facts are presented, it is easy to see that maybe a new layer of government is not as attractive today as it was yesterday?

More Truth Finding to come your way, Navarre.