Navarre incorporation bill is withdrawn. Proponents call it a win, but what happens now?

Proponents of incorporating Navarre are cheering the withdrawal of a bill characterized as a "hinderance" to incorporation efforts.

House Bill 1035 — which was brought forth by state Rep. Jayer Williamson and would have required communities to reach 60% approval in a local non-binding referendum before an incorporation bill could be presented in the Legislature — was among the slew of bills withdrawn from consideration after sitting stagnant in committee this session.

The referendum would have been necessary in addition to the already required feasibility study and city charter.

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Williamson, R-Pace, has made the 60% approval threshold a personal requirement for incorporation efforts in his own district. He was not available for comment on the bill, but previously told the News Journal that the two groups vying to incorporate Navarre inspired him to try to convert the personal requirement to a statewide one.

"It was one of the first bills that came forward (this session) from what I could tell. And (Williamson) was pushing really hard. And then it stopped," said Wes Siler, director at Preserve Navarre, one of the two Navarre incorporation groups. "We were kind of watching it. We were actually getting people ready to speak on it. We definitely had our members engaged."

Siler called the fate of the bill a success but said he did not plan to harp on it for too long.

"It's worth celebrating, however, it's much easier to kill a bill than it is to pass a bill," Siler said. "So, I don't want us to get overconfident or anything like that."

Jeremy Dykes, chairman of the other Navarre incorporation group, Navarre Area United PAC, said while the bill was in the back of his mind, NAU PAC was always going to work to meet whatever requirements we put in from of them.

"We were just going to buckle down and do what needed to be done and try to get to the goal of the 60(%) plus one," Dykes said. "I mean, yes, it was definitely a hindrance. But if that's the case, that's the case."

Siler also expressed that the incorporation effort has become more confusing given the fact that Williamson is not running for re-election this year, meaning the next representative for the district could be willing to bring an incorporation bill to the state Legislature without that non-binding referendum.

"I know, at this point, there's three different candidates who are running for state representative. There are things I like about each one of them," Siler said. "But I would hope that all three would agree to take forward a bill based upon it being popular and what the people want. And I'm happy to demonstrate that in any way they would like."

Santa Rosa County Attorney Thomas Dannheisser said if an incorporation group wanted to get a non-binding referendum for the 2022 ballot, he expected the commission to use the same format it has in the past with Williamson. District 4 Commissioner Dave Piech, who represents the Navarre and Holley area, echoed this sentiment.

Piech looked specifically at the previous requirement to get petitions from 8% of residents in each of the precincts in the proposed city limits in order to get a non-binding referendum on a ballot, adding he supported that move in 2019.

"I think it needs to be a certain percentage of the affected people," Piech said.

Piech added he felt a bit disappointed in the fact that Williamson's bill did not get passed, saying he would he preferred some direction from the state.

"I would think the Legislature would want some assurance of the will of the people rather than just the documents," Piech said. "Also, I thought putting some rigor in this from the state perspective would be a good thing and not leave it up to individual counties."

Looking to the future, Siler said he wants anyone working with Navarre incorporation efforts to approach the topic neutrally.

"The whole process needs to be handled by people who are fair and objective," Siler said. "It doesn't mean that every person has to support incorporation."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Rep. Williamson withdraws Navarre incorporation bill. What's next?