Preserve Navarre comes away empty in request to conduct straw poll on incorporation

Preserve Navarre and state Rep. Joel Rudman are going to have to put together a better plan for incorporation if they want to sell the county's governing board on holding a vote to gauge the popularity of the concept.

Good to his word, but obviously unhappy about having been corralled into giving it, County Commissioner Ray Eddington called upon his fellow commissioners to hear both sides of the Navarre incorporation debate and weigh in with him on their willingness to put a straw poll on the November ballot to get a sense of public interest.

He said he was acting to bring the issue to the forefront at the request of Rudman.

"I do not appreciate a person from another level of government calling me and asking me to do this, they should have done it on their own," Eddington said.

Though invited, Rudman did not attend Monday's Santa Rosa Commission meeting and did not return a phone call seeking comment on the incorporation issue.

Previously: Opposing sides in Navarre incorporation debate to face off before Santa Rosa Commission

Though the conversation at Monday's meeting was lengthy and at times extremely heated, it was clear early on no vote would be taken to accept or reject making the incorporation issue a ballot item.

Commissioner Colten Wright questioned the validity of the feasibility study the pro-incorporation group Preserve Navarre, headed by Wes Siler, had turned over to the county to support its request for the straw poll.

"The study itself reads like a utopian wish list," he said. "It's full of inaccuracies. It's not current. I think there is a much better and fairer way to handle a feasibility study."

Wright said he did not feel it fair to ask residents of Navarre to vote on something "when they're not sure what they are voting for."

Commission Chairman Sam Parker said that for him to seriously consider placing a Navarre incorporation question on November's ballot he would require a formalized request from the county's state representatives or senator.

When Rudman's predecessor in the state House, Jayer Williamson, was in office, he made it known that a vote of 60% of those who would be included in a town of Navarre would have to vote in favor of incorporation for him to introduce legislation required to create a new municipality.

Rudman has not stated what type of majority in support he would have to have to move forward.

State Rep. Alex Andrade, who also represents Santa Rosa County precincts, said there is no requirement that a straw poll be held to determine a community's stance on incorporation, though there is some precedent for it having been done.

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Andrade said that since Siler had said publicly he had turned to Rudman for legislative support because he believed he would advocate on the Navarre community's behalf, he would not be taking part an any discussion about the incorporation issue.

"If Joel wants to go ask for a non-binding resolution he's going to have to brief the commission in detail. I'm not going to be asking for it," Andrade said.

Siler said, Preserve Navarre, though rejected on its request for a straw poll, came away from Monday with some small victories.

"I would say we had a few wins, though in the end the commission continues to put up government roadblocks. They're criteria for letting us do this is all over the map, and a huge part of that is their calling out the state representative," he said. "They gave us no number on a petition count and no guidance provided on what we needed to fulfil to get it on the ballot. I'm used to it from these politicians. I call it process fog."

He said his group is now going to consider hiring a professional private organization to conduct the straw poll Preserve Navarre wants to obtain.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Santa Rosa Commission won't request Navarre incorporation ballot item