Wildlife Foundation of Florida's Slide Presentation on Proposed $20-35 million fish hatchery building in Pensacola

 Brett Boston, executive director of the Wildlife Foundation of Florida, addressed Pensacola City Council on June 20. His Power Point presentation (see below) explained the positive educational and environmental impacts that  the proposed marine fishery research center would have on Pensacola. The Wildlife Foundation is the nonprofit organization leading the state's fish hatchery program. The council later voted unanimously to negotiate a long-term lease on Bruce Beach in downtown Pensacola with the aim of building a fish hatchery, plant production and marine research facility.

The agreement for the hatchery will depend on whether $13 million in BP funding comes through. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wants to partner with Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute to build the hatchery. City Council would provide a $1-a-year long-term lease on Bruce Beach as part of the deal.

Brett Boston said the facility would cost $20 million to $35 million and that funds not covered by BP remediation funds would come from private and governmental sources, but not from Pensacola or Escambia County governments.

"When I sat and listened to the presentation, I thought there has to be something bad here somewhere, but I couldn't find it," remarked Councilman P.C. Wu after the presentation. "And if people are wondering how much it is going to cost the city or the county, the answer is zero."

Mayor Ashton Hayward urged an immediate vote because the BP funding approval requires a guaranteed site, and that there are other counties, like Walton, interested in securing the hatchery.

"Time is money folks," the mayor told the council. "You don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth. This is a leadership decision on our part. We don't have the ability to brush away opportunity in today's economy."

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