Round-up, 01.06.09

A few items I want to highlight today:

Pensacola News Journal:
“Public defender cleans house”

Public Defender James Owens, who took office this morning, has fired thirteen employees from the office’s Pensacola division.

Owens addressed the layoffs at his swearing-in ceremony:

I was told when I became public defender, don’t make any waves, don’t let anyone go, keep the status quo and you won’t have an opponent in four years.  My plan is with my platform. We’ve got to restructure our office.

According to the News Journal, Owens did not fire anyone at the Milton office, and declined to comment whether or not there would be layoffs at the Crestview, Shalimar, or DeFuniak Springs offices.

Mark O’Brien:
“Morgan makes good debut”

The PNJ columnist praises new Sheriff David Morgan’s remarks this morning:

David Morgan got off to a strong start today when he was sworn in as Sheriff of Escambia County.

‘It is time to heal in Escambia County,’ said Morgan, who replaced Ron McNesby as sheriff. ‘Let the healing begin with me.’

The lanky Morgan, dressed in a green sheriff’s uniform, drew frequent applause and a couple standing ovations as he outlined his plans for the department and its 1,000-plus employees.

Pensacola News Journal:
“Port lease may be back on the table”

The daily details the changes in the port lease amendment as agreed to by Pate/Northwest Florida Cold Storage:

The changes include:

• A five-year lease term the same as in the existing lease through February 2014, instead of a single term through 2022.
• A 30,000-square-foot expansion of the facility rather than the entire warehouse.
• Requirements making the expansion mandatory and within a specified time.
• A buyout provision allowing the city to cancel the lease before 2014 at 130 percent of Pate’s investment, with a maximum buyout cap of $2.5 million — previously proposed at $4 million.