Anger and accusations during St. George Island restroom bid opening

Tempers flared at Tuesday’s County commission meeting during a routine bid opening for renovations for the public restrooms on St. George Island.

Earlier this year Franklin County Commissioners agreed to spend up to 150 thousand dollars in Tourist development money to repair and renovate the bathrooms and pavilions at Carrabelle beach and at the St. George Island public beach.

The projects were bid separately and bids for the Carrabelle project are not expected for at least another month.

Commissioner Cheryl Sanders questioned why the Carrabelle beach project was not bid out first since it has much more pressing needs than St. George Island - much of the park at Carrabelle beach was built in the 1950’s and age and seawater are taking their toll.

Clerk of the Court Marcia Johnson said she also had questions about whether the TDC funding was actually available for the projects and advised commissioners to hold off until they money is budgeted.

That led District 1 commissioner Pinki Jackel to say that the board was “playing politics” with the citizens of St. George Island – and said she was being disrespected by the commission – something commissioner Cheryl Sanders took exception with.

Commissioner Jackel then went on to say that as TDC chairperson she knows the funding is available and Marcia Johnson is just trying to be the sixth commissioner and stop a project in District 1.

Mrs. Johnson didn’t take that very well and pointed out that she is a constitutional officer and it is her right to question anything that happens with the county commission when it comes to finances – regardless of what commissioner Jackel thinks about it.

Commissioner Jackel did point out that the St. George Island project was bid out first because the tourist season starts on St. George Island earlier in the year then at Carrabelle Beach – and the hope was to have the work done before tourist season really gets going.

In the end the board decided to open the bids but not award them until the Carrabelle project is bid out too.

That way the commission will know exactly how much TDC funding it has and will be able to better prioritize the projects.

Two companies bid on the St. George Island bathroom renovation, their biids ranged from 75 thousand dollars to 108 thousand dollars.

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