When the newly elected Florida Governor said he was going to make Florida business friendly, he did not waste any time. The below are some major steps in doing just that. It is better late than never.
By Zac Anderson
Published: Friday, January 7, 2011 at 1:00 a.m.
In a move with the potential to unravel decades of growth management and environmental policy, Gov. Rick Scott has named two agency heads who have strong ties to the state's development industry. Scott, who has promised to rid the state of "job-killing" regulations, named Billy Buzzett, a land-use lawyer who has worked for one of the largest developers in Florida, to lead the state Department of Community Affairs, the state's top agency for regulating developers. Scott has also indicated his support for diminishing the role of the DCA by merging it into several other agencies, including the Department of Transportation. At the Department of Environmental Protection, the state's top environmental agency, involved in issues including restoration of the Everglades and oil drilling, Scott tapped Herschel Vinyard, a lawyer and executive with a Jacksonville ship-building company. Vinyard has previously represented businesses in environmental cases. The appointments, which drew praise from some business groups like the Florida Chamber of Commerce, are an indication that the new administration may be ready to significantly scale back growth-management and environmental regulations, such as laws requiring developers to pay for new roads or requiring major developments to go through a regional-impact review. Growth control advocate Dan Lobeck calls Buzzett's pick to lead DCA a "radical" choice, arguing that a developer should not be in charge of development regulations. "If there every was a case of the fox guarding the hen house, this is it," Lobeck said. "This is a full-scale abandonment of growth management in Florida." Lobeck believes Buzzett is being brought in to systematically dismantle the DCA. "I expect it's not going to be long before he's known as 'Buzz-saw Buzzett' for seeking to cut down the remnants of growth management rules in Florida," said Lobeck, a Sarasota land-use attorney and president of the citizen's group Control Growth Now. However, some Tallahassee-based environmental lobbyists, who have worked with Buzzett, said he tries to balance development interests with environmental concerns. "He's a development lawyer -- and there are gradients of developers – I always viewed Billy on the green end of that spectrum," said Eric Draper of Florida Audubon. Vinyard – who previously worked in the same law firm as Florida Republican Party Chairman John Thrasher – is more of an unknown among the environmental community. However, Vinyard does serve on a DEP panel involved in the protection of the lower St. Johns River; Draper said those who have worked with him describe him as "very sharp and easy to work with." Vinyard has also served on the local chapter of the Trust for Public Lands, an environmental group involved in the acquisition of conservation land – a key role for the state agency that he will lead. "Our big job with the DEP, with this governor, is to convince them that in fact our environmental rules help the economy, they don't hurt the economy," Draper said. "We appear to be working against the belief system that environmental rules are bad for jobs." As for these new appointments' ties to industries that faced state regulation, Draper said such relationships are not unusual in Tallahassee. For instance, former DEP Secretary David Struhs left the agency to work for a paper company that had sought a major environmental permit from environmental regulators. Another DEP leader – Mike Sole – left the agency for Florida Power & Light, the state's largest utility. "It's not like there isn't a revolving door already," Draper said. In the case of the new DCA secretary, Buzzett spearheaded a number of controversial developments during his tenure with St. Joe, a real estate company that has rapidly reshaped the Florida Panhandle as the state's second largest landowner. He helped sell a plan opposed by many Gulf County residents to reroute U.S. Highway 98 away from the water in Port St. Joe so the developer could have more waterfront land for a condo project. The debate over a new airport built on St. Joe land outside Panama City was even more heated. Environmentalists strongly opposed the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport because of the impact on nearby wetlands. A majority of Bay County voters disapproved of the project in a referendum but Buzzett helped steer it towards approval, increasing the value of nearby St. Joe lands. The airport opened last year. Water quality samples collected by Patrice Couch of the St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association, a Bay County environmental nonprofit, showed stormwater runoff from the site is polluting the bay and creeks. "They muddied up the creeks and polluted them just like we predicted," Couch said. But even people who strongly opposed Buzzett's work at St. Joe call him charming and intelligent. They describe him as a gifted pitchman who was able to face public opposition with professionalism and a smile, never losing his cool. Said Couch: "He was a great front man for St. Joe." Buzzett grew up in the small Panhandle fishing village of Apalachicola. He retains an air of southern congeniality and likes to mention that he is a fifth-generation Floridian, said Linda Young of the Clean Water Network. Young was often at odds with Buzzett over St. Joe developments. "He can disarm people with his folksy good old boy I'm just one of you bubbas approach when needed but there's nothing slow or unsophisticated about that man," Young said. "He's sharp as a tack and he gets what he goes for." Scott's picks to lead the DEP and DCA still face a confirmation hearing in the state Senate – although that appears a given. In fact, in recent years, House leaders have been aggressive in their efforts to dismantle the DCA – although the Senate did not go along with the plan. Scott's agency selections follow a report from his transition team released late last month offering a blueprint for such a dismantling. That document recommends that Scott overhaul and, essentially, reduce the independence and power of agencies assigned to protect Florida's natural resources and control growth. The recommendation calls for merging the departments of Transportation, Environmental Protection and Community Affairs into a single agency Later, the report calls for "eliminating" some of the state's primary regulatory powers over major residential and commercial Developments. The report recommends ending a layer of oversight known as Developments of Regional Impact. This designation comes into play when developers seek to build massive subdivisions or business areas, or whole communities such as Lakewood Ranch. Because these developments affect not only local communities, but can drain water resources and increase traffic throughout an entire region, the regulation requires that state planners review the proposals to make sure they are compatible with communities outside the local government's jurisdiction. But Scott may end that oversight. And that is just the start. The report also calls for eliminating the requirement that developers plan for increased traffic and other infrastructure needs. Lobeck said eliminating so-called "concurrency" rules that require developers to pay for expanding or improving roads if they increase traffic and make other infrastructure upgrades would cripple the state's growth management law first enacted in 1985. "Concurrency has been called the linch pin of growth management," Lobeck said. "Which means if you pull it out everything else collapses." For the DEP, the transition report talks about "streamlining" the environmental permitting process. It raises the potential for the state regulations to pre-empt tougher local government rules and cites the possibility of easing regulations on the destruction of wetlands and stormwater runoff.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
NEW PRESIDENT OF NORTHWEST FLORIDA MILITARY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION TAKE CHARGE
President’s gavel for the Northwest Florida Military Officers Association handed to me for the 2011 calendar year by Lieutenant General LeRoy Manor. This is a great honor for me to undertake and a great opportunity to understand and stay updated on the future of our local military programs. As the U. S. Coast Guard would say, “Semper Paratus”, Always Ready.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
PRIVATIZED AIR FORCE HOUSING STRUGGLING TO TAKE OFF AT EGLIN
Here it is, almost 6 years later and no privatized housing at Eglin. As a former Military Housing Director, I can tell you this is no surprise. I have briefed a number of folks on this issue and warned them, “this was going to be a long drawn out process”. I have lived this in my professional life in the military and it does not come easy. A number of things have changed and our area will make it hard. First, the military culture does not want to live on base, as per a housing study of military families; Secondly, there will be no mandatory assignment to military housing anymore, so developers would not have a capture audience. This would be hard in our area, where the desirability of living off base is high; and Thirdly, the need for housing units has recently dropped in our area from 2750 housing units to about 960 units. These first few issues will alone make it difficult. Also, like I told many, no military housing will be in Mossyhead, or near Crestview. It just doesn’t make sense. I can bore you with many details, if you would like. I am only a phone call away. Do I tell you, I not only a former Military Housing Director, I am also a former resident of Eglin AFB Base Housing.
LAST NOTE: WE NEED HOUSING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IMMEDIATELY. BANKS NEED TO WORK ON THE FEDS TO FREE UP CAPITAL TO OUR BUILDERS/DEVELOPERS, OR IN MY OPINION, WE WILL HAVE A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE BECAUSE OF A MORAL ISSUE BECAUSE QUALITY HOUSING WILL NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MILITARY BEING ASSIGNED HERE VERY SOON.
More hearings set for privatized AF housing
By MONA MOORE
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4443 mmoore@nwfdailynews.com
EGLIN AFB — The Air Force scheduled the next round of public hearings for a proposed housing project that would allow private contractors to build, manage and rent housing to military families on land leased from the Air Force. Public hearings for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 11 and 12 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville and the Fort Walton Beach Municipal Auditorium respectively. In 1996, the DOD authorized the Armed Forces to enter into agreements with private developers selected in a competitive process to own, maintain and operate family housing through 50-year leases. Air Force-wide, more than 40,000 homes were privatized in the program’s first 13 years. Though the need is clearly there, none of Eglin’s housing has been privatized. Larry Chavers, chief of environmental awareness at Eglin, said last January 88 percent of the base’s housing does not meet Air Force standards. That beats the Air Forcewide average of 60 percent of housing that needs to be renovated or replaced. “Most of our units are 30 to 50 years old and made of cinder blocks,” Chavers said. As it works to finalize the location of the new housing, Eglin already has spent $13 million on renovations to existing base housing. Since April 2005, the Air Force has made four attempts to privatize housing at Eglin and Hurlburt. The current initiative was introduced at public hearings last January with seven proposed alternatives (including doing nothing at all). Some of the choices have been eliminated because they would interfere with missions, be unsafe for residents or conflict with future plans for expansion. The eliminated choices include an area near Mossy Head; an area in Crestview; and Live Oak Terrace, an area at Hurlburt Field north of U.S Highway 98. The three current choices are to build family housing in the White Point area, on Eglin Main and in Valparaiso, or in the north Fort Walton Beach area. Past public housing initiatives met opposition with the proposed north Fort Walton Beach area. The area includes 249 acres at Camp Pinchot and 83 acres in the Poquito Bayou area. Grassroots organizations opposed building homes in those areas when the idea was introduced in 2005 and 2006. Eglin’s preferred choice is to build on Eglin Main in the southwest corner of Eglin Main Base adjacent to the “new Plew” housing area. In addition to the comments made at the public hearings, comments received by Feb. 7 will be included in the Environmental Impact Statement and taken under consideration by the Air Force. People wishing to mail comments or obtain further information should send them to: Mike Spaits, Eglin Public Affairs Office
LAST NOTE: WE NEED HOUSING IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR IMMEDIATELY. BANKS NEED TO WORK ON THE FEDS TO FREE UP CAPITAL TO OUR BUILDERS/DEVELOPERS, OR IN MY OPINION, WE WILL HAVE A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE BECAUSE OF A MORAL ISSUE BECAUSE QUALITY HOUSING WILL NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO THE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MILITARY BEING ASSIGNED HERE VERY SOON.
More hearings set for privatized AF housing
By MONA MOORE
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4443 mmoore@nwfdailynews.com
EGLIN AFB — The Air Force scheduled the next round of public hearings for a proposed housing project that would allow private contractors to build, manage and rent housing to military families on land leased from the Air Force. Public hearings for the Military Housing Privatization Initiative (MHPI) will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 11 and 12 at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville and the Fort Walton Beach Municipal Auditorium respectively. In 1996, the DOD authorized the Armed Forces to enter into agreements with private developers selected in a competitive process to own, maintain and operate family housing through 50-year leases. Air Force-wide, more than 40,000 homes were privatized in the program’s first 13 years. Though the need is clearly there, none of Eglin’s housing has been privatized. Larry Chavers, chief of environmental awareness at Eglin, said last January 88 percent of the base’s housing does not meet Air Force standards. That beats the Air Forcewide average of 60 percent of housing that needs to be renovated or replaced. “Most of our units are 30 to 50 years old and made of cinder blocks,” Chavers said. As it works to finalize the location of the new housing, Eglin already has spent $13 million on renovations to existing base housing. Since April 2005, the Air Force has made four attempts to privatize housing at Eglin and Hurlburt. The current initiative was introduced at public hearings last January with seven proposed alternatives (including doing nothing at all). Some of the choices have been eliminated because they would interfere with missions, be unsafe for residents or conflict with future plans for expansion. The eliminated choices include an area near Mossy Head; an area in Crestview; and Live Oak Terrace, an area at Hurlburt Field north of U.S Highway 98. The three current choices are to build family housing in the White Point area, on Eglin Main and in Valparaiso, or in the north Fort Walton Beach area. Past public housing initiatives met opposition with the proposed north Fort Walton Beach area. The area includes 249 acres at Camp Pinchot and 83 acres in the Poquito Bayou area. Grassroots organizations opposed building homes in those areas when the idea was introduced in 2005 and 2006. Eglin’s preferred choice is to build on Eglin Main in the southwest corner of Eglin Main Base adjacent to the “new Plew” housing area. In addition to the comments made at the public hearings, comments received by Feb. 7 will be included in the Environmental Impact Statement and taken under consideration by the Air Force. People wishing to mail comments or obtain further information should send them to: Mike Spaits, Eglin Public Affairs Office
2011 - MILITARY HOUSING ALLOWANCE FOR EGLIN AFB AREA
The following is the 2011 Military Housing Allowance for Eglin AFB area for military members with dependents, as well as, last year’s numbers. This allowance is a tax-free entitlement. if you have any questions about this entitlement, please don't hesitate to give me a call
Paygrade 2011 Housing Allowance
E-1 - E-4 $1158.00
E-5 $1218.00
E-6 $1332.00
E-7 $1362.00
E-8 $1392.00
E-9 $1488.00
W-1 $1335.00
W-2 $1374.00
W-3 $1413.00
W-4 $1515.00
W-5 $1635.00
O1E $1368.00
O2E $1407.00
O3E $1533.00
O-1 $1230.00
O-2 $1329.00
O-3 $1410.00
O-4 $1683.00
O-5 $1878.00
O-6 $1899.00
O-7 $1917.00
The following is the 2011 Military Housing Allowance for Eglin AFB area for military members with dependents, as well as, last year’s numbers. This allowance is a tax-free entitlement. if you have any questions about this entitlement, please don't hesitate to give me a call
Paygrade 2011 Housing Allowance
E-1 - E-4 $1158.00
E-5 $1218.00
E-6 $1332.00
E-7 $1362.00
E-8 $1392.00
E-9 $1488.00
W-1 $1335.00
W-2 $1374.00
W-3 $1413.00
W-4 $1515.00
W-5 $1635.00
O1E $1368.00
O2E $1407.00
O3E $1533.00
O-1 $1230.00
O-2 $1329.00
O-3 $1410.00
O-4 $1683.00
O-5 $1878.00
O-6 $1899.00
O-7 $1917.00
NEW SPECIAL FORCES BASE ALMOST READY TO MOVE IN
As you will see below, the new Army Base is completed and plans are being made to move in to the base and many are already looking for homes. The word from the Army is new home construction is the preference. As I have noted many times, this group of military has a much different housing need than our traditional military being assigned to Eglin. Therefore, changes to the style, size, location, must be addressed when providing for this group of military.
Countdown begun for 7th Special Forces arrival
Work on much of Army cantonment done
December 15, 2010 11:41 AM
By John Parrott Crestview News Bulletin Military Reporter
Next year, the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) cantonment west of the Duke Field will be fully manned by its new tenants. The land on which the cantonment, or installation, sits was populated by bear, deer, scrub oak and pine in March 2009 before construction on the cantonment began in earnest. The work is the culmination of four years of planning and a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearing that prompted the pending relocation of the 7th Special Forces from Fort Bragg N.C. to their new home south of Crestview. Much of the work on the one-mile-square administrative complex is complete. “As you can see, all the BRAC mandated buildings are up and, in fact, nearly all of them are in the final stages of completion,” said Joey Walker, site engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “In some cases the only thing we are waiting on is communications hookups and paint, and of course the furniture,” said 96th Test Wing civil engineer George Newman, who is Eglin’s lead man overseeing the construction site. Plans include four 96-bed dormitories for unmarried soldiers, along with amenities such as a mini mall, outlying shops, a dining facility, a chapel and a small medical clinic. The cantonment marks the first time in the 7th Special Forces' 67-year history that facilities have been built to suit their specifications, Lt. Col. Joe Tyron, commander of engineering for the Special Forces, said in a March interview. "We've had a lot of user input from top to bottom," he said. "We're looking at a world-class facility." The 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) includes 2,200 soldiers. The bulk of the soldiers are expected to arrive between April and September of next year. An additional 3,800 family members are expected to accompany them. “The first tenant we expect to arrive is the 3rd battalion,” Walker said. “Afterward the moves go faster and in faster stages. But I expect the 3rd to be here before summer.” It is not just the military that has been busy in advance of the move. The Okaloosa County Water and Sewer department completed in November a 14-month project to install a $5.2 million sewer system consisting of an underground lift station and nearly 17 miles of water pipe. Sewage from the base will be piped south to the county’s new Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility in Fort Walton Beach. Officials with Okaloosa County and the city of Crestview were among a group that traveled to Fort Bragg earlier this year to help prepare the solders for their move. “We may not see the soldier that often but we will see his family,” Crestview Mayor David Cadle said. “We will shop with them, eat with them and go to church with them and they will be sending their kids to our schools.” Business leaders are also ramping up for the influx“They will also be buying or renting houses, cars and beach front property,” realtor Brett House said of the members of the 7th SFG (A). House said the Army group and Eglin Air Force Base’s allocation of 59 Joint Strike Fighters will also provide new business opportunities. “It’s no secret the 7th Special Forces and the Joint Strike Fighters are a business magnet,” House said. “In just the past few weeks we’ve had several high dollar investment inquiries, so, it is no wonder they are making statements about how this area is about to explode economically.” Unlike other services where members rotate from base to base every few years, members of the 7th SFG (A) may spend their entire military career in that one location
Countdown begun for 7th Special Forces arrival
Work on much of Army cantonment done
December 15, 2010 11:41 AM
By John Parrott Crestview News Bulletin Military Reporter
Next year, the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) cantonment west of the Duke Field will be fully manned by its new tenants. The land on which the cantonment, or installation, sits was populated by bear, deer, scrub oak and pine in March 2009 before construction on the cantonment began in earnest. The work is the culmination of four years of planning and a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) hearing that prompted the pending relocation of the 7th Special Forces from Fort Bragg N.C. to their new home south of Crestview. Much of the work on the one-mile-square administrative complex is complete. “As you can see, all the BRAC mandated buildings are up and, in fact, nearly all of them are in the final stages of completion,” said Joey Walker, site engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “In some cases the only thing we are waiting on is communications hookups and paint, and of course the furniture,” said 96th Test Wing civil engineer George Newman, who is Eglin’s lead man overseeing the construction site. Plans include four 96-bed dormitories for unmarried soldiers, along with amenities such as a mini mall, outlying shops, a dining facility, a chapel and a small medical clinic. The cantonment marks the first time in the 7th Special Forces' 67-year history that facilities have been built to suit their specifications, Lt. Col. Joe Tyron, commander of engineering for the Special Forces, said in a March interview. "We've had a lot of user input from top to bottom," he said. "We're looking at a world-class facility." The 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) includes 2,200 soldiers. The bulk of the soldiers are expected to arrive between April and September of next year. An additional 3,800 family members are expected to accompany them. “The first tenant we expect to arrive is the 3rd battalion,” Walker said. “Afterward the moves go faster and in faster stages. But I expect the 3rd to be here before summer.” It is not just the military that has been busy in advance of the move. The Okaloosa County Water and Sewer department completed in November a 14-month project to install a $5.2 million sewer system consisting of an underground lift station and nearly 17 miles of water pipe. Sewage from the base will be piped south to the county’s new Arbennie Pritchett Water Reclamation Facility in Fort Walton Beach. Officials with Okaloosa County and the city of Crestview were among a group that traveled to Fort Bragg earlier this year to help prepare the solders for their move. “We may not see the soldier that often but we will see his family,” Crestview Mayor David Cadle said. “We will shop with them, eat with them and go to church with them and they will be sending their kids to our schools.” Business leaders are also ramping up for the influx“They will also be buying or renting houses, cars and beach front property,” realtor Brett House said of the members of the 7th SFG (A). House said the Army group and Eglin Air Force Base’s allocation of 59 Joint Strike Fighters will also provide new business opportunities. “It’s no secret the 7th Special Forces and the Joint Strike Fighters are a business magnet,” House said. “In just the past few weeks we’ve had several high dollar investment inquiries, so, it is no wonder they are making statements about how this area is about to explode economically.” Unlike other services where members rotate from base to base every few years, members of the 7th SFG (A) may spend their entire military career in that one location
F-35 TRAINING SQUADRON IS ALIVE AND WELL
Okay folks, if you think the Army’s Special Forces Group is going to make an impact to the area, look out. The F-35 Training Squadron is alive and well and moving forward briskly. The permanent party folks (i.e. Instructors, Maintainers, support personnel) are coming in and beginning to set up shop. As you might know, the new By-Pass near the entrance to the gate of the Training Facility shoots straight to Crestview. I expect Senator Gaetz, who was instrumental in getting the money for this project saw the writing on the wall. If you need details on the structure of this group of folks, just give me a call. Some details of this program was released today (see below).
33rd Fighter Wing shows off progress to local officials
Mona Moore
2010-12-14 18:32:20
EGLIN AFB — A sign along Nomad Way that keeps track of the 33rd Fighter Wing’s flight training goals has read “0” for long enough. The Nomads will be flying F-16s by mid-January and training for F-35s on flight simulators in the coming months. The four F-16s will be used as fighter support aircraft. Col. David Hlatky, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, said pilots will sharpen their skills in the F-16s instead of jumping into the F-35s cold turkey. “We ain’t turned a wheel on this side of the base in a while … a lot of new people,” Hlatky said before briefing Okaloosa County leaders Tuesday morning. “So we need to get used to flying as a team and I’d rather do it with an airplane that we know a lot about than an airplane that we’re going to be learning some things about as we get started.” During the gradual build-up of F-35s at the base, the F-16s will serve as chaser airplanes during trainingHlatky said the F-16s will be a short-term solution. He expects they will be used for about a year. Okaloosa officials received a briefing before their tour. Hlatky said the wing has requested that flight training operations be split between Choctaw Field, Duke Field and Eglin Main. The timetable for accepting students and receiving the F-35s has not been determined. The school will train about 1,000 students a year in programs that will take between four and seven months to complete. Since the start of the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Training Center construction, Wing officials have become seasoned tour guides, offering sneak peeks to local and national officials. “Members of our board of commissioners think of themselves as ambassadors to Team Eglin and this will help us inform others in the community,” County Administrator Jim Curry said. Construction is being completed in stages. As the base broke ground on the training center, dining facility, track, dorms and a memorial to the victims of the Khobar Towers, some of the existing buildings were repurposed into temporary classrooms and facilities for fitting pilots for new flight apparatus. One phase of the dorms has been completed. The three-story building’s 144 rooms will house 288 students. Additional dorms are expected to be included in future budgets. The tour included a peak at the Academic Training Center, the Department of Defense’s 26,000-square-foot schoolhouse for future F-35 maintainers and pilots. Hlatky said the Academic Training Center building is the size of six football fields. He compared some of the building’s secured areas to the elaborate opening sequence of the old television show “Get Smart.” The rooms that will house simulators and classified pilot classrooms include a series of security systems, corridors and locked doors. Even doors to stairwells have security codes. The tour also included a look at the dining facility and the 58th Fighter Squadron’s operations building. County Commissioner Bill Roberts said he was impressed by the university campus atmosphere. The training center, dining facility and dorms were designed to provide that atmosphere and were built within walking distance of each other. “I think it’s going to be such a special atmosphere for the guys,” Roberts said. “It’s just going to make it more enjoyable for them.” For all of the progress the 33rd Fighter Wing has made, “the wow factor” actually is the team of JSF training instructors and administrators that has spent months working to prepare the school for future students, according to Hlatky. Representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have come together for the same goal. “It’s noses to the ground. It’s meetings at 10 at night. It’s working and traveling Sundays so you can get the only Monday morning appointment that person has available,” Hlatky said. “That’s the wow factor.”
33rd Fighter Wing shows off progress to local officials
Mona Moore
2010-12-14 18:32:20
EGLIN AFB — A sign along Nomad Way that keeps track of the 33rd Fighter Wing’s flight training goals has read “0” for long enough. The Nomads will be flying F-16s by mid-January and training for F-35s on flight simulators in the coming months. The four F-16s will be used as fighter support aircraft. Col. David Hlatky, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing, said pilots will sharpen their skills in the F-16s instead of jumping into the F-35s cold turkey. “We ain’t turned a wheel on this side of the base in a while … a lot of new people,” Hlatky said before briefing Okaloosa County leaders Tuesday morning. “So we need to get used to flying as a team and I’d rather do it with an airplane that we know a lot about than an airplane that we’re going to be learning some things about as we get started.” During the gradual build-up of F-35s at the base, the F-16s will serve as chaser airplanes during trainingHlatky said the F-16s will be a short-term solution. He expects they will be used for about a year. Okaloosa officials received a briefing before their tour. Hlatky said the wing has requested that flight training operations be split between Choctaw Field, Duke Field and Eglin Main. The timetable for accepting students and receiving the F-35s has not been determined. The school will train about 1,000 students a year in programs that will take between four and seven months to complete. Since the start of the Joint Strike Fighter Integrated Training Center construction, Wing officials have become seasoned tour guides, offering sneak peeks to local and national officials. “Members of our board of commissioners think of themselves as ambassadors to Team Eglin and this will help us inform others in the community,” County Administrator Jim Curry said. Construction is being completed in stages. As the base broke ground on the training center, dining facility, track, dorms and a memorial to the victims of the Khobar Towers, some of the existing buildings were repurposed into temporary classrooms and facilities for fitting pilots for new flight apparatus. One phase of the dorms has been completed. The three-story building’s 144 rooms will house 288 students. Additional dorms are expected to be included in future budgets. The tour included a peak at the Academic Training Center, the Department of Defense’s 26,000-square-foot schoolhouse for future F-35 maintainers and pilots. Hlatky said the Academic Training Center building is the size of six football fields. He compared some of the building’s secured areas to the elaborate opening sequence of the old television show “Get Smart.” The rooms that will house simulators and classified pilot classrooms include a series of security systems, corridors and locked doors. Even doors to stairwells have security codes. The tour also included a look at the dining facility and the 58th Fighter Squadron’s operations building. County Commissioner Bill Roberts said he was impressed by the university campus atmosphere. The training center, dining facility and dorms were designed to provide that atmosphere and were built within walking distance of each other. “I think it’s going to be such a special atmosphere for the guys,” Roberts said. “It’s just going to make it more enjoyable for them.” For all of the progress the 33rd Fighter Wing has made, “the wow factor” actually is the team of JSF training instructors and administrators that has spent months working to prepare the school for future students, according to Hlatky. Representatives from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have come together for the same goal. “It’s noses to the ground. It’s meetings at 10 at night. It’s working and traveling Sundays so you can get the only Monday morning appointment that person has available,” Hlatky said. “That’s the wow factor.”
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
OKALOOSA AND WALTON COUNTIES (FLORIDA) REMAIN AT THE TOP FOR THE STATE
As reported, Okaloosa and Walton Counties continue to remain at the top of the heap when it comes to educating our students and just another reason, why folks flock to our area. Great job by the school districts and wish continued success.
Area high schools see boost in grades
KATIE TAMMEN
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4440 ktammen@nwfdailynews.com
Almost every local high school met or exceeded new state standards used to calculate school grades. The Florida Department of Education released the results Tuesday morning that now base school grades on student performance in several areas in all grade levels rather than just FCAT scores. “It’s a very comprehensive, intensive set of criteria that are in place this year,” said Guyla Hendricks, Okaloosa County’s curriculum coordinator. In both Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties, the high schools earned four A grades and two B grades. “I think we knocked it out of the park,” said Santa Rosa County Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick. “It just validates what we’ve been doing.” The district saw its greatest improvement at Milton High School, which raised its grade from a D to an A. Okaloosa County saw a similar improvement at Choctawhatchee High School. The Fort Walton Beach school went from a C to an A. “I’ve never been prouder of a group of people,” said Choctaw Principal Cindy Gates. She said the improvement was the result of 16 months of hard work by teachers, students, parents and administrators. In addition to encouraging more collaboration between teachers, the school identified students who were struggling and worked with them on an individual basis. “It wasn’t just about the school grade, it was that we wanted to make sure our students were where they needed to be,” Gates said. The new criteria for rating high schools is intended to ensure just that. In addition to FCAT scores, the new system looks at how many students are taking accelerated courses, such as Advanced Placement and dual enrollment; college readiness, based on scores on the SAT or the ACT; and graduation rates. The change is part of a national trend to streamline high school education across the country and at the same time raise the bar for students. “Research has shown … raising the rigor results in a greater opportunity for success for the students,” Hendricks said. Schools in Walton County schools received two A grades, a C grade and a D. Superintendent Carlene Anderson couldn’t be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment. The high school grades come about four months after the release of grades for elementary and middle schools. All three districts performed well in those grade levels as well.
Area high schools see boost in grades
KATIE TAMMEN
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4440 ktammen@nwfdailynews.com
Almost every local high school met or exceeded new state standards used to calculate school grades. The Florida Department of Education released the results Tuesday morning that now base school grades on student performance in several areas in all grade levels rather than just FCAT scores. “It’s a very comprehensive, intensive set of criteria that are in place this year,” said Guyla Hendricks, Okaloosa County’s curriculum coordinator. In both Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties, the high schools earned four A grades and two B grades. “I think we knocked it out of the park,” said Santa Rosa County Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick. “It just validates what we’ve been doing.” The district saw its greatest improvement at Milton High School, which raised its grade from a D to an A. Okaloosa County saw a similar improvement at Choctawhatchee High School. The Fort Walton Beach school went from a C to an A. “I’ve never been prouder of a group of people,” said Choctaw Principal Cindy Gates. She said the improvement was the result of 16 months of hard work by teachers, students, parents and administrators. In addition to encouraging more collaboration between teachers, the school identified students who were struggling and worked with them on an individual basis. “It wasn’t just about the school grade, it was that we wanted to make sure our students were where they needed to be,” Gates said. The new criteria for rating high schools is intended to ensure just that. In addition to FCAT scores, the new system looks at how many students are taking accelerated courses, such as Advanced Placement and dual enrollment; college readiness, based on scores on the SAT or the ACT; and graduation rates. The change is part of a national trend to streamline high school education across the country and at the same time raise the bar for students. “Research has shown … raising the rigor results in a greater opportunity for success for the students,” Hendricks said. Schools in Walton County schools received two A grades, a C grade and a D. Superintendent Carlene Anderson couldn’t be reached Tuesday afternoon for comment. The high school grades come about four months after the release of grades for elementary and middle schools. All three districts performed well in those grade levels as well.
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