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‘Full Speed Ahead’ – Growth and Infrastructure Concerns Dominate District 5 Q&A Session
January 7, 2026
Development and concurrency were the hot topics during an Escambia County District 5 Q&A session Tuesday evening at the Molino Community Center.
With continued residential development in District 5 — approximately the northern 60% of Escambia County that is roughly north of Nine Mile Road — numerous residents passionately called for better regulation on the growth and concurrency. In development, concurrency is a growth management policy requiring that the necessary public facilities and services are available at the same time the impacts of a new development occur.
“Full speed ahead, damn the torpedoes doesn’t work without infrastructure,” local resident Richard Beck told the panel — Molino Utilities president Vernon Prather, School Board member Tom Harrell, Rep. Michelle Salzman, County Administrator Wes Moreno, and ECUA board member and president Kevin Stephens, who hosted the event. District 5 Escambia County Commissioner Steven Barry did not attend.
Moreno said the county can’t pick and choose which developments are allowed but is instead required to apply a uniform standard.
“The bible for the development is the land development code, and if the developer meets all the criteria in the land development code, it is very difficult for the board to deny that development,” the county administrator said. “Now, that is something that we can look at, and we’ve talked about it being looked at as far as a rewrite.” He noted that some development applications have been sent back to the Escambia County Planning Board, and some developers have taken the county to court.
“I think what I hear is we could be doing better communication on what’s coming forward and what we’re doing to prepare for it,” Salzman said after further discussion about traffic and schools. She said better planning would involve studies on traffic, drainage and other overall impacts of a new development.
“The school board looks at this the same way you do, and it’s a problem,” Harrell said. He said while some schools have room for growth, like Molino Park Elementary which was planned as a potential K-8 school, other schools simply don’t have any room for growth.
He specifically cited Jim Allen Elementary, which causes arrival and dismissal traffic problems on Highway 95A. He said a new wing could be added or a new school could be constructed if funding were to be available, but there’s currently no good way to get traffic off Highway 95A and onto the school campus with limited acreage and an adjacent park and cemetery.
Salzman said she will consult with the Florida Department of Transportation on potential traffic solutions for Jim Allen “to keep kids safe.” Stephens said ECUA looks for the most cost effective ways to address new developments, often seeking a cost-sharing agreement for utility upgrades that benefit neighborhoods surrounding the development. Prather said the much smaller Molino Utilities struggles with plans on how to serve growing demand from developments, some of which could increase their customer base exponentially.
Another District 5 resident, Bryan Davis, expressed concerns about the impact of continued development on county fire and EMS services, particularly on the remaining volunteer departments such as Walnut Hill.
Panel members expressed that future District 5 meetings will be held in the coming months, and Salzman said she will invite FDOT to attend one of those meetings to talk about transportation needs.
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
12 Responses to “‘Full Speed Ahead’ – Growth and Infrastructure Concerns Dominate District 5 Q&A Session”
FDOT should be involved in EVERY county commission meeting. This area has grown so much, but constantly working on I10 is not correcting all of the issues. If there is no money to expand the roads, the subdivisions need to halt, until there are better roads. You keep allowing these subdivisions, yet there is nothing done about how to get all of these extra people out of the neighborhood and onto the highway. I10 east is a nightmare from the entrance at 9 mile all the way until you pass Davis Hwy exit. It is like this every single day of the week. People drive horrible, rushing through construction zones, it’s like a race at Five Flags on most days. Until construction is completed I recommend LEAVING EARLIER, and just relaxing as you sit in traffic.
The road widening should happen PRIOR TO shoving more and more drivers in these areas.
A couple of facts need to be shared…the BOCC representatives each appointment citizen to be on the Building and ZONING BOARD and they are strictly voluntary ( no salary)… the #1 campaign contributors for the commissioners are developers/ builders so that is why the commissioners are so chummy with the developers/ builders…and the county commissioners part- time job salary( $100,000+) set by the state is computed by the TOTAL POPULATION OF THE COUNTY, therefore more residents equal a higher salary..My Mantra has been..GROWTH IS INEVITABLE..ALL WE WANT IS CONTROLLED GROWTH WITH INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE TO HANDLE THAT GROWTH
The whole face that Barry wasnt there speaks volumes. He cares nothing about the people but yall keep voting him in. Why? Just like when he was putting signs out for relection. He was told he could put one. He put three on out property. Whats that tell you.
I wish Molino was still like it was when I grew up there, everyone knew everyone, very little traffic. People in Pensacola and surrounding area thought Molino was a “dump”in the road, now it seems a lot of these people want to build here, and come live in this p“Dump” Leave the people in Molino alone and and go back to the “City”
Once again all talk and no real solutions to grow in construction without upgrade to infra structures (roads , sidewalks , ems , Leo’s , schools etc .) Our elected officials are just keeping the status quo and getting re-elected. Even if they don’t attend the meeting (Barry and others) they are aware nobody is going to challenge them . Time to reconsider them all at time of re-election , increasing taxes, fees , and facing the tax payers with no solutions .
I agree with the comment, “they should have extended 110, 30 years ago. I would have helped….now here we are.
@D Ward
You are right.
The BOCC needs to re-district and add another commissioner for D5 (maybe from Molino north); then add an at-large commissioner (maybe the chairman) to keep it an odd number.
Of course, is it better they forget about us in Pensacola or not?
We have got to face it folks—-Florida is starting to bulge and Escambia County has no room to grow except northward. I am here to tell you it is doing just that. Compared to 25-30 years ago. I travel Hwy 29 almost daily and see more and more subdivisions being developed and more businesses opening up. Traffic is getting thicker and thicker especially from Hwy 97 southward but has increased substantially north of Hwy 97. Infrastructure has no way kept up with growth.
Interstate I110 should have been extended north through Escambia County Florida and Escambia county Alabama 30 years ago when it was a twinkle in the eye. Public water works has our county pretty well covered but is falling behind with growth rapidly. Our county should have sewer systems through out already and planned sufficient for growth for housing and businesses. All the utilities should keep in mind that costly tap fees to curb growth is not the way to go. I fact in all honesty taps should be free because that is a customer for life looking at it as the power companies have.
Just saying
The County Commission sets the Land Development Code to implement their Comprehensive plan, so the BOCC blaming the LDC is inane. In addition, the BOCC then hands out variances, sometimes at odds with their own zoning board’s recommendations. FInally, they get taken to court because their LDC/CP says one thing but they want to do something else. From watching Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties haphazard, seemingly uncontrolled growth over the last 30-40 years, I have little hope it will change. You wouldn’t think it would be that tough of a job but apparently it is.
It figures Barry was not there. He diesnt care about us in North of Muscogee Rd.
Money moves progress… not hopes and dreams
Seems like the locals are far ahead of county officials. It is what my comments have been all along. What good is it to build a cart, if you don’t have a horse I hope the officials took heed.