County RESTORE committee outlines goals

PANAMA CITY — A county-appointed committee tasked with paving the way for funds from the RESTORE Act outlined the procedures and duties of the board Friday at its first meeting.
Although the amount of money that will be available for projects in Bay County has yet to be determined, Commissioner Mike Thomas said he fears Bay County already has fallen behind in what he described as a “once- in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the area’s economy and environment.
“The things that we tore up in the past, some of the environmental problems that we have, this is going to be a phenomenal opportunity for us to take advantage of,” Thomas said. “It will allow us to put Bay County … environmentally back where it should be.”
Under RESTORE — which stands for Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourism Opportunities and Revived Economies — the Gulf Coast is entitled to 80 percent of the penalties BP is expected to pay under the Clean Water Act for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The County Commission tasked the RESTORE Committee with creating a multiyear implementation plan, a requirement set forth within the legislation for funds to be dispersed. Commissioners will have the final say on the board’s actions and requested the committee submit a plan to their approval by July.
The nine-member committee will be responsible for vetting projects for the portion of funds coming directly to Bay County, which can be used for economic or environmental restoration.
County RESTORE coordinator Jim Muller led the meeting and said the legislation’s definition of how the funds can be spent is relatively broad.
“They have to have an ecological or economical restoration of the Gulf Coast,” Muller said.
Another function of the committee is to develop a formal process for the public to submit project proposals. However, the board conceded at Friday’s meeting it is not ready to receive proposals.
Muller said public input will be a critical component when the committee does begin vetting projects.
Projects “have to be selected based on meaningful and broad-based public input, and that’s a critical component of your duties,” Muller said. “Whenever you’re asking for funds, they want to make sure the public had a chance to know what you’re doing, that they could make suggestions.”
The board is comprised of representatives from Port Panama City, Florida State University Panama City and CareerSource Gulf Coast and the Bay County Economic Development Alliance, along with five residents, each appointed by a county commissioner.
During the meeting, the committee elected restaurant owner Jack Bishop to serve as chairman and businessman Jay Trumbell to serve as vice chairman.
The next meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. May 13 at the Bay County Government Center.