The seat on the Escambia County Planning Board that does not belong to a single commissioner is open. The Board of County Commissioners issued a call for applicants April 29, with a deadline of close of business Monday, May 11.
The position is one of two at-large slots on the seven-member board, both appointed by the BCC as a body rather than by individual commissioners. The other five voting members are appointed one each by the five district commissioners. Two non-voting ex officio members come from the Escambia County School Board and from the joint commanding authority of NAS Pensacola and NAS Whiting Field.
What the board does
The Planning Board is the local planning agency under Florida statute and the Escambia County Comprehensive Plan. Its work has three formal categories. First, it prepares and amends the Comprehensive Plan and recommends adoption to the BCC, then monitors plan implementation. Second, it holds public hearings on every text amendment to the Land Development Code and recommends BCC action on consistency. Third, it conducts quasi-judicial hearings on rezoning cases, vested rights determinations and planned unit developments.
The volume is real. The May 5 rezoning agenda has two density-jumping rezoning cases on Nine Mile Road and Highway 29, and a vested-rights determination on Barrancas Avenue. Each will get a public hearing, a staff presentation, board questions and a recorded recommendation that the Board of County Commissioners will use as input on June 17.
What the position requires
At-large members serve two-year staggered terms. The board generally meets the first Tuesday of each month, with sessions running from 8:30 a.m. to no later than noon, though longer when the agenda demands. Members do not travel for the work unless the board votes to view a property in person.
Applicants must reside in Escambia County. The position is closed to anyone who is a paid or elected county employee. Members must file a financial disclosure, and resumes submitted to the BCC for consideration become part of the official minutes — public record under Florida law.
Resumes are due to Rachel Whitmire at 3363 West Park Place, Pensacola, FL 32505, or by email to rwhitmire@myescambia.com.
Members can be removed mid-term by the BCC. Voting members who miss four or more meetings within a 12-month window are removed automatically unless the chair documents the absences as beyond the member's control.