County set to renew Mediacom cable contract
BY FRANKLIN HAYES Gulf Breeze News franklin@gulfbreezenews.com

Santa Rosans will continue to get their cable TV fix from Mediacom, especially after county officials renew their franchise agreement with the utility provider until 2015.

On May 10, county commissioners voted to schedule a public hearing for the proposed renewal for the current cable provider and discussed additional requirements for the eight-year agreement. WUWF will be added to basic cable as a required educational channel.

Commissioner Robert 'Bob' Cole suggested the board take advantage of another provision that enabled the county to ask for a government affairs channel offered in the basic programming package.

"I'd like to assure that at the time this county has to go out to the public on emergency situations that it's definitely on basic cable," Cole said.

The 33-page renewal document discusses the rights of the provider and county government, including a five percent franchise fee on Mediacom's annual gross revenue.

"With the resolution of the Sinclair carry issue it is appropriate to move forward with the Mediacom franchise renewal," County Attorney Thomas Dannheisser wrote in a memorandum to the board of county commissioners. "FCC regulations require that franchises be renewed unless the franchise holder has materially failed to meet prior franchise requirements."

In other county news:

Former acclaimed Gulf Breeze High School Principal turned realtor Cherry Fitch will fill an empty chair on the county's Zoning Board of Adjustments. Fitch was appointed by District Five county Commissioner John Broxson.

Commissioners also recommended their staff to develop a scope of services for the engineering firm PBS&J to develop a district five recreation plan.

Previous discussions with the districts commissioner, John Broxson, reveal the plan would focus on improvements to Tiger Point Park.