Businesses await outcome
Part three
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Angie Batten is an insurance agent and business owner who supports Midway Firefighters, but cannot afford another tax on her business.

"I'm all for our fire department. They are a great asset to our community. But they built a multi-million dollar facility without understanding what is going on around here. Our community has decreased," Batten said. "There are a lot of empty buildings around here."

She said she fears other areas of the county will attract businesses instead of South Santa Rosa County if another burden is put on businesses.

"Did you hear that Pace got a Chili's? People have been begging for big business to come here. There have been rumors of a Target, T.J. Maxx, Applebees and Chick-Fil-A coming, but they never do. How are we going to attract big business to Gulf Breeze?" Batten asked.

Nels Offerdahl owns the Breeze 8 Cinema. If the Midway proposal passes, he expects his fire levy to increase from $1,044.98 to $13,570.58.

"Do I shut the doors? No," said Offerdahl.

This year, payroll jumped due to the mandatory hike in minimum wage. Additionally, his property insurance increased after Hurricane Ivan.

Source: Santa Rosa County Property Appraiser's Office

"It's essentially another $1,000 a month, and I can't put that on the consumer," Offerdahl said of the fire levy.

In addition to the Breeze 8 Cinema, Offerdahl owns The Ridge Theatre in Pea Ridge, where his fire levy is $1,017.47. He also owns three additional theatres in Louisiana.

He said when he built the theatres, he looked at the overall market, but now he considers a lot more before locating a business.

"The difference is that now insurance and taxes come into the forefront of locating a business," Offerdahl said. "I do believe there's probably a better way of building a fire station than putting the burden on business like this."

Batten said this community has been hurting ever since Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004.

"The community needs the money more, because there have been higher taxes, gas prices, insurance rates, even my property tax went up," Batten said. "This is the worst possible time to talk about what they're talking about."

Chuck Emling, owner of The Club Family Sports Complex said the assessment, if approved, would have a negative impact on his business.

"The increase that they would give the Club alone is an amount we don't even make in profit each year," Emling said, adding that the taxation, insurance, utilities (gas and electricity), gasoline and general operating expense increases his business has absorbed in the past few years has been significant.

Emling also points to the slowing economy as a factor in why he cannot support the assessment at this time.

"My conversations with impacted business folks in the District indicate a willingness to be of a solution, however, this proposal seems extremely onerous, especially to the business portion. Business' share of the proposed increase is just too much and looks like it puts 80 percent of the burden on the businesses. This is a time to be cutting back expenses as we are in an economical slow down, not increasing taxes and expenditures."

Emling said many businesses with owners who don't live in the district will not be able to vote on the assessment.

"It seems like taxation without representation," Emling said.