MILTON — A lawsuit has been filed against Santa Rosa County to prevent commissioners from revisiting their decision on what firm is the most qualified to manage the Navarre Beach fishing pier.
Pasco Gibson and Yolanda Wells, who last month were ranked as the top choice to manage the pier, filed the lawsuit Wednesday to prevent the county from negotiating a contract to manage the pier with any other firm unless a deal cannot be reached with them first.
Commissioners are scheduled to discuss awarding the pier contract today, but County Attorney Angie Jones plans to advise them to hold off for now.
“The commissioners asked on Monday that this item be placed on the agenda, so nothing is going to change about what you’re seeing on the agenda,” Jones said Wednesday. “Now my recommendation to the board will be that they table the item and take no action on it. Whether they take my recommendation or not, we don’t know.”
Commissioners last month interviewed five candidates who had submitted proposals to manage the fishing pier. After the interviews, the commissioners ranked each of them.
Commissioners Bob Cole, Don Salter and Lane Lynched ranked current pier managers Dorothy Slye and Everett Ratliff as their preferred choice, but because commissioners Jim Melvin and Jim Williamson ranked them so low, Gibson and Wells ended up being the top choice.
Cole, Salter and Lynchard, who have been named in the lawsuit along with the county and Slye and Ratliff’s company, voted Monday to reopen the discussion on who should be awarded the contract.
Contact Daily News Business Editor Dusty Ricketts at 850-315-4448 or dricketts@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @DustyRnwfdn.
