Community Maritime Park Associates is the non-profit organization charged with developing and maintaining the Vince Whibbs, Sr. Community Maritime Park. The Board of Trustees was filled following the September 5, 2006 referendum, with several members named by the three principals: Quint Studer, Dr. John Cavanaugh and Judge Lacey Collier, the former two, who would be tenants of the Park, stepping down to avoid a conflict of interest. The remaining board members were chosen by the Pensacola City Council. Judge Collier, who took the places of Admiral Jack Fetterman and Mayor Emeritus Vince Whibbs after their deaths, became the chairman of the Board of Trustees.
| Community Maritime Park Associates | |
| Executive Director | None (Edward Spears, interim) |
| Board officers | Hon. Lacey Collier, Chairman Dick Baker, Vice-Chairman Mayor John Fogg Rodney Jackson, Treasurer Dr. Jimmy Jones Collier Merrill John Merting Juanita Scott, Secretary Bentina Terry Eddie Todd Kathlyn White |
| Key people | Bob Hart, Legal Counsel Mort O'Sullivan, Financial Advisor. |
Some of the early accomplishments by the newly-seated Board included:
- Selecting a firm, led by Caldwell Associates, to write the architectural design guidelines for the project.
- Issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) for the Master Developer.
- Hiring a headhunting firm to seek qualified candidates for the Executive Director position, replacing interim executive Edward Spears.
- Initiating wetland mitigation necessary for development along the eastern and western portions of the Trillium property.
- Conducting surveys of the site and determining a course of action for soil treatment and environmental remediation.
Hugh King scandalEdit
After Rev. Hugh King was arrested on April 28, 2007 for possession of cocaine, it was revealed that a Board member convicted of a felony may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the remaining Board. Initially, chairman Lacey Collier has stated that King must decide for himself if his "effectiveness as a trustee has been compromised by the allegations."[1]
After King pleaded no contest to the charges, the Board voted 11-1 (with only King dissenting) to remove him in February 2008. Bentina Terry, who works under then-board member Susan Story at the Gulf Power Company, was selected to take his place on April 11. Story abstained from the vote to appoint Terry, but later resigned from the board to avoid possible Sunshine Law violations.[2]