Episode 11 - Politics, Pressure, and Healing: A Conversation with Tommy Nichols

Tommy Nichols and David discuss Santa Rosa County politics, Tommy's recent stroke and recovery, county commissioners and folks running for county commissioner, and MUCH more!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

You're listening to Four Decisions. Like, love, business, wine with Aaron and David. Partners in strategy and artism. Let's begin.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Hey, welcome to Four Decisions Podcast. And this is David and Aaron Crumbly's podcast. And we normally have a glass of wine with us, but today it's early morning on a Sunday, and we got our really good friend Tommy Nichols here with us. We're going to talk some Santa Rosa County politics. He's got himself some kind of crazy iced coffee. And I've got a uh uh pineapple mimosa to get started on Sunday morning.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Man, I just want to drink.

SPEAKER_02 0:41

Yeah, I can get you one too. So uh so yeah, anyway, we're gonna talk some politics today. So Aaron bowed out, she's not into politics. She said you guys can have this. Um take a sip. Yeah, and uh so how you been, Tommy? I'll be good, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:01

I was my stroke and had a stroke last October. That's when it's hard for me to talk, you know. But uh with the hyperbaric chamber, I've been able to come on real good. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

I mean, just hearing you right now, it's so much better than it was just even we saw you what two months ago at a little fundraiser that you guys are having and uh for the hyperbolic chamber. And the more I learn about the hyperbolic chamber, the more I want to go do it. It's like it it really kind of helps, it opens up your man, it does. It uh cardiovascular system, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Yes, yes, it does. I wasn't uh a big believer in it at first, and uh I was like, yeah, whatever, you know. I went through it, and um about six dives in, I started noticing little things. Like the other day, for example, I can't write. I used to be able to write beautiful handwriting collision style handwriting is perfect. I can't write anymore. Well, the other day I'm laid in bed and I'm watching TV and I'm just starting doing that with my finger. I'm like, what the heck? I can write. I went back, grabbed a pen, grabbed the notepad, and started writing my like it never happened basically. That's crazy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

That kind of happened with your speech too, because I know your speech for a minute there was like you were struggling to get words out.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

Man, I was. I woke up one morning again, yeah, yet again. I woke up and I just started talking and it was back to somewhat what it was before. And um that place is a godsend, I'll say that.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

It really is.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

So how many, how many uh um I don't know what they call it? Like dives. What did you say?

SPEAKER_00 2:55

Dives.

SPEAKER_02 2:56

Dives? Yeah, they call it a dive. So how many dives have you had?

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Well, you gotta do some people say uh they can do 20 and they're good, right? But I was scheduled to do 40, and um that's because I had so much damage that happens to me. Um they it's 40, you go in, you uh you take everything off, you get in the smokes, basically, and uh you go in there and they uh they put you in a tube basically. And um they got an epic phone, you can wash whatever.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

Um then or you turn the TV on or something with some monitor.

SPEAKER_00 3:35

They yeah, they got TV, they got TV and uh uh speaker built into the uh tube so you can hear everything.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Um you can wash whatever. And uh you know when you go when it goes on, you you hear the sound and uh your ear starts popping, your ears pop, pop, pop, bop, bop, like they do. Uh until they get you to where the level they want you at. Then you they'll they'll stop. And you stay there for an hour, and uh after that hour they'll say, All right, you're coming up, and uh they'll start popping again until you get back to normal. And then you come out, you go change, and off you go.

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Wow. Do you get claustrophobic on that?

SPEAKER_00 4:18

Uh yeah yeah, now the first couple times, yes. I was I am very claustrophobic. I had to fight my every nerve I had.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

But your head is inside that thing too, it's not just your chest and your body.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

Okay. But I I had so many people that that donated. I didn't ask for any donations, and then people put a scale for me because uh I saw it as why should these hardworking people working their butts off give give their money to me? You know, uh who am I, you know. Uh but I'm so grateful that that they did, thank God. Um But I was I know the first time they put me in there, uh I was like, I can't do this, I can do this. I started thinking about all those people that that gave money to help me help me get through this. And then I said I'm gonna find a way and I'm I'm gonna do that. And now it's no problem at all. I get in and go out in and do what I gotta do and and then get out.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

That's crazy. Now, if you haven't done any research on that, it's it's really amazing what uh some of the testimonials I've heard from people that have gone through this this process in the hyperbolic chamber and the different episodes or dives they take. Yes. You know, it's it's really impressive.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Of course. Yes, she is. Uh she's a godsend. And uh she uh told me about a three-year-old boy that had drowned, and his all the doctors up, they wanted to say he was he was is dead, he was gone.

SPEAKER_02 5:56

Granddad, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

His dad said, I'm not gonna give up on him. I want him, I'm gonna try this hyperbary chamber. And today he is uh a normal everyday person.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 6:08

And because of the chamber, and that's what made me like okay, I'll do it. It's worth a dry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then she got she got pictures, she showed me um the pictures of the the brain, okay. Yeah, and it shows little red spots, and as it goes through the thing, how it starts to reactivate and start working again, and that sold me. And I was like, okay, let's do it. And uh I am glad I did because I I've been let's see, I was in uh October 10th, I haven't stroked, and uh it's been that long.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

Yeah, seems like it was like last month. Yes, it does.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

And uh now I lost um uh my job that I had because I was out of work for so long. Right and uh now then the only thing is trying to raise money on that's a pain right now. I can't work because they got me going through the SSI doing that stuff. I'm trying to do that and uh disability, yeah. Yeah, uh so I raising money is I know a good attorney too.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Yeah, I'm good. I'm gonna if you need one.

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Uh so right now it's a pain, but I'm I'm passing time by the stamp books on uh the politics and stuff that I'm that I used to do before the stroke. Um stamp books on the politics and all that good stuff. Uh some of me pass the time. So I'm thankful for thankful for that.

SPEAKER_02 7:41

Yeah. Well, it's uh it's a political season right now, right? We've got uh big elections coming up in uh in November. Well, we've got the well, it doesn't matter. And in this county, Santa Rosa County, everybody's Republican, so the primaries don't mean anything really. They basically tell you who's gonna win the the election. So but the primary is coming up, and we've got uh we've got district two, which is uh Kerry uh Smith, and we've got District 4, which is Ray Eddington, they're both up for re-election. We've got District 2 is kind of crazy. How many how many candidates we have running right now?

SPEAKER_00 8:19

Oh, last I heard I thought I think it's either eight or nine. That's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. Because when you got that many people, you you've got uh uh a certain set of voters, um certain amount of voters that are are gonna participate. Yeah, you've got eight people grabbing all reaching for those voters and grabbing out at them. And uh what's gonna happen is the chances are that the incumbent goes back in. And who do you have that many candidates, right?

SPEAKER_02 8:55

The incumbent usually empowers them just because the name recognition.

SPEAKER_00 8:59

Yes, and you say everybody's gonna be a law on Facebook, he's getting ran over. Facebook is nothing. Uh that lasers is is nothing compared to what's going on out here in the real world.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

Right. Um just a bunch of keyboard warriors going at.

SPEAKER_00 9:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 9:15

Oh, you sons. Oh, he's doing this and he's doing that, and they don't, you know, it's just empty.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

And most people, the hardware people are having there, some of them are on Facebook, yes, they are, and but most people don't have time for stuff like that. Um there I hadn't in life.

SPEAKER_02 9:33

If you got a job and you have a family, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

Yeah. And so like, well, he's getting his butt kicked on Facebook, he's gonna lose. I'm like, okay, I'll let you let you think that go right ahead. He may get he may finish dead last while I know. And I am uh rooting for if I had to say anybody, uh, would have to be either Jeff Aids, just know, or Renee. Uh those three it should should be those three against Carrie. Everybody else should drop out, in my opinion. Yeah. But we'll see uh in a few days when uh things are due. Uh begin the day, the time, uh who makes the uh the ballot. Um maybe it will be just those four, then we'll it's a whole different race.

SPEAKER_02 10:28

Well, a couple of them didn't get enough signatures, right? Even even uh Gary didn't get enough signatures, so he's gotta pay the 5,000, which is nothing on that salary anyway.

SPEAKER_00 10:38

Yeah, he didn't even he didn't even he didn't even try to get a signature.

SPEAKER_02 10:42

80,000 a year.

SPEAKER_00 10:43

Yeah, he was saying he didn't even try to get a signature, he went straight up, I'm gonna pay it.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

Well, there's no yeah, I mean at some point there's no reason because it's a lot of trouble. Yeah, yeah, it's uh it's a lot of work to get the signatures.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

It is now Ray Eddington, I'll give Ray your credit. Ray Eddington was getting petition signed. Um, I seen him doing that. We got the uh county uh in Milton. Uh he was out there getting petition signed, but Carrie was nowhere to be found. Yeah, and uh uh I don't want to say he told me, but uh it was uh somebody that we just talked about that he's um he said I'm gonna charge gonna pay it. So yeah, and that's nothing to him. Uh like I said, $5,400 and to us that's that's everything.

SPEAKER_02 11:31

But it's a lot of money. Yeah, to them guys. Well, it's a lot more money than to other people.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yeah, and there's a 19-year-old boy in this race. Yeah, and there is no excuse. I I commend the 19-year-old boy for getting the race, having the balls get in the race. That takes that's something, but but you he's gotta realize what he's doing. He's helping the elected official go right back in when he should just bite his son, learn, watch and learn, and then you're a couple years down the road try again. Right. You know, all you're gonna do is he's he's on a state, he's like, I'm gonna get all the young vote. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

Well the young ones don't vote. That's the problem. The young kids don't vote. That's the biggest problem. I wish I wish they would.

SPEAKER_00 12:20

I've heard that, I've heard that for two elections now. Yeah, uh Gay Slegel said that he was gonna do the young vote. That you see how that worked out.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:30

Um, and uh James Call because I'm gonna give you a book. Well, you've seen how that worked out.

SPEAKER_02 12:36

Uh and about county. And uh I saw him the other day, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 12:43

Yeah, I saw him the other day. I had a good conversation with him.

SPEAKER_00 12:45

Well, um, somebody brought this up to me. Uh Sam Parker had $300,000 and he still lost his race. You're right, he did. He didn't have also my people's race. Right. That's a big difference. You know, you've got $300,000 and you're running against nine people. Well, uh good luck.

SPEAKER_02 13:07

It's just the the name recognition, apparently. It just seems to be like you go to vote and you're like, oh, I know that name, and they vote for that name, even though they may not know anything about that person.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

And let's be honest, when you're going on the road right now, all you see is carry signs everywhere. So that's a vote right there. That's one guaranteed vote you they can bank right there.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:31

And nobody else who's going on the road can say, Oh, yeah, I like that guy, I'm I'm gonna vote for him. We we had a guy uh come to our uh cruz meeting, uh, which we have every Saturday, and uh he said um he's he's good with the young boat. And uh Bick Campbell asked him, Who's the young people leaning toward? Uh he said, Well, to be honest with you, young people are leading toward Carrie Smith, believe it or not, and just snow. Why? Because that's the only sign that's signs, I see.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

Yeah, Jeff Snow. I'm like, are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_00 14:05

Good night. They uh he said that's what's that's what's scary is uh um people voting by science.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

Um well there's there's a reason that they raise money to pay for signs. Yeah, there's a reason for that. It's name recognition, it has really nothing to do with their politics or their uh you know their mindset. It's all about the name recognition.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

You know, and and you know, Kerry won the his first time. He beat Jeff Bates by 60 votes. That's with three people in the race. The three Kerry, Jeff, and Ricky Cotton. Ricky, that's right. Yeah, Ricky Cotton. He uh he won that one. And uh so uh I was thinking that Jeff is obviously the the choice to you know make try to use him. And then he was the first one to get in there, one of Kerry hadn't declared yet. Let's see what they need. Well, Jeff is gonna go in there and kick butt, right? Boom. This one jumps in, this was jumps in. Kerry gets finally decides to jump in, and next thing you know, it's a cluster F of uh people. And hey, hey, you know, why don't you jump in? Okay, I'll jump in, yeah. You know, this is we're uh we turn this into a craft show every single time. Our worst Santa Rosa's worst enemy is Santa Rosa County, it never fails. We you can hand us a golden goose and we will find a way to strangle that thing, I promise you. Um but so don't blame me if uh Carrie goes back in. Uh now I could be totally wrong. Who knows? He may be still last, but uh as of right now, I it's hard to it looks like the incumbent's gonna yeah, but we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Obviously, we'll see. Things will change. We still have a few months to go before the primary. So uh so but uh uh you're are you involved in the eights uh campaign at this point?

SPEAKER_00 16:11

I'm not not not this time.

SPEAKER_02 16:13

Not this time.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

I'm um uh staying this time my stroke took me out of uh the uh took you out of the game. Yeah, it did. And uh I was with GF before. Um I had a stroke. Once I had a stroke, I had to quit. And uh I had to get myself focused on myself. And uh then but but now as of right now I'm I'm with aligned up is with nobody. Now, will I sit down and interview every person? I always do. I'm I'm glad to interview Kerry, all of them. I'll interview you sit down with the bo, even the the kid, the 90-year boy. I will sit down with him, you know, um, and give them an opportunity, air an opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 17:03

Um that's so so I'll interrupt real quick just to let you guys know that Tommy has his own podcast that he does. Um he actually interviewed me when I was running for um the board uh for the uh water board here, Holly Navarre Water System Board of Directors, and uh he sat down and interviewed me and uh I think it was uh helpful. Uh it kind of let everybody know kind of my stance and how I felt. And uh so uh uh I I appreciate that. That's when I first met you, basically. Yeah, we didn't even know each other at that time, but uh we sat down, we had a good probably hour-long conversation, it was fantastic. And uh yeah, so uh but he's got his own podcast, and and go ahead and tell everybody what's it called? He's got a hat on. I want one of those hats.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Yeah, well, uh it was uh blue-colored voice. Uh and uh the problem was uh my Facebook has originally been uh hacked. Uh no, uh stolen, and I have no Facebook now, and it is gone. I had to grab one of the old ones, um uh that had Tommy Jerome Nichols as that one. And um I started the bomb again. But it's gonna take some time to get it back where I had it, but I'll it'll happen.

SPEAKER_02 18:18

It houses everybody, but yeah, I hear those stories, and I'm I'm worried about ours too.

SPEAKER_00 18:24

I thought I had I thought I had a good password, uh, and apparently it wasn't good enough. Uh somebody figured it out and got in there.

SPEAKER_02 18:31

Yeah, there we it's the technology that you can.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Oh my god, it's ridiculous, man.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

It can be used for good and for evil.

SPEAKER_00 18:38

Yes, it can. It's scary. Yeah, but so I'm starting at the bottom of that, and uh that's Tommy Jerome Nichols, uh, my full name out there. Uh follow me on that one. And uh we've got boys, I gotta get that page built back up again. Uh all my videos, all that stuff is gone. Oh wow. And uh I had I had well over the thousand videos gone. And uh so it was no problem. I wanted not to not to use it. So that video of me and you is gone? Yep. All of us gone. I'm sorry, man. I didn't do the nervous.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

Nothing you can do. Yeah, that's funny. Uh but uh it's it's sad, actually. Yeah, yeah, you know what's the purpose of that?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

I asked somebody uh that that's in the industry, I said, why don't they steal somebody with you know 3,000 followers? I ain't like I got 100,000 uh followers, you know. Yeah, and uh they said if so they can message your loved ones and stuff like that and try to get video. I'm like, oh my game. That's crazy. All my family knows better than that, but uh I don't know, that's ridiculous.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Uh all right, so I got another question. Let's go on to the next. So um so alright, so Carrie Smith and Ray Eddington are up for re-election. They both got elected four years ago. Um your thoughts on their performance.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Oh boy. Uh wow. Ray Eddington, I think, has done a good job, in my opinion. Okay. Well, from from what compared to Kerry. Uh Carrie is I don't want to knock nobody, I don't like doing that, but he kind of left and no choice.

SPEAKER_02 20:32

Um roads before development wasn't right, roads before development, that's what he kept saying over and over and over.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

And all you see is going in this development, development, development. You don't see any new roads going in or whatever. So basically, you kinda, you know, you know, but I don't want to call him a liar, I'm not doing that, but uh when you see more development, more roads, you know, and uh Ray, Ray's in there, Ray's kind of like the grandpa of the uh commission. You don't hear a lot of him, you don't see a lot of him, which for a candidate, that is that's what you want. You don't want to be in the public like that, and that is good for Ray.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

Um that's how he won over Dave Peach. He remember he didn't go to any of the debates, and he just stayed away from all the big um all the big gatherings and all the big uh county uh ish, you know, county things that were going on. He didn't he was never he wasn't any of those.

SPEAKER_00 21:36

Um he didn't do any interviews.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

Dave Peach was at every one of those.

SPEAKER_00 21:39

Yep. He didn't do any interviews either. No interviews, yeah. Well this uh under this he's doing uh he did one interview. That was uh my buddy uh uh uh Ken Weeks. Uh he uh he's gonna interview he's well he's already interviewed him. Uh if it's out there yet or not, but he's he's done now. But um I don't know much about Dave Light. I think his name is that's his name, right?

SPEAKER_02 22:07

I think so, yeah. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

I haven't I haven't had a lot of time to uh get focused on this district yet. Um and he's the the one running against uh I'm not see this is the effects of the stroke of a stroke uh running against uh ray. Um I haven't had a chance to really dig into that one yet. I've been focused more on district two. Um but Carrie has got up there and he has shamed people from the uh commissioner's board uh looking down on people and yelled at them and cursed them. He didn't curse, never cussed them or nothing like that, but cursed them. Um things like that. And then uh from what I understand is when uh they went outside into the uh the hallway, he uh he didn't he didn't let it go, he got on the person again. Um now is that saying it carries the back guy? No, that job is stressful. It's very stressful. It's very stressful. And so I can see I totally get why if you got nothing but everybody constantly going out you're saying you're doing wrong, you're not giving your word, and you you in your heart believe it, you're trying, you're doing it, and you're keeping your word, and nobody's giving you credit, it would it would make me mad too. Um but as results wise, uh Ray is I think put in fifteen uh fifteen point three, I think, uh miles of uh repay broad. Uh and uh he's he's done things like that with the little things that the county needs his area, his district and district needs. So uh if I had to say uh uh which one of those two will definitely be raised on more. Uh Carrie has now Kerry has done the uh Highway 90 thing, he's got it moved up. He's uh that's one of things.

SPEAKER_02 24:15

That was very controversial. Yeah, the way he moved it up. Very controversial. We made some enemies in Escambia County, yeah, which may or may not be a good or bad thing. We don't know yet. But uh Scambia County is a little more powerful than Santa Rosa County. So for us to to leap over three projects in Escambia County because they didn't have enough representation at the meeting, um, I'm not sure that was a wise thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

I guess we'll find out if he gets the job done and it gets done before, you know, and you know, we'll we'll see down the road it's gonna come back to bite us at some point.

SPEAKER_00 24:51

I guarantee it's gonna come back and bite this county. But if you got if you if you want to say about that, he he did keep us order on that.

SPEAKER_02 25:00

Yeah, yeah, we've got so now we uh well raised the motion.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

So they both uh they both were yeah, yeah, which is you know, again, if it if it works for uh Santa Rosa County and it and it's beneficial for us, then we've gotta take it, right? So uh politics is dirty.

SPEAKER_00 25:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you don't take it, then somebody else is gonna take it.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

Yep, the name of the game. So it's dirty.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

You gotta you gotta be willing to have uh a backbone. If you don't have one, then it's same for you. Um but uh like I said, yeah, those who I would have to the old Ray, uh who's done more for the area.

SPEAKER_02 25:46

That's because I've seen and I've heard yeah, I know, and and Ray, Ray's a good guy, and he he really cares about the county. And I I I've met him, I I know him, he's uh he's a good guy, and I I don't have a problem with it. The the biggest the biggest issue I had, and I was gonna ask you about this too, the biggest uh the biggest issue uh with both of them for me was when they all five county commissioners voted to have the uh speed camera set up.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

I was gonna ask you what your feelings are on that.

SPEAKER_00 26:17

Uh I don't like them. I don't like it at all.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

So how how blind do you have to be as a county commissioner to know that this country as a whole is sick and tired of being watched?

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Well, if they keep doing what they're doing, we're gonna be like China. We're gonna everything we do is really watching it.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

That's what I'm saying. Uh you you know, you've got these flock cameras popping up in all these cities around the uh the country, and people are cutting them down, people are spray painting over the the camera. It's people hate them because the government is monitoring us 24 7. We already know that the federal government's doing it, John Snowden. Um Snowden uh basically revealed to everybody what the government was doing. They were illegally spying on Boston. And guess what happened? Instead of the government being held accountable, Snowden had to flee the country, right? Because the government's so powerful now, the federal government's so powerful, they don't even care about the rules anymore. So don't in this whole yeah, anyway. We could go we could go down that rabbit hole. But the problem is how blind do you have to be as a county commissioner to not understand that people are sick and tired of being monitored? Well and to put up these cameras in the statistics. You can go back to statistics show it doesn't help the speeding. All it does is raise money for the company that puts up the camera. That's all it does. It's a profit-making machine, they know it. And guess who's going to donate to their campaigns probably later on, the company that sets up all these damn cameras? I'm so sick and tired of being monitored by our government. The government is corrupt, top to bottom. Every level is corrupt. They're inefficient at every level, top to bottom. There's no government that I've ever seen that is efficient that can do something better than a private company. So you got a corrupt government that's going to be monitoring us and taking our license plates, they're going to know when we're coming, when we're going, where we're coming, where we're going.

SPEAKER_00 28:05

Well, I'm in trouble. I'm sick and tired of it.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

The whole country's sick and tired of it. And these people are so blind that they can't even see that this is probably a dumb decision. Because guess what? If the if the and I'll give you a chance to speak, but I got I gotta go in my soapbox for two seconds. If the um sheriff, Santa Rosa County Sheriff, says he needs cameras to stop speeding in school zones, he's basically admitting that he's not good at his job. Yep. Right? He's admitting that he can't do his job, he's admitting that he doesn't have enough people. Why not just ask for more people? I can tell you one thing that's more effective than any damn camera that's going to be sitting at there and taking your license plate. A car. Just have a car sitting there in the median with the lights on. You don't even have to have a person there. Just go park a car at all these school zones that are an issue. You got school zones that are issues, some of them are not. The ones that have issues, just put a car there. That's more effective than anything. As soon as I come across a hill and I see a car, we're gonna slow down. You better believe I'm gonna start doing the speed limit. So I that's all I got to say about that, but I'm so pissed about it. I'm so pissed about that. That Santa Rosa County, the most Republican county in the whole damn state of Florida, is gonna monitor you like the damn federal government is. It just makes me sick to my stomach. These people are supposed to be Republican, they're supposed to be for freedom, they're supposed to be for personal liberties, and guess what? They are not, they are not. It's like a uniparty all over again. Yep, and so you claim to be Republican or whatever, that means nothing to me once you vote for something like that. Empty. Empty promises, empty words. Let's move on.

SPEAKER_00 29:41

Yep, it's 100 true. And the only thing I can think of is somebody talked to them one-on-one, got them away from the cameras and all that, and told them this is that. And uh I don't think of the lives you're gonna save and all that, or or that could be one of those.

SPEAKER_02 29:57

Just show me some statistics.

SPEAKER_00 29:58

Yes, I've already looked them up. They're not gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 30:00

There's no there's no the statistics do not prove they help. They do not at all. Matter of fact, it's the same, except for now this company's making a ton of money off of citizens, and we're having the the red light cameras. Red light cameras are exactly the same.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

It's the same thing. We we bought them in Milton for what a year, two years, something like that, and then we raised about that and they took them down. Same thing. But where did that money go for those two years? Who the company that set up the cameras, set up the camera.

SPEAKER_02 30:31

They got plenty of that money.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

And you know, you you bought the uh the cars. If you're going 70 miles an hour and you see a cop car, you're gonna slam on brakes as quickly as you can. That to me is the best answer. You don't have to employ another deputy, just get a get an old cop car, something one of those little beaters they got. Go look in their scrapyard, how many cop cars they got? They got a crap load of them, people. Um, you get one of them, put some lights on, that's all you gotta do. And just school hours, have a sit somewhere right there.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

That's all you gotta do. In the school zone.

SPEAKER_00 31:07

That's it. Yeah, and with with the uh we should run the county, dude. Yeah, seriously, we could. Um that may come.

SPEAKER_02 31:17

Yeah, you never know.

SPEAKER_00 31:19

Um never know. You know, it it's disgusting. Uh you look at other people, all these people that are against these cameras, and all of them are against it. They say, and go look on the Facebook, the Twitter, and all this good stuff. Everybody's brand raven against it, and uh and they still go with it.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

And they still did it. Yeah, even even though they knew that most of the citizens in this county are against it, they did it anyway. So they represent the people.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

There you go.

SPEAKER_00 31:55

You know, and and these people change when they get in when they get in office. I don't care what they say, they do change.

SPEAKER_02 32:01

They do change.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

And uh they it's like you don't know shit, and oh excuse the lane and suffer with that. No, here's a um they don't know anything.

SPEAKER_02 32:09

This is an adult podcast, it's not a child, it's not child friendly. All right. Uh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:16

They get in there and say, okay, here's the big boop, gonna open up, here's all the problems. Like, oh crap, I gotta change everything. All my senses were bullshit, basically. And they have the why are you doing this? Well, you can't say, but this is why. So you can't believe all these words that these politicians are saying. Um a lot of it's that they're just saying to get your vote.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Um you know, and I that that at one point that's that's what almost made me ready to run. Is uh I just wanted to see. I wanted to get in there and see what it is that turns people. Once they're candidates, they mean what they're saying. They they completely do. I think you know, most of them really mean what they're saying. They want to help out. They're running not because it's fun or enjoyable, they're running because they want to make a change. And then when they get in office, they change.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 33:12

And next thing you know, they're not for the people anymore. They're for somebody else, or for the developers, or they're for you know, somebody big government. I don't know. What change?

SPEAKER_00 33:22

What was what's what's there no matter what uh commissioner comes in? Commissioners come and go. What is always there? What's what's gonna remain? Your staff remains. All the staff. The staff. That's that's the answer right there. Look at the most people. And like, for example, uh, for example, you know, uh, you're hearing all this stuff we'll say about the cannonists, uh, all their backgrounds and all that. Jeff Ace, he's uh he's a part of the real estate, he's uh he owns a dirt pit. Jeff hasn't owned the dirt pit in five years. Yeah, don't do that.

SPEAKER_02 33:55

Well, I'm telling you, if there's anything that we should have learned through the whole COVID bullshit, is that we can't trust anybody. We can't trust the media, we can't trust people on Facebook or Instagram or X for sure. You've got to do your own research and you've got to figure it out yourself. And if you can't find the answer, then it's maybe not the truth.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

Well, you know, you can't do that.

SPEAKER_02 34:20

That's a crazy story, but I've heard some other crazy stories, you know. The reason I got involved with the waterboard, you know, I was on the waterboard for uh while but the reason I got involved is because I heard the story about you know how the uh the water company building was was set on fire and they burned it down the Hollywood water system uh because there was they were starting to to uh do some uh inquiries about uh some of these contracts that they were handing out, and and come to find out some of these contracts were going to some of the guys that were on the board, their buddies, and this and that.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

And so uh, next thing you know, when the FBI was supposed to come in like the day before uh the building was burned down. So and all the records apparently were gone. And uh so and and since then the the water company has had a horrible reputation. Hopefully, uh while I was on the board, we cleaned it up a little bit. I think by the time I left the water board, I think they had a we've got a they've got a much better reputation at this point because uh we cleaned it up. It was like we're not taking any BS, and it's we're just not doing it. So uh um, but uh all right, so I got one more question for you, and then we're gonna wrap this thing up.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

Um, no, that's good.

SPEAKER_02 35:30

That that's an interesting story. I've never heard it before, actually. Um so alright, so we've got two commissioners up for re-election right now. Yeah, we've got Carrie Smith in District 2, we've got Red Eddington in District 4. Um, the other three go back up for re-election in two years. But um what do you think, your personal opinion, what do you think is the best decision um that these commissioners have made so far um since they've been in office? Is there one particular one that stands out or is it just uh series?

SPEAKER_00 36:10

Ray's best one he did was getting the roads repaid. The roads making that uh making that uh priority and doing it. That was for his carries, was uh the gay molten moved up. Good on him one way or the other. So get him good for him there.

SPEAKER_02 36:29

The uh expansion of Highway 90 moved up uh over three of the Escambia County projects.

SPEAKER_00 36:35

You know, you don't think it somebody else will.

SPEAKER_02 36:37

So I give him a lot of it. No, that's what I'm saying. I mean it it's politics is just dirty. Like the Escambia County uh commissioners should have known not to go out of town while they had this big meeting coming up. They uh I guess they uh they had a lot of faith in Santa Rosa County, but now they should know better.

SPEAKER_00 36:56

Yeah, they uh they learned learned a lesson, learned the kids.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

They learned a lesson, and politics is dirty.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

Yes, it's always God, yes. You know, I've been involved in politics since 2006. Uh me well, damn, that's 20 years. Good God. You're old, dude. Yeah, no crap.

SPEAKER_02 37:16

He's young enough to be my son, by the way.

SPEAKER_00 37:19

Uh but it doesn't seem like that at all. It seems like, you know, like a couple, like some first time, every time, but every election, it's like I'm getting started again for the first time, you know, in into it. And I get excited, get it. That's why people love me, and uh I'm not trying to brag or nothing like that. And they come to me for advice and when it runs campaign, can you run my campaign? Can you run my campaign? You know, I I have to sit down with the person when I when they ask me this. I have to read that. Yeah, I have to do that. Find out where the heart is, right? Yep, you ask them what the question you ask them, well, you know, all are you sincere? Are you running through, you know, to keep this office? Are you looking to what as a stepping stone for another office? You know, and if you are, well, good luck to you, I'll shake up, shake your hand, and um out the door I go. Right. If you're sincere, you want to do what's best, you love the people, and you want to do what's best, main, main, main thing. I will do a lock in and get you elected. And uh I'm pretty good at it.

SPEAKER_02 38:23

So uh Well, you know, you know a lot of people in the county. That's the thing. You know a lot of very important people in the county. You've been here forever.

SPEAKER_00 38:30

Yep. And uh eighth generation of Santa Rosa County.

SPEAKER_02 38:32

Eight generation. That's fantastic, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:35

My dad uh is the uh the uh founder and uh chief of the uh Santa Luke Santa Rosa County Creek Indian tribe. He uh he founded that in 1990. Uh Chief Blue Eyes.

SPEAKER_02 38:46

Blue Eyes. He's a great guy, too. He's a wonderful man.

SPEAKER_00 38:51

You get him on too.

SPEAKER_02 38:52

Oh, we have a I'll I'll have him on too. Yeah, we'll see how this podcast goes. We keep growing, we're growing pretty quick.

SPEAKER_00 38:59

I'm surprised, man. Y'all doing a good job down here. You get a great view to look at too. Oh man.

SPEAKER_02 39:05

Y'all can't see, we're looking at the water right now through the window. Uh I set up, y'all can see I set up the uh the podcast in a different place today. We're in the we're in our living room as opposed to the office area there. And uh I wanted to do it outside, but it looks like it's gonna rain. Yeah. But I wanted to do it outside where you know we we had a really good view behind us, but uh uh maybe next time we'll see how that goes.

SPEAKER_00 39:29

This is perfect, man. You can have picked a better place. Uh I I like this beautiful painting right there behind us.

SPEAKER_01 39:35

And nice.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Um, and plus we've been outside, I'm in a sweating buckets, so I know we got the AC on.

SPEAKER_02 39:42

Yeah, the outside right now would have been miserable. Yeah, yeah. So humid out there and the warm, it'd be sweaty.

SPEAKER_00 39:49

Oh man, it would have been yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:51

So uh all right, last question. I said that was last one. This is the last one. What's next for you, Tommy? What's going on?

SPEAKER_00 39:57

What's next for me is well, I'm trying to get my Facebook page back right now.

SPEAKER_02 40:04

And you're still in recovery, right? You're still doing some more of the treatments, right? Yeah, the dives.

SPEAKER_00 40:09

I got like 10 or 12 more, something like that to go. That's cool. Um, trying to get that done. Um, I um focusing on that and um I well uh politic-wise, I'm uh still got some interviews to do. I've got an interview uh Jeff Ace. Um I don't remember.

SPEAKER_02 40:31

And two years ago.

SPEAKER_00 40:34

Yes, yes, they've got that too.

SPEAKER_02 40:36

And uh we'll see about it.

SPEAKER_00 40:39

Uh we uh I got interviewed those. I got a lot left to do. I interviewed the candidates to running. I wanted to wait until got a little bit close, especially I wanted to wait until they got into qualifying. Okay, we can see who is legit or not. You know, interview somebody that that's not all about yet. I've got so uh be on the lookout for those interviews will come. Uh and these are good interviews. Uh I interviewed Linda Sanborn, and she was like, Oh my god, these questions, you know, uh it's it's not easy, you know. You want the job, you gotta you know prepared.

SPEAKER_02 41:15

Yes, it's you gotta know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

Miss Sanborn, I'll give her credit, she she was prepared, she was. Uh and then uh I haven't interviewed David Farrow yet. I gotta interview Mr. Farrow, um and several others. Um that's the uh I don't know the recent the nearest thing I'm worried about.

SPEAKER_02 41:36

So, all right guys, so blue collar boys podcast. We call voice, we call boys blue collar blue collar boys.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

Voice voice voice voice.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

How you spell voice? Blue collar voice. Voice, blue-collar voice, my bad, yeah. Blue collar is I I was looking at the hat. Blue collar voice, but it's blue-collar voice. Blue collar voice.

SPEAKER_00 41:58

They actually messed this hat up. It was supposed to say blue-collar voice, and everybody came back blue-collar voice. I'm like, that's that's all right. It's close enough.

SPEAKER_02 42:07

Well, we need to make some new hats and get me one that says blue-collar voice because I want one of those hats.

SPEAKER_00 42:12

I'll definitely do it. So and uh, but don't be alarmed at how low the numbers are on uh my Facebook pages because I'm having to starve.

SPEAKER_02 42:22

Just gotta rebuild it all over. So uh that stinks as somebody does it. Yeah, it does.

SPEAKER_00 42:27

It sucks really bad. I wish I had somebody who was Googling computers and knew what they were doing and could get it back. But uh, but uh if there's anybody out there, hey, help him out, help my buddy out. Yeah, uh but uh getting that back some so anyway.

SPEAKER_02 42:44

All right, so here's our good friend Tommy Nichols. He came and uh spent some time with us this Sunday morning, and we're very grateful for that. Thank you for everybody for watching and tuning in to us and share, like, whatever you gotta do to help us build this, and uh we'll keep going and keep talking about politics and me and Aaron to talk about whatever we're talking about, and uh and she'll be on next time. Um, so anyway, thanks, Tommy. Yeah, man, we appreciate it, brother. I'm glad you have me. Love you, man. All right, peace out, ready? Oh, cheers. We gotta do a cheers. Oh, yeah. All right, I got Tommy in mimosa while we were on break there, too. All right.