Friday February 8th, 2008 - 5:15PM

1) Incorporation as a non-profit corporation with the intent to file for 501(c)3 status with the IRS

Friends of the Community Maritime Park was successfully incorporated as a non-profit corporation with the Florida Division of Corporations. Friends will now initiate filings with the IRS to be designated as a 501( c )3 corporation. This will make contributions to Friends tax-deductible.

Since our January report, we are pleased to announce that Mr. Steve Moorhead of the law firm McDonald, Fleming, Moorhead, has agreed to contribute his expertise and time pro bono to serve as the Friends legal counsel and Registered Agent.

As well, we are equally pleased to report Friends has contracted the services of Mr. Mike Adkins, non-profit corporation expert with the CPA firm Saltmarsh, Cleaveland, Gund.

In terms of financial accountability and reporting, Friends opened a non-profit corporate account with Peoples First Community Bank. Mrs. Ellen C. Hoefer, assistant city banking manager who is serving as the Secretary/Treasurer of Friends will utilize the 2008 QuickBooks Premier accounting system for non-profit corporations to maintain financial records suitable for posting on the Friends web site, in keeping with our promise to the community to maintain publicly accessible financial records.

2) Public support for the park continues to grow!

Friends is please to report that 3 landscaping firms and a first-tier turf company have contacted Friends to volunteer their time, labor, and equipment for the planned park property clean-up. This is in addition to numerous individuals who are also asking to be contacted to volunteer their time and labor as well.

On the subject of a headquarters for Friends, we have received four invitations to consider downtown locations that will be offered pro bono, or with deferred payments, or with greatly reduced payments.

With incorporation, Friends will now be able to proceed with plans for both a park clean-up and establishing a permanent headquarters presence in downtown Pensacola.

3) Looking ahead:

Friends will continue organizing visible public support for the park. Among the plans are to introduce a distinctive logo design, create signs for placing in store windows, creating and distributing yard signs, and creating and distributing car magnets.

Friends is organizing a speaker's bureau. It will pro-actively solicit opportunities to bring the community up-to-date on the park's progress and future.

Friends is organizing its 1,000% Committed to Leadership Honor Roll. This program will solicit contributions of 1,000 60-second units of airtime from all radio stations, 1,000 30-second units of time from all TV stations, and 1,000 column inches of space from all print publications serving the market. The airtime will be used to communicate the park's progress and benefits for the community.

We are please to inform you that Talk Radio station WEBY AM-1330 owner Mike Bates has set the standards for this effort by donating 1,000 60-second units of time on his station.