FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW)-On Saturday Florence city council member Ed Robinson held the first annual  state of the black city of Florence address. Robinson discussed inequality, education, wealth distribution and where Florence would be headed if the community didn’t rally together to bring change.
“You talk about Ferguson. We’re worse off than they are.”
Florence city council member Ed Robinson has  strong feelings about the direction he says Florence is headed.
“What I’ve heard is we go to get all the black folk out of downtown before we can get the white folk down there and that’s messed up.”
Robinson says he’s concerned that all of the revitalization efforts in downtown Florence aren’t for everyone.
“That’s the way it’s been designed. It’s been designed to run us out, the black folk mostly. So they can have their elitist white community.”
 Though there were only about 50 people who showed up to Robinson’s address on Saturday evening, many voiced the same concerns as Robinson saying that more money should be spent on neighborhoods as opposed to the downtown district.
 “I think the money needs to be put in neighborhoods in the non-developed neighborhoods, housing, there’s a serious issue with housing,” said Freddy Jolley, a Florence resident.
And like Robinson, he says the money the city is using towards downtown can be better spent.
“That is not doing anything to help the poor people and it’s not going to bring people downtown anyway. You’re going to go the museum one time and you’re not going to have another reason to go again.”
Robinson said the purpose of his address was to educate people and tell them the importance of electing different officials. In the mean time, Robinson says he’s not going anywhere.
“I ain’t quitting. I am going on and on and on and they’re going to have to listen to me.”
News 13 reached out to Florence Mayor Wukela and he gave us this statement: “The City of Florence is committed to redeveloping, enhancing, and improving every element of our community.
Within the last year alone, we have facilitated the investment of 11 Million Dollars by Hope Health to construct a free medical clinic on the site of the former junk yard on the North side of town.
We have funded the construction of a 4.5 Million Dollar basketball center in Northwest Florence on a site adjacent to the current City-operated Barnes Street Community facility.
We have committed over 7 Million Dollars in road improvements in the North, Northwest, and Northeast areas of the City, including granting 1 Million Dollars each on major corridors of Roughfork Street in the North, Sumter Street in the Northwest, and Pine Street in the Northeast.
With the leadership of Teresa Myers-Ervin’s Neighborhood Redevelopment Committee, we have adopted a neighborhood redevelopment plan for the North, the Northeast and the Northwest parts of town and funded the initial phase of the redevelopment with 3 Million Dollars. At the same time, we are underway spending ½ Million Dollars obtaining and demolishing abandoned and dilapidated properties within these neighborhoods. Just this week, minority businesswomen Charlene Lowry, Starlee Alexander, and Doris Lockhart announced the opening of a dress boutique in downtown Florence. They join other minority downtown investors such as Dr. John Keith, owner and developer of downtown’s emerging restaurant row, and Mr. Mike Reichenbach who is investing millions of dollars improving his Ford Dealership in downtown Florence.
The City has certainly provided incentives supporting major developments and creating numerous jobs downtown. 
Council also requires that such incentives also contain minority procurement requirements to encourage developers to hire local and minority firms to do the work on the projects.  In addition, Councilwoman Ervin has also led the way in providing identification of and education to minority firms to help assist them in bidding for and obtaining these jobs.
The City has not just focused on large investments downtown. In February, Council passed a Resolution creating grants for downtown investments under $250,000.00 which included grants for roof repairs, upfitting, and rent subsidies.
Certainly each of these policies of the last year have benefitted the minority community and the City.  More importantly, they were designed as part of a larger strategy to move this City together as a whole. I recognize that the North, Northwest, and Northeast sections of Florence have been historically neglected and we, as a City, are working to right that wrong. We have done so, and intend to continue doing so by uniting, not by dividing, and with action rather than with empty rhetoric.”