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This Community Newspaper is a publication of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association
S E RV I N G T H E F I RS T J U D I C I A L C I RC U I T
STATE OF THE CITY A YEAR IN REVIEW WITH MAYOR REEVES
Vol. 23, No. 52
By Morgan Cole
A
s the one year mark into his tenure as Pensacola mayor approaches, D.C. Reeves continues to work diligently to address the administration’s early goals and to shed light on some recent achievements. During a CivicCon event in February, Reeves presented his first State of the City address where he discussed the city’s work on objectives like building a coalition in an attempt to restore Amtrak train service to the Florida Panhandle, developing a strategy to create more attainable housing and making big investments into public safety and strategic planning. So, what are the results of those efforts now, and what are the administration’s current priorities? Members of the community were invited to find out first-hand at a State of the City address presented by Reeves at the Sanders Beach Community Center in November. This presentation included an overview of the progress Pensacola has made under Mayor Reeves’ leadership, including community initiatives, infrastructure developments and other positive changes. The State of the City address also provided a glimpse into what he envisions for the future of our city, and members of the community were provided an opportunity to submit questions for the mayor. Here are some highlights of what has been accomplished over the past year, as well as some issues at the forefront of public concern as 2024 approaches. Results of the city’s recent 2023
December 27, 2023
Resident Satisfaction Survey served as the starting point for Reeves’ remarks during the November presentation. On the issues of what residents love most about living in Pensacola and what they want to see more of in the city, the top response was access to the downtown waterfront on both counts. Reeves pointed to the progress of the Bruce Beach Revitalization Project, which is one of several locations along Pensacola’s plan for a Continuous Waterfront Trail. “If you drive by during the day you can certainly see the promise that has. So, that’s one project that will help us activate our waterfront,” Reeves said. “A second that you may have read about is the Sun Trail, which has a multifaceted approach from our grants office to public works, to administration, to communications and everything else for the $6.4 million that we’re putting into potentially connecting to the threemile bridge all the way to the Bayou Chico Bridge, a protected walking bike path along our waterfront,” he explained. Mayor Reeves also added that the city plans to compete for a share of $200 million from Tallahassee for unfunded portions of the Sun Trail, including a 2.2-mile stretch that runs through the middle of downtown Pensacola. In relation to the current city initiatives, survey participants identified reducing homelessness (24 percent), decreasing crime (21 percent) and increasing affordable housing (19 percent) as top priorities. Housing initiatives in the works include $1 million for the purchase of the Pensacola Motor Lodge, $5
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million for Brownsville Revitalization and the creation of a new economic development position to help move housing projects across the finish line in a more timely manner. Affordable housing also topped the list of city initiatives. One of the city’s most significant housing initiatives involves plans for the acquisition, demolition, abatement and redevelopment of the old Baptist Hospital. “Baptist Hospital, obviously, is on the forefront of what I believe is going to be the biggest transformational housing project in the next three to five years,” Reeves said, pointing to the Bayou District Foundation post-Hurricane Katrina mixed-income housing development in New Orleans as an example of what can be done. From a legislative standpoint, Baptist Hospital is second on the city’s priority list. The top funding request from the state is about $23 million to help fund a new $70 million terminal at Pensacola International Airport, which is projecting more than 2.6 million annual passengers. This is, by far, a new all-time record for the airport and more than the facility was designed to handle. “We aren’t bursting at the seams; we’ve lost the seams,” Reeves explained. “Just to give you an idea, the baggage claim lobby was originally built to accommodate 1.4 million passengers.” According to Reeves, the new airport terminal will have five additional gates, expanding it from 12 to 17. Mayor Reeves said, from an economic development standpoint, he felt really good about the city’s new partnership with the Ameri-
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can Magic sailing team, which is expected to create 170 high-tech jobs when it moves into its new $15 million headquarters at the Port of Pensacola next year. Reeves also praised the new grants office he created for its work to secure grant funds for the Port of Pensacola, Hurricane Sally recovery, the Hollice T. Williams Greenway and Stormwater Park as well as a host of other projects. “They have produced $72 million in grants in eight months,” Reeves stated. “This is front to back, soup to nuts; $72 million in eight months.” Public safety improvements that were discussed include several initiatives for the Pensacola Police Department. Among these improvements are the establishment of a substation at Pensacola State College, the purchase of a new BearCat S.W.A.T. vehicle and the installation of a new ShotSpotter system, providing technology to help the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office know when and where gunshots are fired. The system is now active in Escambia County. When it comes to challenges, the city of Pensacola also has its fair share, including the many ongoing issues with downtown parking. “The experience of both city and private lots is eroding the experience of our downtown,” Reeves said, referencing the potential impact on tourism. He pointed to the results of a recent downtown parking survey, in which more than 5,000 people indicated the biggest concerns have to do with availability of parking spaces (27 percent), cost (21 percent) and difficulty using available payment methods (18 percent). Following best practices of distinguished urban planning UCLA research professor Donald Shoup and the recommendations of consultant Philip Olivier, Reeves has proposed eliminating free two-hour parking and increasing the cost of parking to a baseline of $1 per hour - with prices fluctuating up or down,
depending on demand. Agreeing on the confusion over the payment system, Reeves said the city soon will be switching over to a new app, with plans to try out Park Mobile, which has 7.5 million users in Florida. Another issue that has been brought to the forefront in recent months is the difficulty of maintaining the city’s numerous parks and facilities. Currently, a number of city facilities and amenities are in need of repair. Reeves defended his decisions to suspend curbside recycling in the city and close Bay Bluffs Park for repairs. Bay Bluff Park’s boardwalk has been closed indefinitely due to safety concerns as the city seeks funding for the structure’s repair or replacement. Wayside Park is still undergoing much-needed repairs three years after it was damaged by Hurricane Sally. The city estimates the two rehabilitation projects will cost around $2.4 million total. With the city’s 94 parks, ten community centers and 330 miles of roadway, keeping up with maintenance has become a major challenge, Reeves said. Additionally, 37 years of deferred maintenance to City Hall could cost the city more than $500,000 in emergency repairs and structural improvements. The city has also announced recent plans to demolish the Malcolm Yonge Center after finding it to be structurally unsound, though there has been discussion about the possibly of converting the space to affordable workforce housing. “We’ll continue to buckle up our chinstrap and be able to get as many of these things done as we can and make this a place that you can be proud of,” Reeves said, looking ahead to 2024. For more information and to follow updates on the projects outlined in the November State of the City address, visit cityofpensacola.com/435/newsroom. ■
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