Inweekly April 13 2023 Issue

#1 David Bear

winners & losers

Hall of Fame. After serving in the Vietnam War, Moore returned home and formed the Pensacola law firm Moore Hill Westmoreland in 1969. He received the PSC Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1996 and is a lifetime member of the PSC Alumni Association. Moore also has been involved in the PJC Foundation, serving as a past president of the Board of Governors and a lifetime member of the President's Circle.

CAMERON & HOUSTON KONETZKI The Greater Pensacola Figure Skating Club members Cameron and Houston Konetzki recently shared the ice with two-time Olympian Johnny Weir. Invited to participate in Weir's farewell tour, the skaters traveled to Wilmington, Del., the day after performing in GPFSC's 27th Annual Showcase at the Pensacola Bay Center. Cameron began his ice-skating career at age 3 and Houston at age 5. Both train locally and at Genesis Ice Den in Maitland and the Ice Factory in Kissimmee. Representing U.S. Figure Skating's Baltimore Figure Skating Club, both boys will compete in Ft. Myers, Baltimore, Tampa and Lake Placid this summer to qualify for Nationals in Chicago.

MAMIE HIXON The creator and director of the UWF Writing Lab recently received the UWF Distinguished Faculty Service Award. The honor is awarded to a faculty member who, while in the employment of the University of West Florida, has given outstanding service to the university and community and who contributes her professional talents and expertise to support the UWF public service mission.

$10,000 on top of other scholarships or financial aid. Board trustee Christopher Rufo, a DeSantis appointee, has tweeted, "We will be shutting down low-performing, ideologically captured academic departments and hiring new faculty. The student body will be recomposed over time: some current students will self-select out, others will graduate; we'll recruit new students who are mission-aligned." Sounds like indoctrination, not education.

SENATE ETHICS & ELECTIONS COMMITTEE Midway through the 2023 legislative session, the Republican-controlled committee began advancing a sweeping elections package (SPB 7050) that would impose further restrictions on voter registration groups, create a new crime for harassing elections workers and relax campaign finance reporting rules. The bill will make it harder for organizations to register Black, Hispanic and young voters. It also bans first-time Florida voters who don't have Florida driver's licenses, which will impact out-of-state college students trying to vote.

VIRTUAL DRIVER'S LICENSE Florida has spent $1.5 million to develop an app for users to keep copies of their driver's license on their smartphones, but few Floridians have downloaded the app, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Some who have downloaded it have complained it's useless because Florida law still requires drivers to carry the physical plastic versions of their driver's licenses. Of Florida's 17.9 million licensed drivers, only 142,803 have downloaded the driver's license app from the Apple and Android stores.

outtakes

By Rick Outzen

ONE MORE TIME

At 8 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 9, 2007, the Escambia Sheriff's Office, county code enforcement and road department launched a surprise 30-day effort to clean up Brownsville, focusing on the area between Mobile Highway and West Jackson Street from W Street to the railroad tracks west of Citrus Street. Records showed that area had 89 arrests during the previous six months.

Fed up with the shootings, prostitutes and drug dealers, Sheriff Ron McNesby vowed to clean up Brownsville and make it safe. He parked his mobile command center at Brownsville Assembly of God, and his helicopters circled over the area night and day. The sheriff pledged to have no fewer than five cars on at all times in the 40-block area during Operation Brownsville.

The statistics for the first day were impressive. Jail road crews cleared 6 miles of rightof-way. A crack house on Theresa Street was demolished, and the sheriff reported he had scheduled hearings to remove 14 more. The sheriff's office made two traffic stops, six arrests and 10 warrant service attempts. Code enforcement issued 216 notices of violation.

The PNJ editorial board commended McNesby for launching Operation Brownsville, noting "a little shock treatment." In its Saturday, Feb. 20, 2007, editorial ("Yes, Virginia, the News Journal once wrote editorials), the 11-person editorial board was cautiously optimistic.

"Escambia Sheriff Ron McNesby has the 30-day neighborhood rescue operation something of an experiment," the editorial board said. "If it works here, it could be emulated around the county (not to mention the country).

We know now that Operation Brownsville was neither sustainable nor scalable and may have led to McNesby's defeat the following year. Why? No research was ever done to find out, but my thoughts are the 2007 effort was about making a big splash and thinking that alone would be enough. The underlying causes—poverty, lack of good jobs, poor health conditions and failing schools—were not addressed.

Last week, Sheriff Chip Simmons announced his version of Operation Brownsville. He's not

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES

springing it on the neighborhood like McNesby, and his people have been working behind the scenes to involve several local agencies in the effort. However, we don't know the specific details other than it will last 60 days, produce a resource guide and increase the presence of emergency response services, code enforcement and animal control in the community.

We don't know what law enforcement's role will be in what we're calling "Operation Brownsville 2.0." More patrols, arrests, traffic stops and warrants? And will the sheriff's office communicate its efforts? How will success be measured? And what happens after Operation Brownsville ends?

Please don't think my comments mean Sheriff Simmons and city and county officials shouldn't focus on Brownsville. For the past several months, we have advocated for more help for the 32505 ZIP code and have tried to get the Escambia Children's Trust to understand many of the learning gaps in the county exist there.

There is more hope in Brownsville today than 16 years ago. The Brownsville Community Center, near where McNesby once parked his mobile command center, has become an excellent resource for the community, providing afterschool, fitness, job training and summer youth employment programs. Commissioner May has plans to add a public library on land purchased near the community center.

Community Health Northwest Florida has renovated the old Allie Yniestra Elementary School on West Jackson Street into its main campus and provides health care to many who haven't had access to medical services for years. The health care is within walking distance for Brownsville residents.

The city and county want to revitalize West Jackson Street between A Street and Fairfield Drive. Last year, they sought public input for a master plan that would include sidewalks, crosswalks, improved street lighting and bike lanes.

Operation Brownsville 2.0 needs to build on these programs while making the neighborhoods safer. If we see the initiative as a beginning, not a short-term fix, the initiative might be sustainable and scalable this time. {in} rick@inweekly.net

There is more hope in Brownsville today than 16 years ago.

OPERATION BROWNSVILLE 2.0

By Tom St. Myer

An operation launched by a sheriff to improve Brownsville is nothing new. Former Escambia County Sheriff Ron McNesby and County Administrator George Touart created "Operation Brownsville" 16 years ago to clean up yards, lock up drug dealers and prostitutes, and rid the area of the homeless population in response to a shooting at a convenience store on West Cervantes Street.

The daily newspaper reported the number of arrests, traffic stops and warrants served on nearly a daily basis. The sheriff's office mobile command center was parked near the Brownsville Assembly of God, and the ESCO helicopters flew over the area regularly. Unfortunately, the improvements made during the 30-day initiative proved unsustainable, and McNesby lost his reelection bid in the 2008 GOP primary to challenger David Morgan.

Fast forward to March 2023, and Sheriff Chip Simmons is launching another "Operation Brownsville." The sheriff announced the twomonth community investment in Brownsville during a gun violence roundtable on Tuesday, April 4, at the Brownsville Community Center.

The roundtable included a who's who of elected officials with Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, State Rep. Michelle Salzman, County Commissioners Robert Bender and Lumon May, Judge Gary Bergosh, City Council President Delarian Wiggins and Escambia School Board member David Williams, plus Pensacola Police Chief Eric Randall.

When he launched the roundtables in October, Sheriff Simmons originally planned to only feature elected officials, followed by business owners and religious leaders in the subsequent meetings. Input from the Brownsville Community Center crowd after the initial roundtable convinced him to continue with political leaders through the subsequent sessions and birthed the idea for a resource guide that spurred his Operation Brownsville initiative.

The operation includes cleaning up roadways, bringing a driver's license bus to Browns-

ville to help residents obtain licenses, Florida Power & Light repairing old and installing new outdoor lighting, and increasing the presence of emergency response services, code enforcement and animal control in the community.

"It's not the end-all—we understand that— but it's something, and it's more than we've ever done before that I'm aware of," Simmons said, "and it's something that we can take what works and move it somewhere else."

FOCUS ON 32505

Brownsville is in the 32505 ZIP code. The 32505 population is nearly 30,000, and the median household income is a mere $38,863, almost $20,000 below the Escambia County average, according to the U.S. Census. Blacks and Hispanics account for slightly over 50% of the population. A significant percentage lives in rundown houses and apartments located in blighted, crime-infested neighborhoods void of retail stores and restaurants.

Crime is trending down throughout Escambia County, but the crime rate in the 32505 ZIP code is still three times higher than the national average, according to research by the security alarm company ADT.

"We wanted to pick an area where we thought we could make a difference," Simmons said. "There are some challenges in the Brownsville area."

To clean up Brownsville is a Herculean task. The operation will include a calendar with initiatives that residents can follow on the ECSO website. One initiative will be distributing rack cards to residents with a QR code to access an online database with 1,400 resources, according to United Way of Northwest Florida President/CEO Laura Gilliam.

Resource topics available through the database include mental health, alcohol and substance abuse, and childcare. Gilliam said, "The information you're going to be able to access through this rack card, through that code, will have you getting to the most updated information we have about resources in the community."

County Commissioner Lumon May said other initiatives to benefit the Brownsville community include improving the sewer system and

building a library in the near future. He said investing in the youth, creating job opportunities and providing a clean, safe environment are keys to success.

Commissioner May said he understands if the community questions whether the operation will succeed based on past failures to clean up Brownsville. But he is optimistic this program will positively impact the community and be sustainable.

"It's not about providing a handout in Brownsville; it's about providing a hand up," the District 3 commissioner said. "I'm excited about the summer employment program. I'm excited about getting a library here. I'm excited about cleaning it up. That's what every neighborhood wants."

He continued, "Once you clean it up, the property value appreciates and becomes more valuable, and the quality of life becomes more valuable. We have to give children hope, a better quality of life and an opportunity to believe in themselves."

PUBLIC FORUM

A crowd of about 100 attended the April 4 roundtable including about 20 teenagers who accompanied Rodney Jones, executive director of Healthy Opportunities & Options Promoting Success (HOOPS) program. Washington High School senior Ava Roberts spoke during the public forum. Roberts complimented Escambia County Public Schools for its investment in students, but she encouraged educators to improve communications with absentee parents.

"I have multiple friends whose parents are not involved, and you can see them suffer," she said. "It's not just a school thing; it's not just a police thing; it's a parent thing. I think our children need guidance."

Schools in the 32505 ZIP code include C.A. Weis, Montclair and Oakcrest elementary schools. Montclair and Oakcrest each graded out as D schools in 2021-22, and C.A. Weis earned a C.

C.A. Weis holds an advantage over its counterparts. Community Health of Northwest Florida partnered seven years ago with Escambia

County Public Schools, Children's Home Society and the University of West Florida to transition Weis into a Community Partnership School.

Montclair Principal Shona Person said 40 of her 385 students are homeless, meaning 10.3% of them lack a regular and adequate nighttime residence. Oakcrest faces the same issues. Its staff hands out weekend bags of food and hygiene products to 75 of its 474 students (15.8%).

Principal Person advocates for establishing boarding schools in 32505 or, at least, opening a youth community center to ensure children receive care, supervision and encouragement every minute possible.

Jones criticized youth agencies that received funding from the Escambia Children's Trust for not attending the roundtable. The Trust board awarded over $5.1 million in funding to 19 local children's services agencies in February.

"I'm disappointed none of the agencies showed up with their kids," Jones said. "I guess they think this is not relevant anymore. Violence still perpetuates in our community. It's still the same. So you think what they say isn't relevant?"

LuTimothy May, the pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, encouraged Simmons to open the roundtable to others in the community. He said the key to addressing gun violence is to focus on the mental health of the community.

"We have a morality issue," Rev. May said. "We've been desensitized to the sociological component of just respecting each other as human beings. We talk about guns, but guns aren't the problem. It's the person holding the gun."

Operation Brownsville concludes June 23 with a movie night hosted by the Sheriff's Office, but Commissioner Lumon May said improving conditions in Brownsville is a project that started long before and will continue long after these next two months.

"We're here to improve the quality of life of the residents," he said. "We're here for residents who want to live here. Brownsville is the western gate to Pensacola, it's the western gate to downtown and it was one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in all of Escambia County." {in}

NARCAN OVER-THE-COUNTER On March 29, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan nasal spray for over-the-counter (OTC) use—the first naloxone product approved for use without a prescription. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose and is the standard treatment for opioid overdose.

Dr. Darrell Miller, who heads the Community Health Northwest Florida pharmacy program, explained, "Narcan is an opioid antagonist, and all that means is it binds up opioid receptors and can reverse and block the effects of an opioid overdose. In a nutshell, that's how it works to help a patient that's in crisis."

It may take several months before the Narcan nasal spray is available over the counter at Community Health and other local pharmacies. Dr. Miller told Inweekly, "Manufacturers have

to relabel and repackage it and set up the distribution model. I think it's going to be a matter of months, not years, before it's readily available for our citizens all the way across the country."

He added, "I'm anticipating it's probably going to be three or four months before the over-counter production will be available in our pharmacies."

ADVOCACY TRIP Last week, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves visited with lawmakers and state officials in Tallahassee to discuss potential funding to make Pensacola the permanent site for American Magic and create a national sailing training center at the port.

"We have great advocates over here from our state representatives and, of course, Senator Broxson," Reeves shared in a phone call from the state capital. "But we can't just sit on our hands and hope. There are a lot of people

with their hands out (in Tallahassee) and a lot of good advocacy happening. I just don't think that there's a replacement for the mayor of the city saying, 'Hey, this is important to us.'"

During his two-day trip, the mayor met with the Department of Economic Opportunity on American Magic, the Department of Children and Families opioid programs and Florida Housing Finance on the Live Local Act that Gov. DeSantis recently signed into law to create more

We're going for a Triumph grant and for a grant from the Job Growth fund for about $15 million in total," Reeves shared. "If we can get both of those across the finish line, we'll be a long way toward making this the permanent home for American Magic."

The mayor admitted that every city would be going for the affordable housing dollars, but he hopes that Pensacola may have an edge. "We not only have residents, but we've got tens of thousands of sailors coming through here. The fact that is our real world in Pensacola could help us be more impactful because

NCAA WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR

UWF

Women's Basketball Coach Stephanie Yelton attended the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in Dallas with her family. She talked with Inweekly publisher Rick Outzen on WCOA about the "electrifying atmosphere" of the event that drew a record number of television viewers.

"It was a phenomenal show of women's basketball," Coach Yelton said. "You had superstar players performing at their best, and you had two of the best coaches in the country going against each other. It was certainly an amazing spectacle in Dallas."

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA record for the most points covered in a single NCAA tournament, surpassing Sheryl Swoope's 20-year record. "She's one of the best to ever come through. "I've seen her play on TV, but to see her play in per person, Caitlin Murray is phenomenal. And if you ever get a chance

to catch her—she's coming back to Iowa for another season—you should take that."

Yelton became the winningest women's basketball in UWF history this season. Did she get caught up in the coaching strategies of Dawn Staley, Kim Mulkey, Lisa Bluder and Kenny Brooks?

"As a spectator, I was thinking, man, how wonderful would it be to be that coach on that sideline with that caliber of a team at that moment? Even as a coach in the stands, you get emotional about the games."

Coach Yelton added, "This is a phenomenal time in women's basketball; our growth and exposure are at an all-time high. These women can really play the game, and these coaches can really coach the game. It's an awesome time to be in women's athletics."

BRUCE BEACH CLEARED The City of Pensacola has received results from additional stormwater bacteria testing related to Bruce Beach water quality, which show no elevated bacteria levels. This is positive news for the quality of area waterways, including Bruce Beach.

Initial sampling and testing of stormwater systems in the Bruce Beach area were conducted in September 2022 by the City of Pensacola, ECUA and FDEP. That testing showed elevated levels of bacteria in several locations as well as high levels in the stormwater system along Spring Street just south of Garden Street. Subsequent inspections by City Public Works and ECUA identified a damaged sanitary sewer line in the intersection of Spring Street and Garden Street, which was repaired in October 2022.

Those repairs have successfully eliminated cross-contamination between ECUA's line and the City of Pensacola's stormwater system. Follow-up testing and sampling completed after ECUA's repairs have found no elevated bacteria levels. Both the city's stormwater system and ECUA's sanitary sewer system are now functioning as designed.

MARKET SLOWING Real estate broker Larry Kuhn reports that the local housing market has slowed. In March, 806 homes were sold in Pen -

Photo by Hanson L / shutterstock.com

TRUIST WOULD LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL OF THE INWEEKLY 2023 POWER LIST MEMBERS

sacola, compared to 940 in March 2022. The average days on the market have increased from 18 a year ago to 44 last month. However, the average sales price did increase by $4,000, from $361,000 to $365,000.

In East Hill, sales are only slightly off, dropping from 49 in March 2022 to 45 last month. The average days on the market almost doubled, from 16 to 31. However, the average sales price increased by $56,000, from $361,000 in March 2022 to $417,000 last month.

"While most experts believe that the Federal Reserve is finished with rate hikes (which we also hope is the case), we anticipate that there will be fluctuations in the housing market, with strong and slow months depending on the current 30-year mortgage rate," said Kuhn.

He said, "As long as the number of available homes remains below 3,500 in our market, we anticipate that prices will remain stable."

FLYING TO VEGAS Pensacola International Airport Director Matt Coughlin told Inweekly that he doesn't expect any more new flights added this summer, except for the seasonal routes.

"Some of the struggles the airlines are facing right now are literally airplanes and air crews,

and they're trying to get back up to speed," Coughlin said. "We expect to regain most of our summer route—nonstops in particular, such as Southwest with Kansas City. We're pretty much at a steady state when it comes to the number of destinations. I think in the fall and the winter, looking for next summer, we might start seeing an increase in nonstops again."

He said a direct flight to Las Vegas is on the airport's wish list. "Yes, we're working on that one. That's actually one of our 20 top destinations but the one that we don't serve nonstop. We're always pushing for Vegas."

REMEMBER WAMMA? Endeavor has acquired World Wrestling Entertainment in a deal valuing WWE at $9.3 billion. WWE will combine with Ultimate Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts league that Endeavor took control of in 2016, to create a global fighting juggernaut worth north of $20 billion.

In 2007, Pensacola almost became the epicenter for mixed martial arts when Fred Levin came up with the idea to create the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) to serve as the sanctioning body for the sport that would unify the champions of ProElite, EliteXC, HD -

Net Fights, Ultimate Fighting Championship, WEC, IFL, King of the Cage and BoDog Fights into one ranking system.

Besides Levin, who was the Boxing Writers Association's 1995 Manager of the Year, the organizers included pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, MMA superstar Don Frye, former Buffalo Bills head coach Kay Stephenson and Dr. James Andrews of the Andrews Institute. Ashton Hayward was WAMMA's vice president of marketing & business development.

Unfortunately, WAMMA didn't work out, but they did throw a spectacular kick-off party in New York City.

LEXINGTON TERRACE PARK UPGRADE

On March 30, Escambia County Commissioner Mike Kohler met with District 2 residents to discuss possible improvements to Lexington Terrace Park.

The park needs some love," Kohler told Inweekly. "We had a pavilion that was falling apart. The community center had termite damage, and the basketball courts were down. It just needs a makeover."

The county has budgeted about $200,000 for improvements, and work on many of the prob -

lems mentioned by the commissioner has started. Kohler sought more input on the next phase.

"It's a multi-use park. Would you rather have a multi-use field? Would you rather have pickleball or BMX?" the commissioner shared. "There was a lot of good conversation, but at the end, everyone, I think, felt like they had a voice and were happy. We agreed to go back and come up with a few different designs and then come back in about four to six weeks, have another meeting and see what everyone thinks."

He added, "If we were going to do a BMX, that's not funded. So I'm going to have to figure out how we'll do that down the road."

ELECTRICITY RATES TO DROP Last week, the Florida Public Service Commission approved a reduction of $494 million in 2023 fuel costs for Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). Of this amount, an approximate $379 million reduction will be applied from MayDecember 2023. The remaining $115 million will be included in FPL's 2024 fuel cost recovery factors.

Beginning in May, FPL residential bills will reflect the reduced fuel charge. For Northwest Florida, the current monthly 1,000 kWh resi -

dential bill of $163.30 will change to $158.86, a decrease of $4.44, or approximately 2.7%.

Utilities do not earn a profit on fuel charges. The fuel and capacity cost component of customers' bills is set for each calendar year, but mid-course corrections are used when a utility's costs increase or decrease significantly in the interim. Under Commission rules, a utility must notify the PSC when it expects an underor over-recovery greater than 10%.

MOMS FOR LIBERTY CHAPTER Former state representative candidate and wife of Santa Rosa County Commissioner James Calkins, Mariya Calkins, is the chairman of the newly formed Santa Rosa chapter of Moms for Liberty.

According to the press release, Moms for Liberty has 275 local chapters in 45 states. The Santa Rosa chapter held its first meeting last Thursday, March 30.

"Our priority is our children and the future of our country, said Mariya in the release. "When one moment you make peanut butter and jelly for your children and the next moment the FBI calls you and asks you intimidating questions, you know that the taxpaid Department of Justice is being weaponized against outspoken parents."

She continued, "As one Nation under God, we must stand strong against tyranny with a firm reliance on divine providence, just like our Founding Fathers did. We are God-loving Americans who invest our time and service into the future of our country. Our ultimate focus is God– Family–Country."

Calkins lost the GOP primary to replace State Rep. Jayer Williamson to Dr. Joel Rudman, 62%-38%.

Calkins said her group would not shy away from government intimidation tactics as they engage elected officials on key issues that impact the everyday lives of families. She plans to work to empower parents and hold elected leaders accountable while also focusing on what she considers the nation's founding principles of our nation—limited government, personal responsibility and individual liberty.

BLUE ANGEL PARKING The City of Pensacola has unveiled new pay machine designs to showcase the local area and make ParkPensacola pay machines easier to find, encouraging downtown visitors to use city-owned parking. The new pay machine wraps feature images of Pensacola's U.S. Navy Blue Angels, and they were produced at no additional charge to the city by parking partner Flowbird.

"City parking is a publicly owned asset," Pensacola Parking Manager Lissa Dees said. "We use parking dollars to cover the costs of striping, lights and safety, but we are also constantly looking for ways to be good community partners—whether it's keeping parking fees low, providing free handicapped parking in all citymanaged spots, having parking ambassadors on the streets to assist visitors or simply showing our local pride through our pay machine designs."

City pay machines are solar-powered and can be identified by teal blue ParkPensacola signage.

Downtown visitors have several payment options for city public parking—pay machines, textto-pay or PARKPensacola app.

When you start your parking session via the app, text or pay station, your first half hour is free.

Parking is also free in any on-street parking space for people displaying a handicapped placard. The rate is 50 cents per hour in city-owned spaces and lots after your free 30 minutes. The city will not boot your car.

UWF COLLEGE OF BUSINESS The University of West Florida College of Business has earned re-accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, known as AACSB International.

AACSB International is the largest and most-recognized global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. First accredited in 1994, UWF's College of Business maintains AACSB accreditation by demonstrating an ongoing commitment to the highest standards of excellence for curriculum, faculty, learner success and strategic program management. Less than 5% of business schools worldwide have earned AACSB accreditation.

"There is no better affirmation of the quality of the education provided by a College of Business anywhere in the world than AACSB accreditation," said Richard Fountain, dean of the College of Business. "Every accredited institution goes through a continuous improvement review every five years. While it is a rigorous process, it provides reassurance that the faculty and staff of the College of Business meet these exacting standards. Congratulations to our faculty and staff, as well as our students past, present and future, for this significant accomplishment."

UWF's College of Business prepares students for successful careers by providing highimpact, student-focused courses, relevant and innovative research and real-world experiences. The college is consistently ranked and awarded for its programs. The college's online MBA program and online Master of Accountancy program recently received recognition from U.S. News and World Report. Supply chain logistics students are among the all-time leaders in the Annual Operation Simulation Case Competition in Denver, Colo.

UWF has won the competition twice and placed in the top three on multiple occasions. The college houses five centers that offer programs for the community, including the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, the Center for Entrepreneurship, the Center for Supply Chain Management Excellence, the Florida Small Business Development Center at UWF and the Louis A. Maygarden Center for Financial Literacy.

To learn more about the UWF College of Business, visit uwf.edu/cob {in}

Josh Newby President/CEO Council on Aging of West Florida

At FPL, when we think of POWER, we think of providing our customers with clean, reliable energy they can count on today and for generations to come.

POWER also comes in the form of SERVANT leadership. We are honored to have our leaders, J.T. Young, Rick Byars, and Raymond Palmer recognized for their service to our community, our customers and to our Northwest Florida FPL team.

Congratulations to all those recognized on the 2023 POWER list. Thank you for your service in making Pensacola a great place to live, work and raise a family.

inweekly POWER LIST 2023

By Rick Outzen

What started on a cocktail napkin over happy hour at the Atlas Oyster House in June 2007 has grown into an annual issue in which we rank the area's greatest movers and shakers. Little did we know that the first issue would take off as it has, and similar lists have popped up in other media around the state over the past decade.

Trial attorney Fred Levin was an easy pick for the town's most influential person in 2007. The other top 10 included Judge Lacey Collier, car dealer Ted Ciano, attorney Jim Reeves, beer distributor Lewis Bear Jr., Clerk of Courts Ernie Lee Magaha, developer and restauranteur Collier Merrill, Studer Group founder Quint Studer, general contractor Jim Cronley and O'Sullivan Creel managing partner Mort O'Sullivan.

The rankings were based on a straightforward question—who could get something done in Pensacola with only a few phone calls? We didn't know how our readers would take the Power List, but our

phones began ringing almost as soon as the issue hit the stands. People wanted to know why they weren't on the list, and some were upset with their ranking. We quickly learned that we had a hit on our hands.

Over the past 16 years, we used this annual exercise to examine, evolve and expand the definition of "power." The initial Power List had only 50 names.

Four of them later moved to the top of the list— Collier Merrill, Lewis Bear Jr., Quint Studer and Jim Reeves. Only two from 2007 made this year's list— DeeDee Davis and Ken Ford.

Since the first issue, we have pushed beyond the easy choices and included all types of change agents in our community that might not have high name recognition but are making a difference. Activists who organize and use their voices to inspire others are influential. So are small-business owners, educators and pastors.

Putting together the list each spring is challenging. We ask community leaders for their input and go through several draft lists, adding, deleting and mov-

ing names around. It's an inexact process, but we feel it eventually hammers out the top 100.

David Bear heads the 2023 Power List, becoming the first offspring of a No. 1 to top the list. When he is involved in an organization or project, good things happen. He has served in several significant leadership roles in economic development, including Triumph Gulf Coast chair, Escambia County Tourist Development Council chair and FloridaWest vice chair.

David has served as board president for the Arts Council of Northwest Florida, Pensacola Museum of Art, Creative Learning Academy and Pensacola MESS Hall. As the founder, president and trustee emeritus of Art, Culture and Entertainment, Inc., Bear started and chaired both Foo Foo Festival and Vacation Artfully, two of Escambia County's cultural tourism campaigns. He has played a major role in our area's growth and development and will continue to do so.

We hope you enjoy the 2023 Inweekly Power List.

Exactly three weeks after the death of his illustrious father, David Bear grasps for the right words to describe his grieving process. He sits in his spacious Lewis Bear Company office and freely admits he is still trying to wrap his mind around losing his father. Then his mind shifts to reflecting on the last few years, and the words suddenly pour out.

"Emotionally, watching him get sicker and sicker and sicker was unbelievably painful," said 52-year-old David. "They say nothing can

#1 David Bear

By Tom St. Myer

compare you for the loss of a parent. I always just thought it was the absence of that parent after they die. Maybe that is the case because it's all so new that I'm not feeling that quite yet."

Lewis Jr. left an indelible legacy with his fingerprint on virtually every significant economic development in Escambia County over the last 50-plus years. He and his family shared what David described as beautiful conversations in his final days. The last meaningful con -

versation between Lewis Jr. and David revolved around what else but the family business.

David assumes the reins as CEO from his father with his brother-in-law, Chad Bonner, serving as president and his brother, Lewis Bear III, as vice president. That leadership structure kept the company running smoothly while Lewis Jr. was ill. Yet, in his final days, he still questioned who should be CEO among the three choices.

"He was very successful, and I believe he did a really great job of succession planning; whether

he believed he did enough went into his question," said David, who joins his father in the exclusive No. 1-ranked Inweekly Power List club. Lewis Jr. held the top spot in 2009.

"I told him I thought I was doing a good job, and then he asked about my brother and my brother-in-law and how they would feel about it. It was one of those conversations that sort of needed to happen."

The mere idea of David being CEO of Lewis Bear Company would have been preposterous 30

Photo by Geoff Peck (@tinyobservations)

years ago. He was a college dropout in a rehab facility in Jackson, Miss. David stayed in Jackson after he checked out of rehab.

"There was a lot of support there, a lot of people that I was in treatment with who were getting out at the same time," he said. "...I was scared that I would come back here and have a hard time not going back to the same places with the same people. Although I loved all those people, it was just not a healthy choice for me, so I stayed in Jackson."

ue to look for opportunities to continue to diversify and protect our company. Our industry is so highly regulated that one little legislative bill could completely deregulate us."

David returns to his office from a nearly twohour meeting with emails and paperwork piling up on this late March morning. He is "underwater" after focusing primarily on his father for the past few months.

After the funeral, David and his family took a trip with the Merrills to the Bahamas. Longtime family friend Collier Merrill lost his father about three years ago, and David credited him for being the perfect sounding board on the trip.

"It was good for him to get away because I went through the same thing around spring break when my dad passed," said Merrill, who considers Lewis Jr. to be the second closest person he has lost behind only his father. "Everybody wants to talk about it. You're trying to get stuff done, and suppliers and vendors just want to tell stories about your dad. I told him don't get overwhelmed."

One phone call from his father dramatically changed his life. Lewis Jr. planned to sell the grocery business and buy out their cousins for the beverage company. Did David want to be part of the family business? David paused only briefly before saying yes. Lewis Jr. responded, "Then get your ass back to college, finish and come back home. You've played around enough."

David graduated from Belhaven University and returned home with a new outlook on life that remains fervent today. He applies the principles he learned during recovery to all aspects of his life.

"I need to be honest. I need to be successful. It's a daily thing," David said. "I fail at times on different things. I don't have everything in check. I'm obviously not perfect, but (the principles) are my fallback."

One of his failures surfaced about a year ago. David focused on his family, the company and philanthropic activities—but not his health. He began to resemble his father, with a portly frame and high blood pressure. Fearing a diagnosis of cancer or type 2 diabetes, David went to a doctor, discovered he was positive for type 1 diabetes and was prescribed insulin.

The diagnosis served as a wake-up call. David cut out sugar, sweets and starches from his diet and began walking. The walking soon turned into running a few miles three-four days a week. David has lost about 40 pounds and no longer takes insulin shots.

"My dad's kidneys failed not because he had bad kidneys but unmanaged high blood pressure," David said. "His eating habits weren't great. His personality sometimes got in the way, which drove his blood pressure up. I thought, that's me in 30 years, and I don't want to be where he is now in 30 years."

Following in the footsteps of four previous generations sometimes weighs on David. He feels that pressure every morning, sometimes waking up as early at 3 a.m. In the past, David called on his father for advice. Lewis Jr. always managed to see the bigger picture and provide the right answer. That safety blanket is no longer a phone call away.

"I don't have somebody to bounce anything off of," David said. "Really, it's up to me to contin-

Merrill said Lewis Jr. provided his son leeway at the company but yanked on the reins when he thought it necessary. Father and son clashed at times due to the similarities and contrasts in their personalities. David is his own man, and his personality shines through with his choices in wardrobe and office decor. On this March morning, he wears dark jeans, a navy blazer over a button-up shirt and no tie. Lewis Jr. never wore jeans to the office.

A caricature of one of his favorite musicians, Frank Zappa, hangs behind his desk with the quote, "You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of football team or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." Not exactly the type of artwork anyone would associate with his father.

Yet peel back the layers and their similarities as workaholics and philanthropists shine through. His father's gruffness served a purpose.

"I always thought I wanted to be a softer, nicer version of him, but the older I get and the more responsibility I take on, I totally understand him so much more," David said. "There are so many things you want to do, and you feel obligated to do and need to do that there's not a lot of time to put up with a lot of bull."

Lewis Jr. told David that he was born on third base, but they still had to make it home on their own.

"You don't just slide into home without effort," David said. "I'm still climbing the hill. I feel like there's so much work that still needs to be done in so many different things."

"I always thought I wanted to be a softer, nicer version of him, but the older I get and the more responsibility I take on, I totally understand him so much more." David Bear

"You don't just slide into home without effort. I'm still climbing the hill. I feel like there's so much work that still needs to be done in so many different things." Bear

The team members at Retina Specialty Institute and IRIS: Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems wish to congratulate visionary retinal surgeon, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Dr. Sunil Gupta for being featured in the Top 10 on the Inweekly 2023 Power List.

Dr. Gupta provides world-class retina care while utilizing the most cutting edge retina treatments available. Lead by his compassion and innovative nature, he has greatly impacted the healthcare industry, our community, and – most importantly—his patients lives.

Dr. Gupta’s team at RSI is currently home to over 25 clinical trials in the retina space; ranging from Advanced Dry and Wet Macular Degeneration, to Retinal Vein occlusion trial treatments.

Retina Specialty Institute and IRIS are proud to have Dr. Sunil Gupta championing the mission to end preventable blindness!

2. Dr. Martha Saunders

President, University of West Florida

No one will ever accuse Dr. Martha Saunders of being complacent, but her body language and tone of voice reveal contentment as she smiles and sits comfortably in her University of West Florida presidential office for the interview.

Life is good for the president. She oversees a university with steadily increasing enrollment, that ranks first in the State University System in putting graduates in the workforce or graduate school and that generates over $1.1 billion in total annual sales for the regional economy.

"When you're working so hard, sometimes you don't take the time to just look around and say, 'This is just really good, and I like it,'" Saunders said. "Now, I'm at a point where I do appreciate the good things, and I don't take the hard days so hard."

"I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing," she said. "I do have frequent and earnest conversations with our board and the people who work directly with me. I don't want to ever be lulled into complacency and say things are great, so I don't need to work hard."

Workaholic accurately describes Saunders. She puts in countless hours to ensure UWF continues its upward trajectory. The university has increased enrollment for three consecutive years and set a record with 13,504 students in the 2022 fall semester. Other impressive accomplishments under her guidance include generating local incomes and wages of nearly $1.2 billion annually and about $703 million in gross domestic product to the Florida economy.

Saunders demands the best from herself and her employees, but not to the same level as in the past when the drive for perfection

"I'm softer," she said. "I don't mean that to sound like I don't get things done. I just roll with the punches a little better than I did when I started out and I'm able to see myriad opportunities today instead of this one goal and

we're going to get there or die. I think that has made a difference."

Throughout her years in leadership, Saunders has evolved and adapted to her environment. She first led a university nearly 20 years ago when the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater named her its chancellor. She then served as president of her alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, before returning to UWF.

"Any leader who doesn't sort of get their sea legs and adapt with changing times is going to be very unhappy and also probably not very effective," she said.

Saunders is only the sixth president at a university with a history of stable and effective leadership. The reign of her five predecessors ranges from six to 14 years, and each left a legacy.

What will her legacy be? Record enrollment and graduates successfully transitioning into the workforce better than any state university stand out as benchmarks, but Saunders has a broader perspective.

"I guess If I were looking at anything that I'd like them to say about me," Saunders said, "it's that she put us on the map."

2023 inweekly POWER LIST

3. Julian MacQueen

Chairman & Founder, Innisfree Hotels

Northwest Florida and regions beyond display the unmistakable imprint of hotel moHis Innisfree Hotels empire is in the midst of $600 million in development, with about one-third of that amount devoted to projects on Pensacola Beach.

"It's one of the largest economic developments in Escambia County, with no (tax) incentives, by the way," MacQueen said. "It'll

New development is common for Innisfree. The company withstood the COVID-19 global pandemic to expand by 150% in the past five years. That percentage balloons to 600% expansion when examining the last 10 years. New hotel locations for Innisfree include Amelia Island and Cocoa Beach, Fla; Galveston, Texas; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

MacQueen credits the success to building a customer-friendly and positive work-environment culture over the past 40 years. The culture includes 10 customer service commandments and 10 working together commandments. "SMILE!" is No. 5 on both lists.

The MacQueen imprint expands far beyond hotels. He and his wife, Kim, participate in philanthropic activities shaped by their Baha'i faith. Baha'is believe in the oneness of

humanity and devote themselves to the abolition of racial, class and religious prejudices.

Philanthropic activities for the MacQueens include Parent University, Equity Project Alliance, Dixon School of Arts and Sciences, Independence for the Blind of West Florida, From the Ground Up Community Garden Pensacola, Escambia Children's Trust and the Bail Project.

Parent University tops their priority list. The nonprofit organization holds monthly meetings at rotating schools with the goal to maximize student learning. The concept is to form a bridge between the community and schools that includes providing support and guidance to families and encouraging parents to teach each other.

"It's still in the formative stage but the impact is so deep," MacQueen said. "There's been a tremendous amount of momentum built over the past three years. It's one of our projects that's going to have more of a lasting effect on Pensacola."

Equity Project Alliance is another top priority for the MacQueens. The local initiative confronts systemic racism and promotes transformative thinking, unity and equity in the community. Its vision is a collective focus

to live in a community of authentic relationships that reflect equity and a deep appreciation of inclusion.

In the wake of the social unrest surrounding the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, MacQueen invited members of the business community to participate in a series of conversations designed to allow persons of privilege to hear and understand how systemic racism impacts the lives of minorities in the community.

Over 30 participants met every other weekend for 18 months to discuss what life is like for Blacks and other minority groups in Pensacola. MacQueen described the conversations as transformative.

"I experienced segregation with Jim Crow from an extremely naive view as a privileged white kid who didn't realize we had a problem," MacQueen said.

The 72-year-old MacQueen is decades removed from that ignorant mindset, but his youthful entrepreneurial spirit remains as fervent today as the late 1970s when he established a hot air balloon business. He found his entrepreneurial footing a few years later by founding Innisfree Hotels, and he has been soaring ever since.

Pensacola | Destin | Santa Rosa Beach | Tallahassee

Scott A. Remington Business Litigator

Thank you!

Our heartfelt thanks to Rick Outzen and the InWeekly Team for their tireless efforts to support our community.

We are honored to congratulate Robert Rinke, Mark Lee, and Gary Michaels for being recognized as some of the most influential leaders in the Pensacola area by InWeekly.

We are proud to be part of a community that is home to such inspiring individuals and organizations.

850.916.5050 | levinrinkerealty.com

Robert Rinke

Mark Lee Gary Michaels

2023 inweekly POWER LIST

4. Chandra Smiley

CEO/Executive Director, Community Health NWFL

Chandra Smiley firmly believes everyone deserves access to quality and affordable health care. As Community Health Northwest Florida's CEO, she ensures that happens in Northwest Florida.

Community Health is the primary health care provider for low-income families on Medicaid. Roughly 60% of its patients (93,000) receive Medicaid coverage, and uninsured account for another 19%. Smiley wants to care for even more.

"The population is 500,000, and 12-13% of that is uninsured," she told Inweekly. "Just in uninsured alone, we're scratching the surface of the need. We're growing and expanding because there's a need for us."

Community Health ranks among the titans in economic impact in the region. Its economic impact increased to a record $85.9 million last year. To put its massive growth in perspective, consider its economic impact barely surpassed $15 million in 2013 and fell short of $40 million five

Community Health devotes a significant number of resources to patients in the underserved 32505, 32506 and 32526 ZIP codes and the homeless population.

In 2018, it established its main site in the 32505 ZIP code, renovating the historic Allie Yniestra Elementary School on Jackson Street.

"We know 32505 is one of those ZIP codes with all kinds of challenges—crime, high school graduation rates, unemployment rate," Smiley said.

The 32505 ZIP code includes C.A. Weis Elementary, where Community Health partnered seven years ago with Escambia County Public Schools, Children's Home Society and the University of West Florida to transition C.A. Weis into a Community Partnership School. The partners signed a 30-year agreement for C.A. Weis and just inked another 30year partnership for Pine Forest High School. Pine Forest is located in the 32526 ZIP code targeted by Community Health.

"We just knew those ZIP codes were ones we weren't really touching, and we know there are high-poverty schools with a high percentage of free and reduced meal students," Smiley said.

Since it opened its clinic at Pine Forest High in January, a Community Health pediatrician has examined an average of seven patients a day, five days a week. Its pediatrician at Weis averages seeing 13-15 patients per day.

A contributor to its rising economic impact is the number of homeless treated by Community Health physicians. The health care provider nearly doubled the number of homeless treated in 2022 from the previous year. The Community Health mobile van visits homeless providers such as Alfred Washburn Center, Bright Bridge and Heavenly Blessing at least once a week.

The mobile van reduces barriers to care— the No. 1 goal for Community Health according to its 2023-28 strategic plan. Other patient experience goals include creating empowerment, engagement and satisfaction, expanding clinical services and expanding nonclinical services aimed at addressing social determinants of health. Smiley considers each goal to be sustainable for Community Health.

"The worst thing in the world is to be a flash in the pan, to set up and only be there for two years," she said. "Whatever we do has to be sustainable. We have to be in it for the long haul. We have to be committed."

Commitment to the Community Health mission is never an issue for Smiley. She wakes up each morning knowing her purpose in life is to provide health care to the underserved.

"This is my purpose," she said. "This is why I was put here."

2023 inweekly POWER LIST

5. D.C. Reeves

Mayor, City of Pensacola

Connie Bookman is a super mom in the eyes of Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves. With a prideful tone, he tells stories about her loaning her vehicle to a patient at Baptist Hospital and spending five days with women in a reformatory to see life through

The Pathways for Change founder and CEO is a social worker extraordinaire who has passed down her heart for service to her son. The 38-year-old Reeves serves Pensacolians with a daily desire to better

"He's very in tune with the wellness of people," Bookman said. "That's what drives his service. It's important to him that people

Reeves demonstrated his heart for service as the owner of Perfect Plain, a thriving downtown brewing company. Perfect Plain manufactured hand sanitizer for nursing homes, health care workers and first responders during the early stages of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The brewing company also provided hundreds of gallons of clean water to the public in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally.

A political newcomer, Reeves is five months into his term as the youngest Pensacola mayor in over 100 years. He has taken an unusual path to his office in City Hall. His professional career began as a sports reporter and included covering the Florida State and Alabama football programs. He returned to Pensacola and served as chief of staff for Studer before he established the brewing company that he sold last year to New Orleans-based Urban South Brewery.

"The path I've taken so far, which is nothing but to follow my heart and seize the opportunity, has been wonderful for me and wonderful for my family," Reeves said. "I'll continue that path."

Reeves learned a valuable life lesson as a young journalist that shapes who he is as a mayor. He interned for MLB.com and shadowed T.R. Sullivan. The grizzled journalist taught Reeves to be critical of players and face them afterward no matter the repercussions.

"He told me, 'You always show up the next day, no matter what you write,'" Reeves said. "I didn't realize until years later that's true with every tough decision made in private business. The expectation is you show

up. If they yell at you, they yell at you. It's ingrained in every part of my life."

The mayor is still learning the lay of the land. Reeves leans on his staff and advice from former mayors Ashton Hayward and Grover Robinson IV to navigate the course terrain.

"You just don't know until you're on this side of the glass how much it takes to do things that as a citizen may seem simple," Reeves said. "There's a lot of moving parts, a lot of departments … You certainly don't get in the line I'm in to try and move your community forward if you don't love it, and I love this place."

Reeves inherited a city with a shortage of attainable housing at all economic levels. His plan is to increase attainable and market-rate housing—a nod to both his entrepreneurial spirit and heart for service. Reeves said possibilities include building units on city properties such as parks and retrofitting vacant hotels.

"We the city should be actively looking for partnerships and leverage our partnerships to create affordable housing at scale," Reeves said. "We have to myth bust that you can only do one or the other."

6. J.T. Young

Vice President/General Manager, Florida Power & Light Northwest Florida

Young is Florida Power & Light's (FPL) lead in the Northwest region, which spans eight counties, including Escambia. He is also a member of FPL's Operating Committee. In his role, Young supports the company's efforts in the Northwest Florida region including customer service, power delivery, community relations, economic development and employee engagement. Young says he's elated to return to his hometown of Pensacola to serve FPL's customers, support our employees and give back to our communities.

7. Dr. C. Edward Meadows President, Pensacola State College

Dr. Meadows began his tenure as president of Pensacola State College in 2008. The college, established in 1948 as Pensacola Junior College, began offering workforce bachelor programs in 2010 and, as a result, was renamed Pensacola State College (PSC). The college has received numerous institutional and student achievement recognitions as indicated by U.S. News and World Report. PSC ranks in the top 1% in the nation for affordability, and 95% of our students are loan-free. The college operates three campuses and four centers in Escambia and Santa Rosa County.

8. Mark Faulkner President/CEO, Baptist Health Care

Faulkner leads the area's only remaining locally led health care system. Under his leadership, Baptist Health Care (BHC) is continuing its legacy of offering groundbreaking care with the construction of the new $636 million Baptist Hospital campus opening in late 2023. Faulkner says the amazing team at BHC never ceases to inspire him, and he is blessed to serve the people of Northwest Florida.

Shareholder/Chair, Securities & Business Litigation Department, Levin, Papantonio, Rafferty, Proctor, Buchanan, O'Brien, Barr & Mougey, P.A.

Mougey has dedicated his career to championing individuals' rights against the world's largest companies. In the National Opiate Litigation, he was selected to serve as co-lead of the Distributor & Pharmacy cases in what has been called "the largest and most complex case in the history of jurisprudence" by the Washington Post. He helped negotiate the $57 billion settlement with the opioid supply chain. Mougey also spearheads several local projects, including The Heart of Pensacola's Food as Medicine, the Fourth of July's Symphony Sparks & Stars and the Palafox Beautification project along with serving on the various local boards.

Dr. Gupta is driven by wanting to make a difference in the vision and thus the lives of patients along the Gulf His dedicated teams at Retina Specialty Institute have helped build a nationally recognized care delivery model and a Clinical Trials Center for treatments of blinding retinal and macular conditions. Similarly, IRIS has impacted over one million patients nationally and now having the same impact internationally. He remains an advocate for Pensacola and the power in its people and infrastructure to create innovative & impactful startups.

Ford, as founder and CEO of the Florida Institute of Human & Machine Cognition (IHMC), has built one of the nation's premier research organizations with an international reputation for excellence. In 2017, Dr. Ford was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his pioneering work in artificial intelligence and humancentered computing. IHMC's success has been a catalyst for downtown Pensacola's revitalization.

Deliman oversees Cox Operations in Northwest Florida, from Pensacola and Perdido Key to Sandestin. He is an advocate for customers, employees and Cox in the community. Deliman is in his 19th year at Cox, where he has held a variety of roles at both the field and corporate offices. Before that, he worked in broadcast journalism as a reporter and managing editor at WEAR-TV. David is actively involved in the community, on the board of directors for the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce, First Place Partners, Achieve Escambia, as well as the industry association Florida Internet and Television.

9. Peter Mougey

10. Sunil Gupta, MD

Founder, RSI, IRIS and USR

11. Dr. Ken Ford

Founder/CEO, Florida Institute of Human & Machine Cognition

12. David Deliman

Market Vice President, Gulf Coast, Cox Communications

Rudolph oversees the area's largest hospital that serves as the region's leading provider of specialized care for trauma, stroke, cancer, pediatrics, cardiology and obstetrics. In spite of the challenges brought by the pandemic, she led Sacred Heart to add additional capabilities such as robotic bronchoscopy as part of the Center for Advanced Robotic Surgery, ECMO and living donor for kidney transplant. These program expansions as well as earning Leapfrog "A" a fourth time and Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital for the sixth year enable our community to get advanced tertiary care in Pensacola.

Davis is the owner and broker of NAI Pensacola Commercial Real Estate, following a successful career in teaching. The former state representative has been heavily involved in our community for many years, including chairing the Downtown Improvement Board. Davis has also chaired and created successful fundraisers for local nonprofits. She currently serves on the UWF Foundation Board of Directors and the SmartBank Board of Advisors.

Michles is a leader in the Florida Justice Association and former chair of the Medical Malpractice Committee. As the son of a disabled Vietnam veteran and as a veteran himself, he is committed to military issues, including the creation of the Michles Family Freedom Foundation, a charitable foundation supporting military and first responders and their families.

Rinke started Levin Rinke Realty with the late Allen Levin, selling over $3 billion in real estate over the last 30 years. He has made selling the Pensacola lifestyle his passion. Rinke and his partners have developed over 1,000 resort condominiums. He has improved the quality of life for locals and tourists and made the area a vibrant destination to live, work and play.

13. Dawn Rudolph President, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola

14. DeeDee Davis Owner/CEO, NAI Pensacola

15. Marcus Michles Founder/Managing Partner, Michles & Booth

16. Robert Rinke

Co-Owner/Broker of Levin Rinke Realty and Managing Partner, Levin Rinke Development

GROUNDBREAKING LEADERSHIP

The Baptist team celebrates Mark, KC and all of our amazing leaders and team members who work together every day to support our Mission of helping people throughout life’s journey. And congratulations to all of Northwest Florida’s groundbreaking leaders – we are proud to serve with you to improve quality of life in our community for generations to come.

Mark Faulkner President/CEO Baptist Health Care

KC Gartman Chief Development Officer Baptist Health Care Foundation

inweekly POWER LIST

Sansing has been a pillar of Pensacola's business and philanthropic communities for more than five decades. Folks are as likely to recognize him for his namebearing network of car dealerships as they are for his extensive charitable giving and leadership. Three generations of Pensacola area residents know, if you need to get something done, "Sandy

Can."

The McDonald-Fleming law firm congratulates its partner, Edward "Ed" Fleming, for being named to the 2023 Inweekly Power List. This list is reserved for those deemed to be the most influential people in the greater Pensacola area.

Driven by a passion for serving her clients and community, Warren is an influencer at Warren Averett and throughout Pensacola. Warren is a past president and current member of IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Impact100 Global Council, University of West Florida Foundation and Fiesta Pensacola and is the Pensacola Campus Leader for Momentum Church.

Ed is a founding partner of the McDonald-Fleming firm. He has previously been named as a “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend Magazine. He also has been named a “Top Rated Attorney” in Litigation by the peer-reviewed Martindale-Hubbell® publication. He practices in the area of civil litigation, including construction, complex commercial litigation, government law and appellate work. He has been appointed by three governors to the First District Court of Appeals Judicial Nomination Commission where he currently sits as the longest serving member.

Yarbrough is the Chief Executive Officer of Emergency Care Partners (ECP), headquartered in the Thiesen building in downtown Pensacola.  ECP is a nationwide physician practice in emergency medicine, treating more than one million patients annually in some of the largest hospitals in the country. Yarbrough is known for building and leading successful health care companies for over three decades. He has served with a number of boards and organizations in the community, including Arc Gateway.

Bullaro is a passionate leader who has championed several successful health care initiatives across Northwest Florida since arriving in April 2022. He currently serves on the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees and the Northwest Florida Mental Health Task Force. Bullaro, who received his master's in Business Administration from Duke University, lived in Pensacola previously on three separate occasions while in the U.S. Navy. He served as the Operations Officer for the U.S. Navy Helicopter Squadron flying relief missions in response to Hurricane Katrina and

Sansing

17. Sandy Sansing President, Sandy Sansing Automotive

18. Cyndi Warren, CPA Office Managing Member, Warren Averett CPAS & Advisors

19. Bill Yarbrough Chief Executive Officer, Emergency Care Partners

the Indonesia Tsunami.

20. Gabe Bullaro Chief Executive Officer, HCA Florida West Hospital

719 S. Palafox Street

1. David Bear, CEO, The Lewis Bear Company

2. Dr. Martha Saunders, President, University of West Florida

3. Julian MacQueen, Chairman & Founder, Innisfree Hotels

4. Chandra Smiley, CEO/ Executive Director, Community Health NWFL

5. D.C. Reeves, Mayor, City of Pensacola

6. J.T. Young, Vice President/ General Manager, FPL

7. Dr. C. Edward Meadows, President, Pensacola State College

8. Mark Faulkner, President/CEO, Baptist Health Care

9. Peter Mougey, Shareholder, Levin Papantonio Rafferty

10. Sunil Gupta, MD, Founder, RSI, IRIS and USR

11. Ken Ford, CEO/Founder, IHMC

12. David Deliman, Market VP Gulf Coast, Cox Communications

13. Dawn Rudolph, President, Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola

14. DeeDee Davis, Owner/CEO, NAI Pensacola

15. Marcus Michles, Founder/ Managing Partner, Michles & Booth

16. Robert Rinke, Developer, Levin Rinke Realty

17. Sandy Sansing, President, Sandy Sansing Automotive

18. Cyndi Warren, Office Managing Member, Warren Averett

19. Bill Yarbrough, CEO, Emergency Care Partners

20. Gabe Bullaro, CEO, HCA Florida West Hospital

21. Kara Cardona, Executive Vice President, Navy Federal Credit Union

22. Scott Taylor, Mill Manager, International Paper

23. Stephen R. Moorhead, Founder, Moorhead Real Estate Law Group

24. Chip Simmons, Escambia County Sheriff

25. Bill Wein, CEO/Co-founder, IMS Expert Services, Inc.

26. Allison Hill, President/CEO, Lakeview Center

27. Rick Byars, Senior External Affairs Manager, FPL

28. Justin Witkin, Founding Partner, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz

29. Dr. Lonnie Wesley, Pastor, Greater Little Rock Baptist Church

30. Mark Proctor, President, Levin Papantonio Rafferty

31. Bruce Vredenburg, Regional President, Hancock Whitney Bank

32. Tom Owens, Market PresidentFlorida Panhandle, Truist Financial

33. Ted Ent, President/CEO, Innisfree Hotels

34. Keith Hoskins, Executive Vice President, Navy Federal Credit Union

35. Linda "Sonshine" Moorer, Program Director, Magic 106

36. Chad Henderson, CEO, Catalyst HRE

37. Delbert Lee Morgan, President/ CEO, Pen Air Federal Credit Union

38. Aaron Watson, Attorney, Watson Law Firm

39. Lee Bell, President, Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund

40. Justin Beck, CEO, Beck Partners

41. Robert Emmanuel, Attorney, Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon

42. Mona Amodeo, Founder/ President, idgroup

43. Joe Zarzaur, Attorney, Zarzaur Law, P.A.

44. J. Nixon Daniel, Managing Partner, Beggs & Lane

45. Belle Bear, Co-Founder, IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay Area

46. K.C. Gartman, Chief Development Officer, Baptist Health Care Foundation

47. Teniadé Broughton, Pensacola City Council, District 5

48. Scott Remington, Shareholder, Clark Partington

49. Kristen Longley, Director of Public Affairs, Cox Communications

50. Brian Aylstock, Founding Partner, Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz

51. Carol Carlan, Director of Philanthropy,

THE LIST

52. Cheryl Young, Broker, Seville Square Realty

53. Walker Wilson, Executive Director, Downtown Improvement Board

54. Dr. Tyler Hardeman, Senior Pastor, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church

55. Johnnie Wright, Senior VP/ Market Leader, SmartBank

56. Howard Reddy, VP of University Advancement, UWF

57. Delarian Wiggins, President, Pensacola City Council

58. Ray Palmer, CEO/President, Pensacola Sports

59. Hale Morrissette, North Florida Regional Organizer, Dream Defenders

60. Rick Fountain, Dean, UWF College of Business

61. Daniel Souers,  President/CEO, Gulf Winds Credit Union

62. Tim Kinsella, Director, UWF Center for Leadership

63. Harold Griffin Jr., Owner, ITL Solutions

64. Kim Adams, General Counsel, Levin Papantonio Rafferty

65. Cindi Bonner, Pensacola Director, Rally Foundation

66. Justin Labrato, COO, Ascension Sacred Heart

67. Lisa Long Lyter, Creative Strategist, Red Iron Design

68. Kristine & Reid Rushing, Owners, Rushing Insurance

69. Robert Hill, Owner, WRNE

70. Sid Williams-Heath, Executive Director, Pensacola Little Theatre

71. Lusharon Wiley, Diversity Officer, Innisfree

72. Therese Felth McKenzie, Attorney, McKenzie Law Firm

73. Ed Fleming, Attorney, McDonald Fleming

74. Marcus McBride, CEO, CareerSource Escarosa

75. Shawn Salamida, President, Lakeview Center Behavioral Services

76. Maria Goldberg, Marketing & Events Director, Great Southern Restaurants

77. Mark Lee, Broker, Levin Rinke Realty

78. Todd Thomson, CEO, Greater Pensacola Chamber

79. Tori Wood, Board Chair, Escambia Children's Trust

80. Grace McCaffery, Owner, Latino Media

81. Vanessa Phillips, Asst. Community Health Director, Florida Department of Health

82. Gary Michaels, Operations Manager, Levin Rinke Realty

83. Eric Stevenson, Attorney, Stevenson & Koltz

84. Jeff Nall, Executive Director, Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association

85. Robin & Lloyd Reshard, Founders, Pensacola Network

86. Danny Zimmern, President, Pensacola Mardi Gras

87. Devin Cove, President, Strive

88. Bryan Freeman, Executive Director, Lamplighters, Inc.

89. Mike Kimberl, Director, Alfred Washburn Center

90. Georgia Blackmon, Founder, Mother Wit

91. William Reynolds, Creator, NorthEscambia.com

92. Jacey Cosentino, President, Sunday's Child

93. Nicole Dixon, Executive Director, Real Women Radio

94. Jenny Noonan, Vice PresidentProperty Management, NAI Pensacola

95. Ray Palmer, Production Tech 2 FPL, Co-Founder SYSA

96. Josh Newby, President/CEO, Council on Aging of West Florida

97. Brian Wyer, President/CEO, Gulf Coast Minority Chamber

98. Jerry McIntosh, Past President, Movement for Change

99. Cameron Cauley, PresidentProperty Management, NAI Pensacola

100. Justin Oswald, President, Pensacola Young Professionals

EDUCATING

Vulnerable Communities

The Hive Foundation

INNISFREE HOTELS

EMPOWERING

Marginalized People

ENRICHING

Healthy Food Options

Dixon School of Arts and Sciences

Epps Christian Center

Healthy Gulf

Independence for the Blind of West Florida Parent University

The Bail Project

From the Ground Up Community Garden

Escambia County Sheriff’s Foundation

University of West Florida

Satori Foundation

Studer Community Institute

Pensacola Children’s Chorus

Project Search

Equity Project Alliance

Congratulations to this year’s Power List members Julian MacQueen, Ted Ent and Dr. Lusharon Wiley!

Innisfree Hotels and it’s Foundation “The Hive,” are proud of its support in the communities we call home. Innisfree Hotels is a Triple Bottom Line company focused on People, Planet and Prosperity. We are also proud to support the following and many other organizations: innisfreehotels.com

Power List Hall of Fame

Distinguished Fellow. Merrill relishes the role of kingmaker.

Quote: "We've got to continue with the growth that we're having downtown, but we've got to do it in a way that 100 years from now, people will be talking about how great it is."

Lewis Bear Jr. (2009)

ral Mason Park. He built the Theophalis May Resource Center and Woodland Heights Resource Center and started the construction on the Bayview Community Center. He championed ST Aerospace Engineering, which continues to expand at the Pensacola International Airport.

cluding "Jesus Camp," "The Devil We Know" and "The Oxy Kingpins." He has written four legal thrillers, starring attorney Deke Deketomis, and has a fifth that will published later this year.

Once you're named the most influential, you deserve a special place. David Bear will join this small group of movers and shakers who have each earned the number one spot on the Inweekly Power List since 2007.

Fred Levin (2007)

The flamboyant Pensacola trial attorney helped rewrite legislation in 1993 that led to a $13.2 billion settlement by the tobacco industry with the state of Florida. Levin received the Perry Nichols Award in 1994, which is the highest honor bestowed by the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers. In 2009, Levin was inducted into the National Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame. He passed in 2021 but is remembered for his brilliance, showmanship and quick wit. Over the past decade, Levin donated over $30 million to education, health and charities.

Quote: "Everything I've gotten in life, I've had an awful lot of luck. Roy Jones fell in my lap. The tobacco legislation fell in my lap. Politics fell in my lap and everything else. I think I'm lucky."

J. Collier Merrill (2008)

Merrill runs Great Southern Restaurant Group, which owns the Atlas Oyster House, Jackson's Steakhouse, Five Sisters Blues Café and Angelena's. He is also the president of Merrill Land Company. Merrill has been named an Art Education Hero by the Florida Cultural Alliance, Community Leader of the Year by the Greater Pensacola Chamber, Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser by the National Society of Fund Raising Professionals, Fiesta of Five Flag's DeLuna LXV and UWF

As president and CEO of the Lewis Bear Company, a wholesale beer distributorship that his great-grandfather founded in 1876, Bear played a major role in the area's economic development over the past two decades—with the Pensacola Chamber, FloridaWest, Pensacola-Escambia Economic Development Commission and Triumph Gulf Coast. The Studer Family Children's Hospital at Sacred Heart and Baptist Hospital have facilities bearing his family's name, thanks to his generosity. He passed earlier this year, leaving big shoes to fill.

Quote: "Whether they have been here all their lives or moved here, we have people who are committed to making this a better place to live. When I get committed to something, I can be pretty stubborn."

Quint Studer (2010)

The Studer Group founder has been the catalyst for Pensacola's renaissance—from championing the Community Maritime Park to bringing Pensacola an MLB Double-A baseball team to investing over $100 million on new office buildings and housing in downtown Pensacola to donating tens of millions to local education, health care and charities. With the help of the News Journal, Studer launched CivicCon and the Center of Civic Engagement.

Quote: "We've got to go big. It's like three steps forward, two steps back, three steps forward, two steps back, and some of them aren't backward steps. They're solidifying things or getting better use out of something that you didn't maximize the first time."

Ashton Hayward (2011)

In 2010, the Pensacola native was elected Pensacola's first strong since W.D. Chipley. Hayward oversaw the completion of the Community Maritime Park and Admi-

Quote: "My power is to be able to reach out to the citizens of Pensacola and see how I can make their quality of life better, build our infrastructure better, to make sure we're looking at every detail of our city—whether it's our enterprises, downtown or neighborhoods."

Dr. Judy Bense (2012)

The founder of the UWF program of Anthropology/Archaeology became the fifth president of the University of West Florida in July 2008. In December 2017, she stepped down but has stayed connected to the institution. The University of West Florida board of trustees cemented her legacy by naming her president emeritus. In 2017, the Greater Pensacola Chamber awarded Bense its Pioneer award for her contributions to the community. She co-chaired Escambia County's 200th anniversary commission.

Quote: "I'd always had the 'Lucille Ball' approach to life—don't mess with success; stick with what you're good at."

David Morgan (2013)

His defeat of a well-financed, two-term incumbent in 2008 is considered one of the biggest upsets in Escambia County politics. And many of the good old boys never forgave him but failed to defeat him during the re-election campaigns of 2012 and 2016. His decisive leadership, especially with 2009 Billings murders and the 2010 BP Oil Spill, earned Morgan the reputation for being one of the top sheriffs in Florida. He stepped down in 2020, choosing not to seek a fourth term.

Quote: "It's important you stay grounded and never forget what got you where you are."

Mike Papantonio (2014)

Considered the nation's top trial attorney, Pensacola's Renaissance man is a regular commentator on the news networks, an author and musician. He has been awarded the Perry Nichols Award, Defender of Justice Award by the American Association for Justice, Temple University Beasley School of Law's Award for Social Justice and the Compassionate Gladiator Award from the Florida Justice Association. He has been featured in several award-winning documentaries, in-

Quote: "When I think about everything that I have spent my time doing and drill right down to why—it's out of conviction."

Stan Connally (2015)

The president and CEO of Gulf Power Company worked up the ladder of Southern Company with steps at all its subsidiaries. He served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of Achieve Escambia, Capital City Bank Group, Florida Council of 100 and Enterprise Florida. Before Gulf Power's sale to NextEra Energy, he was named the executive vice president of operations for Southern Company. In 2021, Connally was also named CEO of Southern Company Services, Inc.

Quote: "I've been on the record and very public talking about an outcome from good economic development must be diversifying our economy. By that, I mean increasing the impact of the innovation space."

Bentina Terry (2016)

In 2017, we lost Terry when she was promoted to senior vice president of the Metro Atlanta Region for Georgia Power. However, her decade of living in Pensacola had a profound impact on this community. She was the highestranking Black woman at Gulf Power and served on the boards of the Community Maritime Park Associates and the University of West Florida. She also worked to make the multicultural Voices of Pensacola a reality. Terry is currently Senior Vice President, Customer Strategy and Solutions for Georgia Power.

Quote: "We need to start a whole effort from cradle to career. We'll never grow as a community unless we improve the quality of our education."

Rishy Studer (2017)

She has created and runs five businesses as part of the Bodacious Shops that sparked vibrancy in Pensacola's downtown. Studer also revived a historic corner in the heart of the Belmont-DeVilliers community with Five Sisters Blues Café. She's the one who drives the decisions and writes the checks for numerous nonprofits she and her husband support in her adopted hometown.

Quote: "Will this work in our town? Can we do it? Can we try?"

James J. Reeves (2018)

The veteran politician, banker, attorney, developer and entrepreneur has left a considerable mark on his hometown. He was elected

to the Florida House and Pensacola City Council. He sponsored the bill that created the Historic Pensacola Preservation Board, which has evolved into the UWF Historic Trust. Reeves chartered two federal savings and loans, three banks and one bank that he took over, Liberty Bank, which became Hancock-Whitney Bank. On Pensacola Beach, Reeves built the Tiki Motel, Howard Johnson Inn and the Mai Kai Motel, home to the Sandshaker Lounge. Lately, he has been the champion for tiny houses in Escambia County.

Quote: "Nobody admits this, but the reason to charter a bank is like somebody said, 'Why do you rob banks?' And I said, 'Well, that's where the money is.'"

Lumon May (2019)

The Pensacola native, general contractor and co-founder of the Southern Youth Sports Association (SYSA) won a third term on the Es-

cambia County Commission in 2020. He has become one of the most popular and, at times, controversial commissioners for his advocacy for those often overlooked. May fought for COVID testing and vaccinations in the Brownsville community, working closely with Community Health of Northwest Florida and the governor's office. He got residents water and ice in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally. He's also the sharpest dresser on the board.

Quote: "I've never considered myself to be someone on the Power List. I've just wanted to be in a position of service my entire life."

Sue Straughn (2021)

For over 40 years, Straughn has been a regular guest in homes as the evening news anchor for WEAR-TV. One of the most trusted people in local media, she helped found Be Ready Alliance Coordinating for Emergencies (BRACE) and has served on countless boards, including Covenant Hospice Foundation, Autism Pensacola, American Red Cross and Sacred Heart Hospital Advisory Board. She's also a longtime supporter of Arc Gateway. In 1979, Straughn created Communities Caring at Christmas,

which annually provides a special holiday season for our most vulnerable children.

Quote: "I don't have any power. When I emcee a charity event and it raises a lot of money, that's not me. I just get to make the ask. The people are the power."

Troy Rafferty (2022)

For nearly three decades, Rafferty has litigated mass tort, pharmaceutical and major personal injury cases that many saw as impossible. He has received numerous jury verdicts and settlements over $10 million. In 2017, he obtained $150 million and $140 million verdicts. In 2021, Rafferty and Levin Papantonio Rafferty helped craft a $26 billion settlement with the nation's three biggest opioid distributors and Johnson & Johnson. He served as Florida Justice Association's president from 2014-2015. In 2016, FJA awarded him the Perry Nichols Award, its highest award. Rafferty is a powerful force in Florida politics.

Quote: "I'd like to think that whether it's a social, political issue or legal issue, I try to do the right thing by people and influence the outcomes for causes. And sometimes that makes me not very popular, but I think it's important." {in}

She is the recipient of numerous artist residencies and grant awards, among them the National Endowment for the Arts. Darling's work has been exhibited in national and international solo and group exhibitions at the Joslyn Art Museum, Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, USF Contemporary Art Museum, and Bond Street Print Shop, to name a few. She raised three brilliant humans and now travels with her adorable dachshund, Mr. Lady.

During her time at 309, she will be painting, building and playing with animated iconographs of her work, exploring projection possibilities and creating a companion sound piece. We will be hosting a public closing exhibition on April 28. She encourages anyone to schedule a studio visit and swap stories, especially wildlife stories. You may contact her directly via Instagram @kimdahling.

PSO AT ARTEL GALLERY Pensacola Symphony Orchestra performs a selection of music at Artel Gallery's Seven Deadly Sins exhibit, 7 p.m., Thursday, April 13, at 223 S. Palafox.

24-HOUR THEATRE Pensacola Little Theatre's 24-Hour Theatre will cast, write and perform a play in 24 hours. Auditions are 7:30 p.m., Friday, April 17, at PLT, 400 S. Jefferson St. Writers spend the night at the theatre writing the play before the cast arrives in the morning. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 15. Tickets are $10 and available at pensacolalittletheatre.com.

PENSACOLA CLIMATE RALLY Join local students, advocates and musicians in their call for climate action and a better future for our community. The rally is 4-6 p.m., Saturday, April 15, at Plaza de Luna, 900 S. Palafox. The Pensacola Climate Rally is a joint project of 350 Pensacola, Healthy Gulf and Climate Together Pensacola. For more information, contact christian@healthygulf.org.

UWF DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE PRESENTS "EMMA" The University of West Florida Department of Theatre presents Jane Austen's "Emma." Performances will be held April 14-16 and 21-23 with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. All performances will take place in the Mainstage Theatre of the Center for Fine and Performing Arts, Bldg. 82, on the Pensacola campus. General admission ticket prices are $20 per person for adults, $16 per person for senior citizens and active military, $14 per person for non-UWF students and UWF faculty and staff, and $7 for high school students. UWF students are admitted free with their Nautilus cards. Tickets can be purchased at the CFPA Box Office, Bldg. 82, by calling (850) 857-6285, or online at uwf.edu/tickets.

THE ART OF FIELDWORK WITH CLAUDIA

O'STEEN Claudia O'Steen and Aly Ogasian work collaboratively to produce multimedia, researchbased installations by incorporating sculptural elements, digital media, drawing, writing and photography. Their work focuses on their relationship with the changing environment and uses method-

ologies borrowed from citizen science to critique traditional notions of exploration and conquest.

Join PMA for "The Art of Fieldwork" talk with STEAM artist Claudia O'Steen in Voices of Pensacola, 117 E. Government St., Friday, April 14. Reception opens at 6 p.m. Talk begins at 6:30 p.m.

PENSACOLA RECORD FAIR The largest selection of records Pensacola has to offer with tables upon tables topped with bins of records to dig through noon-5 p.m., Saturday, April 15. Visit facebook.com/oddcolony for details.

PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Filipino pancit, African drummers, Polynesian Hula Dancing, Irish bagpipe tunes and a Japanese bonsai exhibit will be among the many offerings at the 2023 Pensacola State College International Festival, which is 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Blvd. Visit pensacolastate.edu/international-festival for details.

SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL As part of the Pensacola State College International Festival on Saturday, April 15, WSRE PBS will host the PSC Spanish Film Festival—matinee screenings of five films from the Pragda Spanish Film Club series. The films will be shown on the big screen in the Jean & Paul Amos Performance Studio, located at 1000 College Blvd., starting at 10 a.m. Admission is free.

The films and showtimes are as follows— "Cacu: A Change for Life" from director Marvin Del Cid at 10 a.m., "In the Heights" from Jon

M. Chu at 11:30 a.m., "Even the Rain" from Icíar Bollaín at 2:15 p.m., "My Name is Gennet" from Miguel Angel Tobias at 4:15 p.m. and "The Queen of Spain" from Fernando Trueba at 6 p.m.

CROW FEST Crow Call and Bugghouse present Crow Fest, noon-dark, Sunday, April 16. A potluck will begin at 3 p.m. Music, vendor market and film screening complete the day. Visit facebook.com/ diypensacola for more.

THERESA CAPUTO LIVE Long Island Medium star will be at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox, 3 p.m., Sunday, April 16. Tickets start at $49.75 plus fees. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for details.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT LIVE Show is 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 19, at the Saenger Theatre, 118 S. Palafox. Tickets are $40-$100. Visit pensacolasaenger.com for details.

LIVING HAPPY AND HEALTHY FOR PLANET EARTH Pensacola residents share how they've made lifestyle changes to live healthier and sustainable lives. Discussion takes place at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 19, at Pensacola Library, 239 N. Spring St. For more information, contact christian@healthygulf.org.

TABLE TALKS AT THE TRUST Join the Historic Trust for a monthly lunch and learn series on the third Wednesday of the month at the Voices of Pensacola Multicultural Center, located at 117 E. Government St., from noon-1 p.m. The program

a&e happenings

is free—just bring your lunch and enjoy a casual opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. For more information, please email hparchives@uwf. edu or call (850) 595-5985, ext. 125. The next date is April 19 with John Sledge about the architecture and historic preservation in Mobile.

GALLERY NIGHT: DANCIN' IN THE STREET

The next Gallery Night is Friday, April 21, from 5-9 p.m. This month's theme is "Dancin' in the Street!" Watch the Second Annual Dance Off Competition and with downtown Palafox Street lined with Dance Zone performances from local dance groups. Gallery Night's Featured Artist for April is The Hip Hop Society of Northwest Florida. For more information, visit gallerynightpensacola.org.

BALLET PENSACOLA PRESENTS: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Shakespeare's play comes come to Ballet Pensacola. Showtimes are 7 p.m., Fridays, April 21and 28; 7 p.m., Saturdays, April 22 and 29; and 2:30 p.m., Sundays, April 23 and 30, at Pensacola Little Theatre, 400 S. Jefferson St. Tickets are $35-$40. Visit balletpensacola.com for details.

PENSACOLA CINEMA ART: 'EMILY' The film "Emma," based on the life story of Emily Bronte, will have showings at 1 p.m., Friday, April 21, and Saturday, April 22, at Pensacola Cinema Art, 220 W. Garden St. Tickets are $10 cash donation. Visit pensacolacinemaart.com for details.

ADULT WORKSHOP: "SPARKS" UNLEASHING CREATIVITY WITH MARCIA WAGNER

Participate in this "electric" workshop to spark the artist within by investigating the creative process with curiosity, exploring ways of igniting and unleashing creativity through various activities and imaginative exercises with instructor Marcia Wagner. Workshop is Saturday, April 22, from 1-3 p.m., at PMA, 407 S. Jefferson St. Cost is $20. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

Learn to more fully manifest your unique and creative spirit by optimizing the settings for personal artistic success. You will receive numerous ideas, and handouts will be provided to help anyone overcome creative blocks that can be applied to various creative disciplines.

CABARET DRAG SHOWCASE AT AMERICAN LEGION POST #193 Don't miss Cabaret drag showcase every second and fourth Saturday at the American Legion Post #193, 2708 N. 12th Ave. Doors Open at 8 p.m. Showtime at 10 p.m. For more information, contact Taize Sinclair-Santi, show director, at taizesinclairsanti@gmail.com.

SPIRITS OF SEVILLE QUARTER GHOST

TOUR AND LUNCHEON Dine inside Pensacola's oldest and most haunted restaurant and investigate the spirits with actual paranormal equipment at Seville Quarter, 130 E. Government St. Tickets are $12 and include a voucher toward Seville Quarter's menu. Tours held weekdays 11 a.m.2 p.m. and Sundays 2-4 p.m. Make an appointment by calling (850) 941-4321.

AFTER DARK: SEVILLE QUARTER GHOSTS, MURDER, MAYHEM, AND MYSTERY TOUR

AND DINNER After Dark Paranormal Investigation and Dinner inside one of Pensacola's most

haunted restaurants with actual ghost-hunting equipment Sundays from 6-8 p.m. Listen as your guide weaves tales of ghosts, debauchery, murder, mayhem, paranormal activities, history and more of Seville Quarter and downtown Historic Pensacola. Following your ghost tour, enjoy dinner at Seville Quarter Palace Café, 130 E Government St. Reservations required. Call (850) 941-4321. Tickets available at pensacolaghostevents.com

PENSACOLA ARTS MARKET Shop small and buy art at Pensacola Arts Market every fourth Saturday of the month at Cordova Square, 1101 N. 12th Ave., from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Enjoy a local artisan and farmers market with over 50 vendors, food trucks, plants, vintage clothing and décor, live musical performances, kids crafts and games. This is a free event. Pensacola Arts Market is set up at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave., from 4-9 p.m. every first Friday of the month and 2-6 p.m. every third Sunday of the month.

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT MARKET AT EVER'MAN Local vendors, artisans, holistic practitioners, speakers and more. Held on the first Saturday of the month from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. This is an inside and outside event for. Door prizes, entertainment and children's activities. Free admission. Ever'man Downtown, 315 W. Garden St. For vendor table, call (850) 941-4321 or go to empowermentschoolhouse.com.

SYNTHESIS: OPENING RECEPTION Celebrate the opening of SynThesis, a group BFA Exit Exhibition, 5-7 p.m., Friday, April 21, at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. This exhibition features work by graduating Bachelor of Fine Art students from the University of West Florida Department of Art and Design. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

TAGGED TAGGED is an annual exhibited at The Art Gallery of University of West Florida featuring artwork from UWF students at The Art Gallery, 11000 University Parkway, Bldg. 82. The exhibition will be on display through April 11. Visit facebook. com/tag82uwf for details.

AVIAN NOBLE SOLO SHOW Photographer

Avian Noble's work will be on view at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox, through April 21. Visit artelgallery.org for details.

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS Artwork in all mediums that represent at least one of the seven deadly sins. On view through April 21 at Artel Gallery, 223 S. Palafox. Visit artelgallery.org for details.

FIRST CITY ART CENTER MEMBERS SHOW

The third annual members show at First City Art Center's Gallery 1060 will be on display April 1228. The show features works from members of FCAC. An opening reception will be Friday, April 21.

IHMC'S SCIENCE SATURDAY 2023 SESSIONS ON HUMAN HEALTH PERFORMANCE, SMART CITIES AND ROBOTICS

Science Saturdays is a series of 90-minute educational enrichment sessions geared toward families and children in grades three-six. Topics in 2023 will include robotics, roller coasters, animal adaptations, human performance and more.

a&e happenings

The sessions are free to the families who attend. For more information, visit ihmc.us/life/ science_saturdays.

• April 22: Dr. Gwen Bryan, IHMC, Robot Hands

THE ART OF JADIA DANK AND KYLE FORD AT EASY GOING GALLERY See the artwork of Julia Dank and Kyle Ford in a new exhibit, "The Elementals," running through the month of April, at Easy Going Gallery, 701 N. V St. "The Elementals" focuses on the four elements—water, earth, fire and air. Most pieces consist of recycled materials, paying homage to the much-needed sustainability they promote. A reception will be 5-9 p.m., Thursday, April 13. Learn more at facebook.com/easygoinggallery.

NONNEY ODDLOKKEN: TINY, LITTLE

FABLES Nonney Oddlokken is a contemporary artist who utilizes fiber and collage techniques to create a Louisiana narrative and exhibition entitled "Tiny, Little Fables." The references in this body of work mix elements from her own childhood "fables," Catholic references, Cajun folklore, New Orleans Voodoo, and the indigenous flora and fauna of Louisiana swamps and bayous. Her work employs a unique process that consists of handmade paper substrates and collage elements that are finished with hundreds of yards of handstitched gold thread embellishments. This exhibit is on view through May 28 at Pensacola Museum of Art, 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

THE MEMBERS SHOW The Pensacola Museum of Art Members Show is on view through May 28, showcasing over 50 artists in a diverse range of media, at 407 S. Jefferson St. Visit pensacolamuseum.org for details.

SUDDENLY AMERICAN: A MEETING OF HERITAGE AND COUNTRY This exhibit looks at the transition of Florida from a Spanish territory to an American region, which formally occurred in 1821. Florida's embattled history dates back much farther than 1821. From refusing independence during the American Revolution to wanting their own freedom in 1810, Florida loved to cause problems. The United States eyed the region early on, using the Seminole Wars as an excuse to seize territory before turning to diplomatic means to acquire Florida. The Adams-Onis Treaty, debated and initially agreed upon in 1819, resulted in Spain ceding control of East Florida to the United States. At the same time, Spain also agreed to give up all claims on West Florida, in essence giving the entire Florida territory over to the United States. Ratified in 1821, the treaty was cause for celebration in Pensacola, the capital of West Florida, as it officially became part of America. On view at Pensacola Museum of History through Dec. 2023. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

TEXTILES OF THE TIMES: REGENCY ERA DRESS MAKING

The period between 18111820 is historically defined as the Regency Period. This exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of

History looks at a day in the life of a Regencyera Pensacolian through fashion and garment use. Drawing on historical documentation of stores known to have operated on Palafox, inside this recreation of a seamstress shop visitors will be able to explore the dress of yesteryear. On view at the Pensacola Museum of History through June 2023. Visit historicpensacola.org for details.

FOOD + DRINKS

BASIC CUPCAKE DECORATING FOR ADULTS Class is a series, 6-8 p.m., Tuesdays, April 18, at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $150 for all three classes. Visit facebook. com/pensacolacooks for details.

BEYOND THE GRAPE SOUTH AMERICAN WINE TASTING BENEFITING PENSACOLA OPERA Come explore diverse (and unexpected) wines from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay while enjoying good company and charcuterie and cheese from Union Public House. A portion of all proceeds will benefit Pensacola Opera. Event is 6 p.m., Thursday, April 13, located at 5100 N. Ninth Ave. Tickets are $25 and available at pensacolafruitwinery.com.

BUSHELS & FEASTS NIGHT Le Cordon Bleu trained chef Rina Thoma prepares dishes from her cookbook, "Bushels and Feast." Event is 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 13, at Bodacious, 407-D S. Palafox. Tickets are $75 and available at bodaciousshops.com.

CRAVIN' ASIAN: SUSHI SKILLS Class is 7-9 p.m., Saturday, April 15, at Pensacola Cooks, 4051 Barrancas Ave. Cost is $50 per student. Visit facebook.com/pensacolacooks for details and tickets.

ARABIAN NIGHTS AND ALE Take a magical carpet ride through an Arabian night at Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave. Greek's Catering & Food will be on site. An open jam session and bonfire and Emerald Coast Belly Dance are part of the festivities. Event is 6-9 p.m., Saturday, April 15. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

MARINE CONSERVATION DAY Gary's Brewery & Biergarten, 208 Newman Ave., is hosting its first Marine Conservation Day event with Ocean Strike Team. There will be delicious beverages on tap. Meet local dive shops, fishing shops and check out the touch tank that will be out from the Estuary. Event is noon-6 p.m., Sunday, April 16. Visit facebook.com/garysbrew for details.

DOGS, DRAFTS & DAISES A WolfGang Doggie event creating one-of-a-kind works of art using the paws or noses of furry friends. Tickets include all art materials, doggy treats, professional photos, and 15% off your tab at Garden and Grain. Event is 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Sunday, April 16. Get tickets at facebook.com/perfectplainbrewingco.

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free will astrology

WEEK OF APRIL 13

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): I hope that in the coming weeks, you will keep your mind bubbling with zesty mysteries. I hope you'll exult in the thrill of riddles that are beyond your current power to solve. If you cultivate an appreciation of uncanny uncertainties, life will soon begin bringing you uncanny certainties. Do you understand the connection between open-hearted curiosity and fertile rewards? Don't merely tolerate the enigmas you are immersed in—love them!

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): An old sadness is ripening into practical wisdom. A confusing loss is about to yield a clear revelation you can use to improve your life. In mysterious ways, a broken heart you suffered in the past may become a wild card that inspires you to deepen and expand your love. Wow and hallelujah, Taurus! I'm amazed at the turnarounds that are in the works for you. Sometime in the coming weeks, what wounded you once upon a time will lead to a vibrant healing. Wonderful surprise!

By Rob Brezsny

to sleep and had a dream that revealed to her new information about the nature of menstruation. The dream scene was a cartoon of a woman's reproductive system. It showed little triangles being carried away by the shed menstrual blood. Eureka! As Profet lay in bed in the dark, she intuited a theory that no scientist had ever guessed: that the sloughed-off uterine lining had the key function of eliminating pathogens, represented by the triangles. In subsequent years, she did research to test her idea, supported by studies with electron microscopes. Now her theory is regarded as fact. I predict that many of you Leos will soon receive comparable benefits. Practical guidance will be available in your dreams and twilight awareness and altered states. Pay close attention!

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): You don't know what is invisible to you. The truths that are out of your reach may as well be hiding. The secret agendas you are not aware of are indeed secret. That's the not-so-good news, Virgo. The excellent news is that you now have the power to uncover the rest of the story, at least some of it. You will be able to penetrate below the surface and find buried riches. You will dig up missing information whose absence has prevented you from understanding what has been transpiring. There may be a surprise or two ahead, but they will ultimately be agents of healing.

She gave me a pronouncement that felt vaguely helpful, though it was also a bit over my head: "The Archer may be quite luxuriously curious and furiously hilarious; studiously lascivious and victoriously delirious; salubriously industrious but never lugubriously laborious." Here's how I interpret that: Right now, pretty much anything is possible if you embrace unpredictability.

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GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): What is the true and proper symbol for your sign, Gemini? Twins standing shoulder to shoulder as they gaze out on the world with curiosity? Or two lovers embracing each other with mischievous adoration in their eyes? Both scenarios can accurately represent your energy, depending on your mood and the phase you're in. In the coming weeks, I advise you to draw on the potency of both. You will be wise to coordinate the different sides of your personality in pursuit of a goal that interests them all. And you will also place yourself in harmonious alignment with cosmic rhythms as you harness your passionate urge to merge in a good cause.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Some scientists speculate that more people suffer from allergies than ever before because civilization has over-sanitized the world. The fetish for scouring away germs and dirt means that our immune systems don't get enough practice in fending off interlopers. In a sense, they are "bored" because they have too little to do. That's why they fight stuff that's not a threat, like tree pollens and animal dander. Hence, we develop allergies to harmless substances. I hope you will apply this lesson as a metaphor in the coming weeks, fellow Cancerian. Be sure the psychological component of your immune system isn't warding off the wrong people and things. It's healthy for you to be protective, but not hyper-over-protective in ways that shut out useful influences.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): One night in 1989, Leo evolutionary biologist Margie Profet went

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): Visionary philosopher Buckminster Fuller referred to pollution as a potential resource we have not yet figured out how to harvest. A company called Algae Systems does exactly that. It uses wastewater to grow algae that scrub carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and yield carbon-negative biofuels. Can we invoke this approach as a metaphor that's useful to you? Let's dream up examples. Suppose you're a creative artist. You could be inspired by your difficult emotions to compose a great song, story, painting, or dance. Or if you're a lover who is in pain, you could harness your suffering to free yourself of a bad old habit or ensure that an unpleasant history doesn't repeat itself. Your homework, Libra, is to figure out how to take advantage of a "pollutant" or two in your world.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): Soon you will graduate from your bumpy lessons and enter a smoother, silkier phase. You will find refuge from the naysayers as you create a liberated new power spot for yourself. In anticipation of this welcome transition, I offer this motivational exhortation from poet Gwendolyn Brooks: "Say to them, say to the down-keepers, the sun-slappers, the selfsoilers, the harmony-hushers, 'Even if you are not ready for day, it cannot always be night.'" I believe you are finished with your worthwhile but ponderous struggles, Scorpio. Get ready for an excursion toward luminous grace.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I periodically seek the counsel of a Sagittarian psychic. She's half-feral and sometimes speaks in riddles. She tells me she occasionally converses by phone with a person she calls "the ex-Prime Minister of Narnia." I confided in her that lately it has been a challenge for me to keep up with you Sagittarians because you have been expanding beyond the reach of my concepts.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): "I'm not insane," says Capricorn actor Jared Leto. "I'm voluntarily indifferent to conventional rationality." That attitude might serve you well in the coming weeks. You could wield it to break open opportunities that were previously closed due to excess caution. I suspect you're beginning a fun phase of self-discovery when you will learn a lot about yourself. As you do, I hope you will experiment with being at least somewhat indifferent to conventional rationality. Be willing to be surprised. Be receptive to changing your mind about yourself.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): People of all genders feel urges to embellish their native beauty with cosmetic enhancements. I myself haven't done so, but I cheer on those who use their flesh for artistic experiments. At the same time, I am also a big fan of us loving ourselves exactly as we are. And I'm hoping that in the coming weeks, you will emphasize the latter over the former. I urge you to indulge in an intense period of maximum self-appreciation. Tell yourself daily how gorgeous and brilliant you are. Tell others, too! Cultivate a glowing pride in the gifts you offer the world. If anyone complains, tell them you're doing the homework your astrologer gave you.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I encourage you to amplify the message you have been trying to deliver. If there has been any shyness or timidity in your demeanor, purge it. If you have been less than forthright in speaking the whole truth and nothing but the truth, boost your clarity and frankness. Is there anything you could do to help your audience be more receptive? Any tenderness you could express to stimulate their willingness and ability to see you truly?

HERE'S THE HOMEWORK: What's your favorite lie or deception?

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© 2023 Rob Brezsny

Practical guidance will be available in your dreams and twilight awareness and altered states. Pay close attention!

Sometime in the coming weeks, what wounded you once upon a time will lead to a vibrant healing. Wonderful surprise!

news of the weird

IT'S COME TO THIS "There will be no plans to hunt eggs again." So proclaimed Jessica Baer, the assistant manager of The Greene in Beavercreek, Ohio, after an Easter egg hunt went awry there on April 2. The Dayton Daily News reported that the activity, which was planned as a well-choreographed event for children, was ruined when people didn't listen to directions. Instead, during the time period restricted to 1and 2-year-olds, adults ran out to hunt eggs, which prompted a free-for-all. Some people even allegedly pushed children out of the way or knocked them over. "This is absolutely unacceptable behavior," officials said. "We feel the community will be better without the hunt."

UNCLEAR ON THE CONCEPT Siva Moodley, a pastor at The Miracle Centre near Johannesburg, South Africa, died on Aug. 15, 2021, Oddity Central reported. But until recently, his body lay at a funeral home—for almost 600 days— because his family members were convinced he would come back to life. The mortuary couldn't move forward on a burial without consent from the family, who at first came to the facility to pray for his resurrection. "He was a well-known man and does not deserve this kind of treatment," the mortuary owner said. Finally, he took legal action to further the pastor's burial. In response, the Gauteng High Court authorized a mandatory burial or cremation, and on March 16, Moodley was finally laid to rest.

COMPELLING EXPLANATION In Dallas, grocery worker Coby Todd, 21, is sure that a "mischievous child ghost" pushed a shopping cart into his car as he was leaving work, Fox News reported on March 30. The day before, Todd had gone "ghost hunting" at a home in Frontier Village, Texas, and had sensed the presence of a "little boy" spirit, he said. He thinks the spirit followed him home and to work the next day. "Maybe he was trying to play with me," Todd said. He checked out the store's security footage to see who might have pushed the cart, and it does appear to suddenly turn and roll on its own toward Todd's car. The damage amounts to about $25,000, and Todd said "it upset me. It's not fake."

AWESOME! In Australia, artist Dani Reynolds has overtaken a record previously held by actress Drew Barrymore for the world's widest wig, NDTV reported on April 4. Reynolds worked with another artist, Meg Wilson, to create the 8-foot-6-inch hairpiece using synthetic hair, a bike helmet, PVC pipes, pool noodles, cable ties and aluminum rods—plus two giant pink bows. Reynolds said the biggest challenge was making sure the wig was balanced: "Not having a background in structural engineering or props-making made this quite a difficult task," she said. The enormous wig took the women about two months and $2,700 to complete.

•In Caledonia, Michigan, Andrew Clark comes from a long line of Y chromosomes, WZZM-

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel

TV reported. For the past 138 years, there have been no girls born to his family—until St. Patrick's Day, when Clark and his wife, Carolyn, welcomed Audrey Marie. All the way back to 1885 and Clark's great-great-grandfather, only sons have been born to the family. "It was just joy, you know, just that she was here and healthy," Carolyn said. "It made it even more special that it was a girl."

BRIGHT IDEA Here's a new thing to worry about: super pigs. Starting in the 1980s, Canadian farmers bred domestic pigs with wild boars, resulting in "super pigs" that are a headache for wildlife and crops, Yahoo! News reported. Now, the hybrids, which sometimes grow to 600 pounds, are moving south into the United States. "They are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet. Period," said Ryan Brook, a wildlife researcher at the University of Saskatchewan. The pigs feed on agricultural crops but also damage the soil by digging in it. They eat reptiles, birds and even white-tailed deer, and they contaminate water. While some have suggested hunting as a way to control their numbers, Brook said, "You simply can't BBQ your way out of a wild pig problem." Officials in Montana have introduced the "Squeal on Pigs!" campaign encouraging residents to report feral swine, and North and South Dakota have reported possible populations. Soo wee!

PARENTING GOALS TikTokker Will Meyers posted in early April that he had to "go pick up my kid from school today because I made a big mis take," the Daily Mail reported. As Meyers packed his son's lunch that morning, he loaded in a can of Guinness—because the black can looks a lot like Liquid Death sparkling water. "It looks like spar kling water, but it's definitely not sparkling water," Meyers said. Other parents weighed in, with one admitting they sent "two packs of cigarettes in a bag of paper plates and napkins to my daughter's class." A teacher soothed the guilty parents, say ing it's a common mistake.

SUSPICIONS CONFIRMED The Environmen tal Protection Agency released the findings of a study on April 4 revealing that more than 9 mil lion lead pipes carry water into homes across the United States, the Associated Press report ed. The survey also ranked the states in order of how many lead pipes are still in use; Florida was first, with more than 1 million pipes under ground. Erik Olson of the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council was sur prised at Florida's position on the list because lead pipes were installed mostly before Florida's population rapidly grew. "We look forward to hearing an explanation," he said. The survey will be used to distribute funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. {in}

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