Focusing on what the city has accomplished during his first year in office, challenges faced, and plans for future improvements were highlights of Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves’ second State of the City address this week.
“Our goal was to really ‘up’ the urgency in the building,” stated Reeves in reference to his approach to the job as mayor.
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He used the results of the city’s 2023 Resident Satisfaction Survey as a launching point for his remarks Tuesday night during the CivicCon event.
On the issue of what residents love most about living in Pensacola and what they want to see in the city, the top response was access to the downtown waterfront.
Reeves pointed to the progress of the Bruce Beach Revitalization Project. Bruce Beach is one of several locations along Pensacola’s Continuous Waterfront Trail.
“If you drive by during the day, you can certainly see the promise that has. So that's one project that will help us activate our waterfront,” Reeves said.
“A second that you may have read about is the Sun Trail that has a multifaceted approach from our grants office to public works, to administration, to communications, and everything else for the $6.4 million that we're putting in to potentially connect from the three-mile bridge all the way to the Bayou Chico Bridge, a protected walking bike path along our waterfront.”
The mayor added that the city plans to compete for a share of $200 million from Tallahassee for unfunded portions of the Sun Trail, including a 2.2-mile stretch that runs through the middle of downtown Pensacola.
In relation to current city initiatives, survey participants identified reducing homelessness (24%), decreasing crime (21%), and increasing affordable housing (19%) as their top priorities.
Housing activities in the works include $1 million for the purchase of the Pensacola Motor Lodge, $5 million for Brownsville Revitalization, and the creation of a new economic development position to help get housing projects across the finish line.
Reeves: 'Pensacola is in the forefront of what I believe is a huge housing project'
One of the city’s most significant housing initiatives involves plans for the acquisition, demolition, abatement, and redevelopment of the old Baptist Hospital.
“Baptist Hospital, obviously is on the forefront of what I believe is going to be the biggest transformational housing project in the next three to five years,” declared Reeves, pointing to the Bayou District Foundation post-Hurricane Katrina mixed-income housing development in New Orleans as an example of what can be done.
From a legislative standpoint, Baptist Hospital is second on the city’s priority list.
The top funding request from the state is about $23 million to help fund a new $70 million terminal at Pensacola International Airport, which is projecting over 2.6 million passengers. By far, that’s a new all-time record and way more than the facility was designed to handle.
“We aren't bursting at the seams; we've lost the seams,” said Reeves. “Just to give you an idea, the baggage claim lobby was built for 1.4 million passengers.”
The new terminal will have five additional gates, expanding from 12 to 17.
From an economic development standpoint, Mayor Reeves said he felt really good about the city’s partnership with the American Magic sailing team, which is expected to create 170 high-tech jobs when it moves into a new $15 million headquarters at the Port of Pensacola next year.
Reeves praised the prowess of the new grants office he created for its work to secure grant funds for the port, Hurricane Sally recovery, the Hollice T. Williams Greenway and Stormwater Park, and a host of other projects.
“They have produced $72 million of grants in eight months,” Reeves proclaimed. “This is front to back, soup to nuts; $72 million in eight months.”
Public safety improvements include several initiatives for the Pensacola Police Department. Among them are the establishment of a substation at Pensacola State College, the purchase of a new BearCat S.W.A.T. vehicle, and the installation of a new ShotSpotter system to address gun violence in the city. The system is now active in Escambia County.
The city of Pensacola also has its share of challenges, including ongoing issues with downtown parking.
“The experience of both city and private lots is eroding the experience of our downtown,” said the mayor, referencing the potential impact on tourism.
He pointed to a survey of over 5,000 people showing the biggest concerns have to do with availability of parking spaces (27%), cost (21%), and difficulty using available payment methods (18%).
Agreeing on the confusion over payment, Reeves said the city soon will be switching over to a new App, with plans to try out Park Mobile, which has 7.5 million users in Florida. After the switch, more parking changes will be forthcoming.
The mayor also defended his decisions to suspend curbside recycling in the city and close Bay Bluffs Park for repairs.
Additionally, with 94 parks, ten community centers, and 330 miles of roadway, Reeves said keeping up with maintenance is a major challenge.
“We'll continue to buckle up our chinstrap and be able to get as many of these things done as we can, and make this a place that you can be proud of,” said the mayor, looking ahead to 2024.
