Pensacola residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the future of Bay Bluffs Park in October, Mayor D.C. Reeves said Wednesday, even as state funding rules continue to slow contracting. The mayor also underscored that the park, closed since March 2023 for safety concerns, will be formally dedicated for public recreation use forever.
“We’ve been waiting eight, nine months all on the state side and going through all of those logistics,” Reeves said at his weekly press conference. “Regardless, we will in October have a first visioning listening session with the public on what they want to see at Bay Bluffs Park.”
City Council is scheduled to consider the necessary steps at its Sept. 8 agenda conference and Sept. 11 regular meeting. Those votes include accepting a $2.2 million state grant, amending the budget, and approving the required site dedication.
The grant comes from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and names both the City of Pensacola and Conservation Florida, a statewide nonprofit land trust, as co‑grantees. Of the total award, $2 million would go to the city for planning, engineering and construction work, while $200,000 would go to Conservation Florida for administrative oversight. Council documents say the arrangement helps manage state reporting requirements, but Reeves stressed that the city will lead design and construction.
READ MORE: Bay Bluffs Park moves forward with $2.2 million grant; Sept. 11 council vote set
“Our agreement with FDEP and Conservation Florida requires that the Bay Bluffs Preserve be used as an outdoor recreational site in perpetuity for the use and benefit of general public,” Reeves added. “This will stay in the public realm forever.”
Reeves said the city could have moved faster if it were using local funds. Because the grant dollars come from the state, the city may need to put contracts out for bid again rather than relying on existing consultants — a process that adds time. Only after explaining that hurdle did Reeves turn to the timeline for public input.
“The best case scenario is to have the consultant on board for that meeting,” he said of the October session. “That doesn’t mean that the meeting wouldn’t have value if we didn’t.”
The mayor also sought to set expectations for the scope of work.
“(That) $2.2 million is not certainly gonna build … any large structure or anything like that,” he said. Instead, the mayor said the city wants residents to weigh priorities such as primitive trails, pavilions, or scenic lookouts.
If the council approves the grant and dedication, staff would begin procurement and design under state rules, while also preparing for the October public session. Construction work would follow once contracts are in place, with the park permanently protected as public recreation land.
