City of Pensacola

Community organizer and Party for Socialism and Liberation member Jasmine Brown has entered Pensacola’s 2026 mayoral race, joining former Council President Ann Hill. Brown’s campaign centers on housing affordability and working‑class priorities amid rising costs and a national wave of left‑progressive candidates.

Former Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David Stafford will step in as Pensacola’s top administrator Oct. 27, bringing decades of government and cybersecurity experience to help manage City Hall’s growing slate of projects.

City officials are advancing talks with the United Soccer League on a 3,500–5,000-seat downtown venue, focusing on potential locations, shared funding options, and community support as part of an ongoing exclusivity agreement.

Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves says he’s ready to join a statewide conversation on realistic property tax reform, calling for substance over slogans as Florida’s DOGE initiative continues to scrutinize local spending.

Pensacola has reopened bidding on the long-blighted Motor Lodge site along West Cervantes Street, inviting developers to propose mixed-income housing under new deed restrictions and design rules tied to the Westside CRA plan.

Pensacola officials say no local tax dollars funded the city’s welcome sign and that the Saenger Theatre turned a $1 million profit in three years, pushing back on Florida DOGE’s audit as Gov. Ron DeSantis advances his plan to cut local spending and end property taxes.

Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency has accused Pensacola of “wasteful spending” on a theater contract and strategic plan, part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ broader campaign to justify eliminating property taxes and tightening state control over local finances.

The City of Pensacola has officially acquired the former Baptist Hospital campus, completing a two-year effort to secure funding for demolition and environmental cleanup. The 41-acre site will be cleared beginning later this year to make way for a mixed-income housing and community-focused redevelopment.

Project could be partially financed through special taxing district or CRA

American Cruise Lines will begin docking in Pensacola in 2026, bringing 180‑passenger vessels to Plaza de Luna. Mayor D.C. Reeves calls the visits a trial run that could boost tourism without major new infrastructure, marking a shift from past cruise ambitions that never materialized.