Pensacola City Council

At his weekly news conference Monday, Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson revealed plans to step away from politics after his four-year term is over.

“I’m announcing that I will not be seeking reelection in 2022,” Robinson stated.

The mayor said he and his family have been thinking about the issue for a while. He believes it’s the right decision for him and them, and it’s the right time, after a tough year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the 2020 Election, the Pensacola City Council is welcoming four new members and will again have four female members. But, after today’s Installation Ceremony, women now make up a majority of the policy-making panel for the first time in history.

When time came, all four of the newly-elected members - Jennifer Brahier (Dist.-1), Teniade Broughton (Dist.-5), Casey Jones (Dist.-3) and Delarian Wiggins (Dist.-7) - were simultaneously given the oath of office by City Clerk Erica Burnett. 

It appears a runoff will be conducted for the Pensacola City Council’s District-1 seat, after the candidates were deadlocked on Tuesday — literally.

It’s among the rarest of election results. On Tuesday night, incumbent P.C. Wu and challenger Jennifer Brahier each had collected 2,339 votes for 50% each. As of Thursday morning, Brahier had five more votes at 2,344. Supervisor of Elections David Stafford says it’s now on to the next step.

One day after the Pensacola City Council voted to remove the Confederate monument from Lee Square and relocate it, Mayor Grover Robinson discussed the statue’s future and its place in the city during his Wednesday chat on Facebook.

“As we go forward we have a proud, rich history; as many people have said, we’re not looking to erase any history, but we may be able to relocate and retell it in a different way,” said the mayor. “Not that we’re going to quit telling anybody’s history, but we’re going to tell everybody’s history.”

After receiving a staff report on the future of the Confederate monument in Lee Square, its future will be somewhere else, if Mayor Grover Robinson gets his way.

After reviewing the 17-page report from staff, Robinson sent a letter to the City Council recommending the removal of the monument from the park. He contends it does not “reflect our current values,” and “does not strive to create a more inclusive city.”

Meeting Tuesday in special session, the Pensacola City Council voted unanimously to both extend the local state of emergency, and to require face coverings inside buildings within the city limits.

Before the vote on mandatory face masks for businesses in the city limits, Council President Jewel Cannada-Wynn gave Pensacolians a pep talk of sorts about complying with what many call the “new norm.”

Protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis are leading to how people view Confederate monuments and symbols. And that could lead to a name change at Pensacola’s Robert E. Lee Square. The effort is expected to go before the City Council next month

Mayor Grover Robinson is also proposing a return to the park’s former name.

“On that July 16 meeting, we’re going to take to the council a request for a change of the name from Lee Square to Florida Square,” said Robinson.

Funeral services are set for 11:00  Thursday morning for Pensacola City Councilman Gerald Wingate, who died August 13 at age 73 after a lengthy fight against cancer. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. Meanwhile, the work to find Wingate’s successor begins next week.

Some residents of Pensacola’s Scenic Heights community are petitioning city leaders to reconsider plans for a land swap that would clear the way for construction of a new soccer complex in their neighborhood.

For those upset by the land deal, the pivotal moment occurred on Nov. 8, 2018.

With the August 28 primary looming, candidates for local and statewide offices are ratcheting up their campaigns. In the first of a two-part report, WUWF’s Dave Dunwoody looks at the grassroots races.

Fifty-two candidates are on the ballot for 21 seats in Escambia County government and the judiciary. Much of the attention will be on the higher-profile races – Pensacola Mayor and City Council, along with the Escambia County Commission.

On a 7-0 vote, the Pensacola City Council has approved a contract with Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, for the processing of recyclables.

City Council approval is but the first step. The proposal is scheduled to go before the ECUA Board on June 28. If approved, it would take effect on July 2, ending a nine-month period of no recycling service in Pensacola.

There will be at least one new face on the Pensacola City Council after the November election, following the departure of a long-time member.

In a written statement, Councilman Larry B. Johnson announced he would not seek reelection after a decade in the District-4 seat. That district includes Cordova Park, East Pensacola Heights, and a portion of East Hill.

Two years after the announcement that VT Mobile Aerospace would build a plant in Pensacola, more talks on funding the project are expected this afternoon. 

Construction was announced in September, 2014, with the plant originally scheduled to begin refurbishing large aircraft this summer. But, the site, 19 acres adjacent to Pensacola International Airport, remains idle with no groundbreaking date as yet.  

The Pensacola City Council is expected to continue discussion on Mayor Ashton Hayward’s proposed budget Monday afternoon, which includes $100,000 for a study of the Port of Pensacola. 

At issue is what do with the property originally set aside for construction of the DeepFlex facility to make pipe for offshore oil rigs. That plan has been scrapped, along with its 200 jobs. Councilwoman Sherri Myers proposes the study, in large part because of the DeepFlex failure.