Rick's Blog

America’s #1 beach becomes a battleground. Beach Brawl returns Sept. 25-27 — three days of elite athletes, free spectator seats, zero qualifiers.

Mayor Reeves eyes Wahoo Stadium for soccer instead of a new $70M venue. Study results due in October. Find out what’s happening.

Pensacola lands $50M+ for ACW Superfund cleanup. Phase one soil work starts December, but $19.6M of phase two still isn’t funded but more grants in the works.

UWF’s first D-I football game is Thursday vs. a Top 16 team. Broadcaster Will Kennedy breaks down the QB battle & more on podcast.

FloridaWest shares impressive stats: 206% of its investment goal, $185M in capital, 600 new jobs and a $5.28 return per $1 invested. More prospects in pipeline.

Gulf Winds Credit Union is becoming TruWorth — and buying Madison County Community Bank. Here’s what the $1.7B deal means for local banking.

FSU, Mississippi State, South Alabama, LMU & UWF are all coming to the Bay Center this fall. Three games, one huge season for Pensacola hoops.

The mayor’s office released this list after my podcast interview with Mayor D.C. Reeves: 1. Academic & Educational Institutions University of West Florida (UWF) (including…

53 stakeholders. 3,700 jobs. One city of 55,000. Mayor Reeves on turning year-long job training into weeks before Pensacola’s shipbuilding boom

UWF’s first-ever D-I football game is HERE. A former MLB first-round pick could be the Argos’ starting QB. Full story on here.

UWF landed two major gifts in two days. A law firm’s on the jerseys, a credit union’s on the Field House. Here’s what it means for DI.

UWF’s small business center just won Florida’s top SBDC honor — 11,658 hours, 144 new businesses, $81M+ in capital. Full story here.

Escambia’s tourism is booming, but Visit Pensacola is nearly broke—because Clerk Pam Childers won’t release $1.3M owed. Who’s next on her hit list?

ECAT contractor’s staff at ECAT sidelined after Escambia County racked up $380K in unpaid bills. Clerk Childers wasn’t cutting checks.

Twenty years ago, Best of the Coast was the only reader poll in town. The issue hadn’t become the mega-success it has under Editor Joani Delezen. See BOC ’06.

Best of the Coast 2026 is here — 13,000 votes, 84 pages, and the local businesses that won your hearts (and your dollars).

Fifty-three years later, Pensacola Yacht Club women bring the Knost Trophy back to Pensacola—Navy aviators & sailors reclaim a title last won in 1973.

Reeves says the county can lead on the redrafting of the Bay Center interlocal agreement or drop it. What will Moreno do? When will actual work begin?

Primary turnout dipped, but the mayor’s race barely budged. Supervisor Bender breaks down the numbers — and what’s new for November voting.

Deadline alert: Perdido Key beachgoers have until Aug. 28 to submit sworn testimony to reclaim public beach access. Here’s how