IN THIS ISSUE
Your Complete Guide to the Aug. 18 Primary
Mayoral interviews, a full primary voter’s guide, the Pensacola FC national championship and a Pensacola singer-songwriter finding her voice in folk-punk—all in the new issue, out today and online now at inweekly.net.
The new issue of Inweekly hit newsstands today, Thursday, Aug. 6, and it’s built around one deadline that matters more than any other this month: the Aug. 18 primary.
- Between the vote-by-mail request deadline landing on this very publication date and early voting kicking off Saturday, Aug. 8, this is the issue to grab before you fill out a ballot.
Here’s what’s inside.
What Pensacola’s Mayoral Hopefuls Told Us
I sat down with five of the six candidates running to unseat—or become—Pensacola’s next mayor. Mayor D.C. Reeves is running as the incumbent against Jasmine Brown, Eric Shorter, Alicia Trawick and Jermaine J. Williams, with a sixth candidate, Ann Hill, opting to answer written questionnaires instead.
Can Reeves clear 50% again and avoid a run-off? That may be the most intriguing question of the primary.
We dug into why each of them is running, how they’d tackle affordability and housing, and where they stand on infrastructure and economic development. Read more. Video of all five interviews is also up now at youtube.com/@coloronthedog.
Your Complete 2026 Primary Guide
Turnout in Escambia County primaries has slipped for three straight cycles. Supervisor of Elections Robert Bender is hoping this year breaks that trend, and we put together the tools to help.
Inside the guide:
- A full rundown of every race on the Aug. 18 ballot, from U.S. Senate down to the Escambia County School Board, plus candidate websites
- An explainer on the Escambia County School District referendum—and why a “yes” vote means an elected superintendent, not appointed
- A warning about the governor’s race ballot header that’s already causing voters to accidentally overvote
- Every key date: vote-by-mail deadline (today), early voting (Aug. 8–15), primary day (Aug. 18) and the general election dates in November
- Where to check your registration, sample ballot and polling location
The Buzz
This week’s roundup covers Police Chief Eric Winstrom’s update on the July 5 downtown mass shooting investigation and his first five months leading PPD, an FDOT traffic signal study for the dangerous 14th Avenue and Gregory Street intersection, and Pensacola FC’s first-ever men’s national championship win over Iron Rose FC.
- Also inside: Pensacola’s millennials are buying homes at one of the highest rates in the country, and Gulf Breeze Will Do has opened its 2026 grant cycle. Read more.
Winners & Losers
This week’s winners include new Pensacola Sports President and CEO Jason Libbert, GrayRobinson’s newly named Pensacola managing shareholder Joe Passeretti, and Booker T. Washington High School teacher Melanie Hendrix, named Florida’s 2026 History Teacher of the Year.
- On the losers’ side: a Pensacola State College presidential search that looks pre-decided, a Navarre Beach Fire District working through a financial deficit, and Florida Power & Light’s muted response to the state’s new data center consumer-protection law. Read more.
Outtakes: Stop Setting Impossible Goals
My column this week looks at why aspirational, unreachable targets—like the Florida Chamber Foundation’s goal of 100% kindergarten readiness by 2030—do more harm than good, and why the Escambia Children’s Trust’s more measured “Bright Beginnings” targets are the better model. Read more.
Ghosts, Grief and Folk-Punk with Sideswept Bangs
Pensacola-based singer-songwriter Morgan Coby, whose project Sideswept Bangs turns grief, queerness and the DIY folk-punk scene into songs that make listeners feel less alone. Coby plays a benefit show for the Ellis-Chambers family Saturday, Aug. 8 at The Handlebar. Read more.
Read the full issue now at inweekly.net, or pick up a print copy at locations around town.
