On “Pensacola Speaks,†Jon Pytynia of the Pensacola Young Professionals discussed the 2016 Quality of Life Survey. While the numbers for Pensacola city government were down, he found several positives.
“Since 2008, the overall quality of life rating that we ask for people has been getting better, with two-thirds of respondents saying the quality of life in our area is good and they enjoy living here,†said Pytynia, who is PYP’s vice president for community development. “They like it.â€
In 2008, only 51 percent rated the quality of life in our community good or excellent. This year, 66 percent feel positive about the quality of life in Escambia County.
While the percentages those thinking Escambia County and City of Pensacola are on the right track dipped some this year, the percentages are much higher than they were in 2008.
Escambia County- 2008: 22% 2016: 51%
City of Pensacola- 2008: 27% 2016: 45%
“What’s nice is that, we do have a fairly large majority of people that do enjoy the quality of life here,†said Pytynia. “The biggest thing for me too is, if you look at where we were when we started in 2008 and you look at where we are at now, it’s a completely different picture of positivity now as compared to a general overall consensus that we weren’t headed in the right direction. The quality of life was not there.â€
The job performance rating for Superintendent of Schools Malcolm Thomas was the highest of all elected officials in the survey, 61 percent.
“Malcolm Thomas consistently over the years has done very well,†said Pytynia. “Escambia County and the city residents, they approve of his leadership, they approve of what he is trying to do with the school systems.â€
The entire survey can be found at pensacolayp.com.