Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves issued this response to Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) request for records and demanding access to city records and personnel next week, August 18-19. Read August 7 Letter..
“We appreciate any efforts at any time by the State of Florida to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely,” said Mayor Reeves in a written statement sent to Inweekly at 11:44 a.m. “The administration, the city’s finance office and City Council leadership are collaborating on the state’s specific audit requests to prioritize clarity, accuracy, and full transparency on all sides.”
He continued, “We appreciate the significant investments made by Gov. DeSantis and his team in Pensacola, and we look forward to working with the DOGE team on their efforts and our shared mission to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.”
The nine-page letter had 62 requests under the categories of Procurement & Contracting; Personnel Compensation, Management Practices, Transportation & Utilities, DEI, Green New Deal, Grants & Financial Management and Homeless Services.
Interested in Mayor’s Successes
The audit appears to target some of Mayor Reeves’s most significant achievements:
Comprehensive Payroll Reform: The initiative delivered an average 6.8% raise for about 800 city employees, but its impact was targeted—approximately 75% of the pay increases went to employees earning less than $50,000 per year. Most raises were aimed at the lowest-paid, front-line staff, such as maintenance workers, technicians, and support staff, while higher earners saw proportionally smaller boosts.
Grants Department: – has brought over $100 million in grants
- $25 million for Hollice T. Williams Stormwater Park.
- $15 million for a maritime center and boat ramp at the Port of Pensacola, supporting American Magic’s headquarters relocation and 170 new jobs.
- $21.7 million for city park revitalization.
- Over $55 million in state grants for neighborhood and infrastructure projects.
- $1.7 million for after-school programs benefiting youth from low-income families.
- $1 million federal grant for urban forestry and tree canopy expansion in disadvantaged areas
Homeless efforts—Pensacola Motor, Community Response Teams (Adding social workers to PPD), Pallet Shelters, Partnership with the Homebuilders Association to build affordable units.
And Touchy Subjects
DOGE also wants more information on the contract for the demolition of the old Baptist Hospital campus, which has been part of the discussion on how much Escambia County should contribute to the effort.
The state is also interested in Mayor Reeves’ Just City Mayoral Fellowship — a prestigious, semester-long initiative launched by the Mayors’ Institute on City Design in partnership with the Just City Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It brings together a select group of mayors and key staff from cities across the U.S. to confront systemic injustices within their communities—particularly those found in the built environment—through innovative planning and design interventions.
- Reeves’ contributions included leveraging fellowship resources and expertise to advance transformative projects in Pensacola, most notably the upgrade of Hollice T. Williams Park from an underutilized site to a center for equity-focused infrastructure and community benefit.
Timing?
The DOGE letter came days after a mystery poll that targeted Mayor Reeves. The poll presented a stark contrast in how it treats local political figures.
While heaping praise on State Rep. Alex Andrade, former Police Chief Eric Randall, Councilman Charles Bare and Escambia County Commissioner Lumon May, describing their “wonderful” accomplishments, it takes a decidedly different approach with the mayor.
Sources who received the poll describe a series of pointed, negative questions about Reeves that read more like opposition research than neutral polling:
- “Do you realize that developers fund D.C.?”
- “Did you know D.C. installed red light cameras?”
- “Do you realize how much D.C. has been out of town?”
One particularly inflammatory question allegedly asked whether respondents liked that the mayor “only pays attention to white people downtown.”
Well, start cleaning out with the HR Department. The Assistant Director, Tracy Walsh, received a 10% increase breaking TWO policies. City employees are able to receive a 5% increase with certifications with Continuing Education . But, she received 10% with NO continuing education bringing her to a salary of over $148,000. In fact, there’s no evidence of anything attached to the Personnel Action. Conveniently, she was making more than the director, Ted Kirchharr, “leader” who has zero credentials and knowledge. He gives himself 10% more to bring himself to over $160,000. Now, his employee engagement scores have consistently dropped for the past 4 years. The mayor let the Chief go based on employee engagement scores but does nothing to HR. Wonder why there’s a difference between the two?