The City of Pensacola and the General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Memorial Foundation are moving toward a fresh framework for the long-stalled memorial plaza at Wayside Park—but the two sides are not yet working from the same document, and the key sticking points that have shadowed this project for years remain unresolved.
- Background: General James, a Pensacola native, made history as the first African American four-star general in the history of the United States Armed Forces, serving the nation through three wars. The planned memorial plaza at Wayside Park—adjacent to the bridge that already bears his name—would include a central statue, a static display of a demilitarized F-4C Phantom II fighter jet, interpretive signage and educational displays, and landscaping and lighting befitting a public memorial of this significance.
A Long Time Coming
The idea for a Chappie James plaza at the new bridge landing emerged locally around 2018 while the replacement Pensacola Bay Bridge was under construction. The General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. Memorial Foundation launched formal fundraising in fall 2021 with a goal of approximately $2 million.
Early momentum: The City of Pensacola pledged $250,000—including local option sales tax funds—and granted the Foundation exclusive rights to build the plaza on a portion of Wayside Park at the Pensacola bridge landing.
- In May 2022, the Foundation unveiled public renderings of an ambitious design: a 10-foot bronze statue of Gen. James, a restored full-size F-4 Phantom II fighter jet similar to those he flew in Vietnam, and an 80-foot flagpole flying a large American flag. The statue would overlook downtown Pensacola and Pensacola Bay.
- The Foundation tapped nationally known sculptor Ed Dwight—himself a former Air Force test pilot and the first Black astronaut candidate—to create the statue. Foundation board chair Cris Dosev predicted completion by late 2022 with a dedication in early 2023.
Those deadlines came and went.
In July 2023, Florida officials formally dedicated the new Pensacola Bay Bridge as the “General Daniel ‘Chappie’ James Jr. Bridge” and held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the plaza at its foot. But the groundbreaking was symbolic. The Foundation didn’t have the money to start the project.
What Happened to the Original Agreement?
The City and the Foundation executed a Stewardship Agreement on January 31, 2024, which contained a hard deadline. The deal would terminate on June 30, 2025, unless the Foundation provided documentation of full funding—covering both construction and a minimum of three years of maintenance and upkeep. Read 2024 Agreement.
- To close a persistent funding gap, the Foundation went to Escambia County in early 2025 seeking $1 million in Tourist Development Tax money. County commissioners ultimately approved $750,000 in TDT funds plus $125,000 from other county sources—but conditioned the money on restructuring the City-Foundation agreement so the City would own the plaza and monument outright—conditions required by law for the county to use tax dollars.
The June 30, 2025 deadline arrived. The conditions weren’t met. The Stewardship Agreement automatically terminated. As of mid-2025, the plaza existed only on paper and in renderings.
Two Documents, Two Visions
Here’s where things stand now—and why they’re more complicated than a simple restart.
Foundation chairman Cris Dosev has presented the City with a draft Memorandum of Agreement. Separately, Deputy City Administrator Amy Miller drafted a Letter of Intent that has been sent to the City Attorney’s Office for review.
Both documents attempt to solve the same chicken-and-egg problem that has plagued this project from the start: the Foundation needs a documented commitment from the City in order to raise funds from donors and grant sources, but Mayor D.C. Reeves has been unambiguous—the City will not enter into any long-term binding agreement until the Foundation proves it has the money to build and maintain the plaza.
Miller’s LOI was written specifically to thread that needle. Whether it succeeds is a question the City Attorney’s Office is still working through.
The two documents reflect meaningfully different approaches to that central tension:
The Foundation’s draft MOA is a binding agreement. It grants the Foundation an exclusive license to use the Wayside Park site and to construct the plaza, with no explicit requirement that full funding be documented before the agreement takes effect. Read 2026 Draft MOA from CJF.
- Its leaders argue this is precisely what the Foundation needs to fundraise—a signed City commitment in hand. It also includes language about incorporating the plaza into the Black Florida Heritage Trail.
The City’s draft LOI is explicitly non-binding. It is a statement of mutual intent only. It reimplements the same funding guardrail that expired with the original Stewardship Agreement: no permitting, no site preparation, no construction until the Foundation has signed a formal Stewardship Agreement with the City—and that binding agreement cannot be finalized until the Foundation provides documented proof of full funding for construction plus three years of maintenance. The LOI also gives either party the right to walk away with 90 days’ written notice, a protection the Foundation’s MOA does not include. ReadLETTER OF INTENT – Draft from City.
- In short: the Foundation’s document gives them what they want now—a binding City commitment—without first satisfying what the Mayor requires. The City’s document gives the Foundation something to show potential donors, but stops well short of a binding commitment until the money is real.
What Happens Next
The April 14 meeting between the City and the Foundation—originally scheduled for April 8, but pushed back at Dosev’s request when his schedule changed—is expected to be a status briefing on both the Foundation and the project.
- Whether Dosev and the Foundation accept the LOI framework as a workable path forward, push back in favor of their own MOA, or propose something in between will set the tone for whether this project finally moves or stalls again.
